Jeanie Buss on LeBron being the Lakers’ highest-paid player at $104M: ‘He’s still a bargain to me’

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss believes that superstar LeBron James is still a bargain to the Lakers despite being the team’s highest-paid player.

“I think he’s so competitive, it’s really gotta be something that he wants to do,” Buss said of James playing in the Olympics. “And we always support our players in the decisions that they make in regards to playing for their national team or not. And it was something that was important to LeBron. And yes, he is our highest-paid player, but he’s still a bargain to me.”

There’s no doubt that James has made a massive impact since signing with the Lakers ahead of the 2018-19 season. He led the franchise to an NBA title in the 2019-20 season, winning the NBA Finals MVP award in the process, and he’s been an All-Star in every season since joining the franchise.

Despite the fact that James will turn 40 years old during the 2024-25 season, he showed last season that he can still play at a high level.

A 20-time All-Star, the 39-year-old averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from deep in the 2023-24 regular season.

He then followed that up by averaging 27.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game across five games against the Denver Nuggets. While the Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs, it’s hard to imagine that they would’ve even made the postseason without James’ play throughout the season.

This offseason, James opted out of his contract with the Lakers, but he ended up staying with the team, signing a two-year deal (the second season is a player option).

It seems like Buss and James have a solid relationship, and the Lakers owner clearly appreciates what he brings to the team on the floor. Not only that, but James is one of the biggest athletes in the world, which certainly helps raise the profile of the Lakers since he is on the team.

Buss and the Lakers are hoping that James still has a lot left in the tank as he enters his 22nd season in the NBA. If he can lead the Lakers to another NBA title, it would further his legacy as arguably the greatest player of all time.