EL SEGUNDO, CA – JULY 13: Jeanie Buss, controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers, looks from a balcony before the start of a news conference where Anthony Davis was introduced as the newest player of the Los Angeles Lakers at UCLA Health Training Center on July 13, 2019 in El Segundo, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers team president revealed the letter via Instagram on Friday.
Hatred deserves to be called out, which is exactly what Jeanie Buss did this week.
Buss has been involved in a plethora of less-than-thrilling moments for Lakers fans throughout her career as a Los Angeles Lakers executive. Despite how fans might feel about her decisions in the Lakers front office, nothing excuses harassment.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what Buss still faces.
Buss posted to a two-sentence letter that was sent to her in which a deranged fan uses derogatory terms and invokes the death of Kobe Bryant to berate Buss and the NBA players fighting for the end of racial injustice in America.
In her Instagram post, Buss stated how she has received plenty of similar letters over the years but decided to share this in light of the Juneteenth holiday.
“On this day, Juneteenth, I ask my white friends to join together, acknowledge the racism that exists in our country and around the world, and pledge to stop ignoring it,” the Lakers team owner and president wrote. “We all must do better.”
Buss said she posted the letter to remind everyone how real the hate is and that it’s an everyday part of life for a lot of people.
“After much thought, I decided to share this letter I received on Monday so that everyone can see the hate is real and living out there,” Buss wrote. “This is happening in our world TODAY. It’s real and it exists.”
In addition to showing the letter to bring such hate to light, Buss directly addressed the sender in her comment.
“Did sending this letter make you feel better? Really all you did was waste your time, and energy and your postage stamp. (But thank you for including your return home address) Why don’t you look in the mirror and see your ugliness because I refuse to.”
Buss turned off the comments to the post but prior to doing so she was receiving support from fellow executives, fans, and NBA players like Lakers star LeBron James.