Kobe Bryant Gave Jeanie Buss Some Advice on How to Bring LeBron James to LA Lakers
LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers match up during the first half at Staples Center on March 10, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images

The fate of the Los Angeles Lakers changed in the 2018-19 off-season when Jeanie Buss decided to pursue NBA superstar LeBron James after listening to Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's advice.

After years of missing the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers struggled in getting back to the postseason. But the late Kobe Bryant came up with an idea that helped Jeanie draft a pitch to invite LeBron James to play in Lakers.

Kobe Bryant's Advice Saved LA Lakers

LeBron James, who was set to become a free agent at the time, was displaying MVP numbers for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it attracted Jeanie Buss.

According to The SportsRush, Kobe Bryant advised LA Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to pursue LeBron James after getting rid of the chaos surrounding the Lakers' front office management.

Jeanie then pulled off one of the biggest moves in the league of the last decade by signing superstar LeBron James to play for the 'Purple and Gold' squad. Kobe Bryant played a constructive role in this 'The King' recruitment to the LA Lakers.

"I'll tell you when Jeanie Buss came to me and said, 'I really want to go after [Lebron], I said, Jeanie, he's not coming here until you clean up this sh*t here, the last thing LeBron wants to do is come to an organization that has a lot of infighting, a lot of the stuff going on," Kobe Bryant said in his interview with The Undefeated.

Kobe Bryant's Advice to Recruit LeBron James

Despite being one of the most prestigious teams in the league, the LA Lakers had hit a rough patch between NBA seasons 2013-19. The LA Lakers found themselves in the lottery for consecutive years even though Kobe Bryant was still playing.

The LA Lakers were going through a rough patch after getting their 2010 championship. The Lakers franchise was in a mess, especially its front office when Lakers owner Jerry Buss died in 2013. The death of the Lakers owner left his 66 percent stake in the franchise among his six children equally.

The Buss family faced a lot of internal issues during the time. Even siblings Jeanie and Jim Buss were involved in a major court battle. Nonetheless, the court decided in favor of Jeanie, who then fired her brother. Jeanie Buss then transformed the Lakers organization.

When Jeanie had complete control of the Lakers organization in 2017, she took the franchise's reign into her hands to make the team an attractive destination for a superstar.

Buss signed 5x NBA champion and Lakers legend Magic Johnson as the president of the Lakers basketball operations tried to convince stars in making LA their new home.

Buss' signing of LeBron James proved to be successful, as the franchise won their first NBA championship after 10-years in the 2020 Orlando Bubble. King James also benefited from the move because he won his 4th Finals MVP and established himself as a Lakers great.

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Written by: Jess Smith

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