The Los Angeles Lakers have been rolling since trading for superstar Luka Dončić, riding a seven-game win streak and sitting second in the Western Conference. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss appeared on NPR’s Morning Edition, where she took some surprising digs at Anthony Davis.
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“Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played, and he wasn’t happy,” Buss said. “So I think this was a positive for both teams. They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for. And I didn’t realize it was going to be international news like it was, but that’s the power of the Laker brand and its ability to draw big names who want to write their own chapter in Lakers history.”
On ESPN’s First Take, Kendrick Perkins made an interesting comparison, likening Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and Buss to Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys—two organizations that believe their relevance depends on how often their names are circulated in mainstream media.
“Jeanie Buss addressing these comments on AD sounds like Jerry Jones on the Cowboys,” Perkins said on First Take this morning. “When you think about Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka—when they’re losing games, you can’t find them. You need the FBI to try and help find them; they’re nowhere to be found. They run from the microphone, they run from interviews… Now here comes the bigger question. She talks about how people want to be a part of the Laker brand, right? One of the most historical franchises in sports. Is it about show, or is it about substance?”
For the Lakers and the Cowboys, the goal has always been to keep the fans engaged. The objective is to maintain enough hope to keep fans spending money. While franchises are often portrayed as being singularly focused on winning, the reality is that much of their success comes from the supplemental income generated by the loyalty and optimism of their fan bases.
