Los Angeles Lakers fans organized a protest outside of the Staples Center targeting the front office's decision-making. An estimated 35-40 fans joined the protest. "I don't mean it to be a personal attack on [owner] Jeanie Buss or anything like that. I just don't agree with their decision-making on a front-office level. Nepotism shouldn't be involved when it comes to decision-making," said 22-year-old Charlie Rivers, who organized the protest on social media. Rivers also added that people around the Buss family have their own motivations. "Whether it's Jim Buss, Jeanie Buss -- things have been toxic, and I feel like people around Jeanie don't have her best interest at heart and they're making political moves to keep themselves on the job. And ultimately that's going to hinder the effectiveness of the organization," he said. The protest came a day after Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti called the city "a Clippers town." "Right now, it's a Clippers town. I'm Lakers 'til the day I die. But I love [the] Clippers. I don't hate 'em," said Garcetti.<doc-sep>The Los Angeles Lakers, one of the NBA’s marquee franchises, are in disarray. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2013, and now they are struggling to even get a head coach in place. Did we mention that even though the Lakers have LeBron James, there are whispers that some want the organization to trade him? Yeah, things are a mess in La-La Land right now. Fans are angry, and they are apparently going to let their voices be heard tomorrow. According to Fred Roggin of NBCLA and AM570LA Sports, a group of fans are staging a protest outside Staples Center on Friday. #Lakers fans are so frustrated they’re staging a protest outside of Staples Center tomorrow. When it comes to this, you’re in big trouble. The organizer will be with us @AM570LASports at 12:45. — Fred Roggin (@FredNBCLA) May 9, 2019 It looks like there are additional details on the rally, courtesy of a Lakers fan on Reddit. It is reportedly set for noon tomorrow. “Why? Jeannie hates bad PR. She don’t care about us, but cares what the media says. Point is to spin the narrative to the Talking Heads “Is Jeannie the opposite of her Father?” and have them talk,” the post reads. Some of the suggested chants for attendees include “Sell the team!”, “Fire Rambis!” and “No Jason Kidd!”. If this goes through as planned, it should be an interesting scene. It will also generate the attention that these fans are hoping to attract.<doc-sep>It’s been fun to dump on the Los Angeles Lakers recently. They limped to the finish line this season, ended LeBron James’ long NBA playoff streak, saw Magic Johnson submit his surprise resignation, and just days ago the team so badly botched contract negotiations with Ty Lue that he took himself out of the running to be the next head coach. So, business as usual, right? That’s precisely why fans are upset. The Lakers are a marquee franchise that seems to be run and managed like an unlicensed basement summer camp. One fan on Reddit was so sick and tired of the Lakers constantly tripping over their own feet that he decided to plan a fan protest. On Friday at noon in front of the Staples Center, fans would gather and loudly voice their displeasure. From Reddit: We will be holding a protest to garner ESPN Media Coverage. Voicing our displeasure of the front office. Why? Jeannie hates bad PR. She don’t care about us, but cares what the media says. Point is to spin the narrative to the Talking Heads “Is Jeannie the opposite of her Father?” and have them talk. The Lakers have had a rough few months, and fans are so upset that they staged a protest in front of the Staples Center. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Leaving aside the fact that the Lakers don’t actually have any team personnel at the Staples Center (which means Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka, and the whole Lakers gang won’t hear them yelling), it’s not a bad idea. Generating bad publicity for the team is definitely a way to show the PR-minded owner that things are not well in Lakers land. So how did things go? Well ... the protest happened. But while the organizer said he expected 60-80 people, it appears that the number was quite a bit lower. And the fans were a tad less enthusiastic than you might expect them to be. That protest by Lakers fans that’s supposed to take place at noon today? We are at it pic.twitter.com/FIUR4V1XIr — L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) May 10, 2019 They did get slightly more amped up, though. Slightly. Story continues We've got "Fire Rambis!" chants at the Lakers protest outside Staples Center 😬 (via @latimessports)pic.twitter.com/gTz9k6bEW7 — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 10, 2019 Signs at the Lakers fans protests include a crying LeBron James and a mugshot of Jason Kidd pic.twitter.com/fhJcZYI3Kt — L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) May 10, 2019 Clipper Darrell stopped by just to thumb his nose at Lakers fans. Clipper Darrell just showed up to take his victory lap at the Lakers protest. pic.twitter.com/5f8twCOQaE — Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 10, 2019 You have to imagine it was hard for Clipper Darrell to resist doing that after seeing how few people were actually gathered. The Lakers "protest" is looking extremely sad 😭 (via @mester_mark)pic.twitter.com/WDGHdOuVVE — Yahoo Sports NBA (@YahooSportsNBA) May 10, 2019 There might be more cameras there than actual fan protesters. A protest is a protest no matter how many people show up. The fans who were there got to chant loudly about their unhappiness, people paid attention, and Jeanie Buss likely knows it happened. But considering that maybe 30 people were yelling in front of an empty Staples Center where no Lakers front-office people work, this protest feels like the Lakers of sports protests: big promises, problematic results. But at least the protest brought joy to this Phoenix Suns fan, gleefully watching the action while casually snacking on a bag of peanuts. Bask in it, Suns Guy. Soak it in. Right now, your team is not the most embarrassing in the NBA. And for Suns fans, that’s a reason to celebrate. More from Yahoo Sports:<doc-sep>Johnson’s departure left James befuddled, with the 15-time all-star saying on his HBO show “The Shop,” that “it was just weird for [Johnson] to just be like . . . ‘Nah, I’m out of here. And not even have [a heads-up] like: ‘Hey, Bron . . . kiss my a--. I’m out of here.’ I would have been okay with that. Like: ‘Hey, Bron, it’s Magic. Kiss my a--; I’m gone.’ It wasn’t even that.”<doc-sep>
In light of the failed pursuit of former Cleveland Cavaliers head Tyronn Lue by the Los Angeles Lakers, disgruntled fans are planning to stage a protest outside of Staples Center on Friday at 12 p.m. The protest was organized by Reddit user Charlie Rivers (u/C-P-R) in an effort to get the attention of Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss, who he says doesn’t care about the fans but “cares what the media says.” Here’s the full press release, via Reddit: (Los Angeles, CA, May 9th, 2019) Due to recent news that has come to light in regards to the reasoning, circumstances, & accumulation in which the handling of hiring Tyronn Lue was done, I announce this statement: I announce a protest in response to Ms. Jeanie Buss’s decision making that has impacted the overall ability of the Lakers Organization to operate as a successful franchise. Many others and I find it disturbing the amount of influence Kurt & Linda Rambis have on the organization. This method of production being based off nepotism, personal friendships, rather than valued experience is alarming. So much so, that we, a section of the Lakers fanbase, believe that this method of conducting business is a net negative for the organization. The protest will be held on the grounds of the Staples Center at the intersection of S Figueroa St & W 11th St. on Friday, May 10th at 12:00PM. This event is not representative of the entire fanbase, but of those who are frustrated with the inept decision making of this organization’s leadership and the path they are taking. We support the Lakers organization, but do not condone its current management. This event is to focus not on the failure to hire Tyronn Lue, in favor of Jason Kidd, but the decisions that ultimately lead to this, in which are the responsibility of Jeanie Buss. We have no issue with Jeanie Buss, Kurt Rambis, or Linda Rambis personally, but are opposed to their decision making. Any acts of public disturbances, profanity, violence, threats, and disruption of the peace are not condoned. This is event is simply a conduit to have our concerns heard. For the latest on the protest, check out this page on Reddit, which is expected to be updated throughout the day.