I couldnt believe it. But lo and behold, we had won again, in dramatic fashion, and I remember the look in Dr. Busss eye, like, We made the right decision.. My dad was working with Jerry West, trying to build this team that was a playoff team, but not a contender. return to LA, where he continued his studies at the University of Southern Dr. Buss soon turned an initial $1,000 investment in a West L.A. apartment building into assets eventually allowing him to purchase the Lakers and other properties, as he at different times owned the Los Angeles Strings of World Team Tennis, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and the Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League. With his huge contribution to the basketball industry, he was honored at the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. He turned a former He just said he was going to get (expletive) done. Theyll like this! We had several specialists look at him, and got a call from the guy at Stanford University, and he said, Im not worried about Ronny dying on the basketball court, I'm worried about Ronny dropping dead walking down the street. At that point, Ronny wasnt at Gonzaga anymore, so they didnt have health insurance for him; we hadnt signed him, so we werent responsible for his healthcare, and he had no personal healthcare insurance. We used to meet almost every month at his house and have lunch, and the lunch was always the same. brother, Jim, as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations in 2017, We drafted Ronny, were ready to sign him, but first we sent him in for a physical exam. The NBA wasnt like what it is today at that time. It all started to gel at that point. Jerry Busss other two sons, Joey and Jesse, are also a part of the LA Lakers operations. Buss purchased the team, reported to be worth around $1 billion, in 1979. He was one of the first people to do it, and now its commonplace. He really looked at it as entertainment. This made more headlines than anything Jerry Buss ever did with the Kings, and there is no doubt that basketball and the Lakers were his priority. He was as down to earth and cool as everybody said he was. She said, So as February approached, and the trade deadline, I was worried that my brother was going to make trades that would put us further down and take even longer to recover from, so I had to swiftly make a decision., A post shared by Jeanie Buss (@jeaniebuss). So he went to Jerry West, and said, weve got to get somebody to come and get us back to winning. So my dad went there and repeatedly met with Cooke, and convinced him with his passion that the Lakers needed somebody to be there, to be present, to take ownership. Id played the whole season with a torn ligament. Thats not normal for most owners. Lakers had great players like Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Pau Gasol, Magic Johnson, Shaquille ONeal, and Kobe Bryant. I felt, eventually, people would come out and see (Kobe) play. I was a rookie. [2], Buss' marriage to the former JoAnn Mueller ended in divorce in 1972 after having five children: Lee (b. And hed say, I want you to come to Vegas in a week. Everywhere we went, everybody would holler our names. Magic was like his third son after Jimmy and Johnny before Jesse and Joey were born. Jeanie is now in a relationship with actor and comedian Jay Mohr and lives in Los Angeles, California. When Hazzard died in 2011, he was still a Lakers employee. He always was that kind of an owner. I think that was the only ring that he wore, when we beat Boston the first time. When he said that on the podium at the Forum, we were just trying to celebrate the previous title, but he knew what he was doing. Air Leslie! As a professional poker player, Jerry Buss received a lot of recognition in 1991, when he came third in the World Series of Poker event, and when he won a second place in the World Poker Tour Freeroll . Once that game got going, he was into it. In the process of that, we worked Kobe out one day against two guys who were supposedly going to be drafted higher than him, and it was ridiculous. I didnt really have an agent at the time. It feels small, but its not. I was with Jerry West, (a.k.a.) He had a string of young girlfriends and was also known as a playboy during his young and adult age. Reports suggest Prince Charles will live "in a flat above the shop" when he becomes king. In 1953, Buss graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Chemistry in only two and a half years. Everybodys been calling, but this is the call Ive been waiting on. He left Wyoming to While still very much involved with the Lakers, Dr. Buss continued to rely on Mitch Kupchak, Phil Jackson, Jim Buss, Jeanie Buss and Magic Johnson as the Lakers built back up from the Kobe-Shaq years into the Kobe-Pau Gasol-Lamar Odom years. Some owners look at it like a business, only. I first met him at Muhammad Alis retirement party at the Forum. Jerry Buss has six children. He understood the brand of the Lakers, and that first time he sat down with me in 1979, he said, I want to make the Lakers a household name. Basically, he wanted Showtime. However, that didnt happen, with the brothers eventually agreeing that Jeanie would be the one in control as long as the Buss family owned the team. Jerry Buss took advantage of this and is part of the Dr. Buss had a way of communicating with everybody, whether you were 18 or 80, Dr. Buss could make you feel comfortable. But how can I contribute? Pat did a great job good basketball mind, and he had the work ethic to achieve that. And of course I went to greet at him and sat at his table until his guests got there. Buss owned a majority We never had any problems to talk about, except for any games that we might lose. the great depression era in the US. He loved to jump on it. Because no matter where you go, your partners shadow will never leave you. It was too good to be true. I saw how he would be able to rebuild a team quickly to get back to contender status. abandoned Buss and the rest of his family when Jerry was a young child. And Id just played in a rec league game maybe a week prior. Between 2006 and 2011, Id see him when I was coaching, and wed reflect on memories. [26] Buss was buried on February 22 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) in a private ceremony with family and close friends. Treat everyone with respect and dignity while setting forth a vision of exactly what you want to accomplish. Wed watch Lakers games together before he bought the team, and all hed talk about was, Someday Im gonna own that team. And (a couple of years later) he did. Now, HBO's 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty' provides a dramatized version of that period. And one such face that has become so quickly known is Paloma Jimenez. He then reached a major advertising agreement with Great Western Bank for the naming rights to The Forum, resulting in the official name of the building being changed to the Great Western Forum. In the summer of 2007, Kobe Bryant requested a trade from the Lakers. Dr. Buss actually started in his first season, 1979-80, with a combination of USC and UCLA pom girls, and the USC band. The Laker tradition of bringing the biggest players to LA has continued, too, most notably with Lebron James who has taken home a salary of around $40 million per year with the Lakers since joining in 2018. I dont do death very well. We were coming off a championship. He revealed that he wasnt very interested in the familys sports ownership business, and his interest further diminished after his fathers death. Businessman Jerry Buss buying the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979 marked the beginning of an incredible run of success for the NBA franchise over the next twenty years. My first initial meeting I was kind of thrown back, because he didnt seem like an owner. But I do remember saying I dont know who management is.. world when he became the owner of the Los Angeles Strings in 1974. His two things he was mainly focused on was winning championships, getting the Lakers back to that level, and being a family man, being a father to his children. He was a very well-rounded person. the strong work ethic that was the platform for his later business success. I remember wed just won the championship against the Pacers, and he took us down on the floor. No other team A teacher doesnt turn off the student with a tone of voice. Sanjib Sah is an engineer and a content writer passionate about celebrity news and gossip. So, we were preparing for the offseason in 1996 when we signed Shaq and traded for the rights to draft Kobe. children. I didnt have firsthand memories of winning a championship, and felt like wed never get one, because it seemed so hard. I dont know who spoke first about it, but the discussion of Lamar came up and as hard as it was to work our way through that negotiation, at that moment, it was the greatest feeling in the world to have been able to have done that. We used to sit at his house and eat the same thing, Chinese chicken salad from California Pizza Kitchen, and wed sit there and just talk. In this article, we look The love of his life was the Lakers and his kids. He was like a rebel, but in a good sense. After Jerrys death, his children took up various roles within the organization, with Jeanie Buss ultimately becoming the president and controlling owner of the Lakers. Coach him! He was supposed to come out to Orlando. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty follows Jerry Buss, the owner of the LA Lakers, as he tries to steer the newly acquired NBA team towards success. I get up, I go there at 10 a.m. to his office (at the Forum) and they tell me I have to wait, Dr. Buss is in a meeting with Jerry West. 754 2 minutes read. out of college was working as a chemist for the Bureau of Mines. As the executive vice president, Jeanie managed the organizations business side. concept of premium seating when he created the Forum Club. Leadership starts from the top, and he was one of these guys who commanded respect. I would watch him ask them how their grandchildren were, if they graduated knowing people by name. Pat Riley, myself, Dr. Buss and one of his friends. Or to USC football games. That was so special. Jerry West Lakers General Manager (1982-2002), 6X Champion Lakers Guard (1960-74) NBA Champion, Finals MVP, 14X All-Star, Hall of Fame When he bought the team, it was more like a dream come true. The Dwarfs were gifted championship rings when the Lakers won titles and were granted carte blanche access to all Laker home games and events at the Fabulous Forum / Great Western Forum / Staples Center. It became a happening. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. Some might wonder if his death will bring radical changes to the ownership of the team, but according to his family, thats not very likely. Thats why when hed make a decision, hed take the time to explain to me the thought process behind it, so Id always know where that decision was coming from and why he believed in particular. We had finished the parade, and Gary Vitti and the organization made the decision I needed surgery. the teams he owned perform, and what is his lasting legacy? [17], Buss had two more children with a girlfriend, Karen Demel: Joey (b. Limmy is a Scottish comedian, writer, and Twitch streamer. When he bought the Forum, it was called the Forum. HRH King Charles III. play live at Laker games. . Wed sit around, wed talk. We had a bunch of ideal guys Kareem Abdul Jabbar and James Worthy next to Earvin. Im sure he had a lot of good conversations with Kobe at that time that helped him get his feet on the ground. The Lakers would rebuild Not just in the Lakers and what theyd become but he had a plan. But one things I remember that stood out to me, as nice as Dr. Buss was, he was really a good owner but he looked at me and said, Look, I understand youre upset. Thats when we found out about his enlarged aortic root. Daniel Craig. We made it a mission to play them again in 1985, to prove to ourselves and the world that we could beat them. The first time I met Dr. Buss was my second time coming to Los Angeles after I was drafted in 1979, because the first time, Jack Kent Cooke and Jerry West and Chick Hearn were the guys I met. Buss originally went to invest in real estate in order to provide an income so he could continue teaching. This Jeanie Buss, 55, is in her fourth season as Lakers president, her 18th season overall with the organization. *Jan. 11, 1980: the Lakers won 123-100. I was happy. He didnt know what the future held, I didnt know what the future held. Dont talk about the owner. All those times we were together, I shared with him, I wanted to be more than just a basketball player. I dont think an owner of a team should be someone that just sat back thinking about making, Well, it will make me X amount each year. Dr. Buss was passionate about it. This was like brothers. There is no good answer for the loss of a loved one. [11] The Sparks also experienced their share of success, winning two WNBA championships with such players as Lisa Leslie, Tamecka Dixon and DeLisha Milton-Jones. Some people said, How dare you, you cant make it commercial. But yes. He was the first one who recommended Angels and Demons, before it became a really big hit. According to Janie Buss, I dont know if its Jerry West, or if its Magic, I dont know whats going on. I just couldnt believe it. At the time, we were marveling at how much a Michael Jordan rookie card was in the early 1990s. But I hadnt seen him yet. In 1989, he gave me a five-year contract, and they hadnt even hired the head coach yet. Arguably the best thing He realized there was an opportunity there, that perhaps if he could meet with him, he could convince Jack Kent Cooke to sell him the team. The television actress has also worked on another TV show named Hot Bench. Fascinating man. What Are the Odds Of You Regretting Your Next Tattoo? We were up 3-1, and I remember about 2-to-3 hours before tip, I called him and said, Where are you, why are you not coming to Orlando? He said, Im not going to make it, you have to hold down the fort if we win, you have to accept the trophy. I said, Why cant someone else do it. He said, No, youre an owner, Im having you do it. I said, Well, OK do you have any advice? He said, Oh youll do great, dont worry, and he hung up the phone. Pat learned his job on the fly. This isnt to say he was Laker Girls. fm m rult f wrkng wth, Read More Ryan Haywood: Early Life, Sexual Misconduct & Net WorthContinue, The secret to modeling is not beauty; what one needs is a face people can recognize in a second. In a 1998 interview, she The Lakers were very successful under Buss' ownership, winning 10 NBA championships with such players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol, and with coaches Pat Riley and Phil Jackson. He would call me in some days and hed say Hey, hey, be a coach. He loved plays, and he wanted the focus to be on the athletes and the court. His ex-wife owns a portion of the team but does not have the ability to vote on a sale. There was purity to that. A few times a year, especially if Dr. Buss traveled with the team, wed sit down and hed ask my opinion about certain things with the team, which I really appreciated his confidence in me. Kind of thrown back, because he didnt seem like an owner basketball player revealed that he wasnt very in. I didnt have firsthand memories of winning a championship, and his kids out and (... Son after Jimmy and Johnny before Jesse and Joey were born and Jay... From publicly accessible databases of premium seating when he created the Forum they hadnt even hired the head coach.! Him at Muhammad Alis retirement party at the time made the decision i surgery! 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