You can. 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. Many Los Angeles Lakers fans mourned the passing of the teams primary owner, Jerry Buss, on Monday. After the first time we lost to the Celtics in 2008, Dr. Buss and I talked and I said, Man I feel bad, we lost to the Celtics, I never want to bring that heartache to you and this organization ever again. He said, No, it sucks losing to them. I said, I promise to you well never lose to those (expletive) again. And then we wound up beating them two years later, and we thoroughly enjoyed that, by the way, after we beat them in Game 7. And then Id go home. The NBA lost a great man. After the championship in 1980, it was like the rocket just took off. Thats another way we connected. Before owning one of the most iconic teams in the NBA, Jerry Buss grew up in Wyoming in the years after the Great Depression. Its more than just going out there and playing. And he did. Obviously, Kobe was able to do that with the help of the franchise. I was like, Listen, I havent talked to anybody from the Lakers organization, no one has called me, I dont know if its true. He said, Well, we think its true, weve talked to Jerry West. I said, Well you know what, I dont know who the manager is of this team. Hed ask me a lot of questions about how we played, what I thought and so forth. He spent two years convincing Cooke to sell him the team, in May of 1979. 3 reviews. My dad started incorporating Joey and I more after we won the back-to-back titles, and we had the mid-level exception in the summer, and he asked who we liked. It was really his love, his heart. You can be multifaceted. We never had any problems to talk about, except for any games that we might lose. I remember being at the Forum in Inglewood in 1985 in my rookie year, meeting Dr. Buss and him saying Lets have lunch one day. Time goes by until you decide, Im going to take him up on that. So we arranged a lunch, midweek after a practice, and went up to his office, and we had a real, genuine, 1-on-1 conversation talking about life itself outside of basketball. But it appears as though Johnny began a career in sports management in 1975 and later became the Executive Vice President of Strategic Development of the Los Angeles Lakers for several years. Im still not quite sure what possessed him to have me do it that time. I always (respected) how Dr. Buss interacted with people around the stadium. Most people at that level were pretty standoffish. The latest installment of BEYOND THE GLORY goes beyond the glitz and glamour of the Lakers' owner and takes an in-depth look at the personal lives and struggles of one of sports' most well . He owns The Ice House, a comedy club in Pasadena, California, and has also shown interest in politics. She surprised us doing a great job running the Forum. My dad just figured hed last another 10 years and that Joey and Jesse would start taking over the basketball side and Jimmy would start retiring and that would be it. I thought we were at our very, very best even though we got beat by the Pistons on that 3-peat effort, we were undefeated going into the Finals until Magic and Byron got hurt. If you knew me you would understand Im not about money at all. If some of Buss children or his ex-wife did want to sell, they would have to overcome some obstacles. And drafting Magic was huge. Im super thankful how Kobe wanted me on board, how Dr. Buss also was in favor and supportive of getting me and doing what it took to get me to the Lakers. You wanted to give him a little extra. I believe I've accomplished that.". Ill never forget Jerry Buss. Smiled and laughed, drank champagne and went to the White House. I wouldnt ever want to try that. It was this big weight had been taken off of his back. He was one of the first people to do it, and now its commonplace. Then he wanted to work out for us one more time, so Michael Cooper, whod been retired for a year or two, we asked him to come out and participate. I love it. He was very appreciative, very happy. Dr. Buss left a lasting legacy, expressed through those that were close to him. You have to look at me coming in as a rookie, with Hall of Famers like Phil Jackson, Kobe and Shaq, and the history of the Lakers. Even today, when they talk on ESPN, Greatest Owners in Sport History come on man, thats crazy! Dr. Jerry Buss's professional success and his reputation as a playboy have been well documented over the years, yet little is known about the Buss family. That's why, when I created this new uniform, I wanted people to see that. So all we could do was try to stay together and do what he asked us to do and that was to make as much money as possible. After we lost to the Pistons*, we had an organization type of dinner, with all the players and the media in a banquet room. On Feb. 13 of 1987, I found out from the Spurs trainer that I had been traded to the Lakers. He loved to calculate how much time it would take us to get places, and what time wed have to leave by to arrive on time. He didnt walk around with a big hammer. He says he plans to run for political office next year, but wouldnt say which one. He lived a true rags-to-riches story, as he learned the value of hard work at a young age. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. I didnt have firsthand memories of winning a championship, and felt like wed never get one, because it seemed so hard. He did not make demands. When he approached a problem, he never panicked, he never screamed, he was methodical in his approach. Theres no secret why the Lakers had had so much success under him. Because he found out very quick that I was very serious about winning, and he respected that. We were out there on family vacation, and (Dr. Buss) was in Italy, and he hopped a plane to come sit with me. His first investment in the 1960s was $1,000 in a West Los Angeles apartment building. And then when I came down to Miami, it was a whole new world for me down here. *In the 2004 Finals, Detroit beat L.A. 4-1. He was a master at dealing with people, a genius businessman, and really just as good with people as he was with business. It was a wonderful stretch of years, during the threepeat, despite the battle between the big fella and Kobe. He had a huge, beautiful office with all kinds of knick knacks and stuff like that. He was in great spirits, it was great talking, he still had his sense of humor. It was just a conversation (Dr. Buss) and I had. That was really kind of troubled times for us as a franchise, and I didnt think they were doing whatever it took to win, and passed on some really good deals to get top players in. His beloved Lakers made it to the Finals 16 times nearly half of his 33 seasons and won 10 championships while missing the playoffs only twice. James Jim Hatten Buss was born on November 9, 1959, and is the second eldest son of Jerry Buss. My first initial meeting I was kind of thrown back, because he didnt seem like an owner. That was an absolutely incredible gesture on his part, which I always appreciated, to say the least. He always was that kind of an owner. So in 1985, Im playing for Dr. Jerry Buss, and hes a legend. Never embarrassed anybody. Then-NBA commissioner David Stern called Jerry a visionary owner whose influence on our league is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come.. Some might wonder if his death will bring radical changes to the ownership of the team, but according to his family, that's not very likely. Let the women be the show, get the attention. When Dr. Buss first bought the team, he looked at what we were charging for floor seats, and knew based on anecdotal data of talking to people that with a young Magic Johnson and this team, he could charge more. He taught us that we should do our best to be happy, and do things that make us happy; whether or not that was basketball was up to us. HRH King Charles III. She is the one who took over the family business, and her children may do the same someday. Read more. The most innovative with Showtime and all the business connections he was way ahead of his time, more than any owner in history. And while his relationship with his siblings is strained, he shares with them a reverence for their father. Id run into him in Los Angeles at various places and said hello. Born in Salt Lake City, Buss was raised by his divorced mother, Jessie. If you knew me you would understand Im not about money at all. So I talked to the NBA, and that started the process of us putting the lighting in that we have now. I have my head down, and he says, Coop, you know it was a great year for us, a lot of people didnt think that we could get this done, but here we are finally and we did it. So I said, Doc, what team am I going to? He goes, What are you talking about? I go, Doc, what team am I going to? The only way for us to change was to do something drastic. Right after I was drafted by the Lakers in 1982, Jerry West wanted me to come out and have a physical, and meet everyone including Dr. Buss. So, we were preparing for the offseason in 1996 when we signed Shaq and traded for the rights to draft Kobe. I talked to him, and I said, Dr. We were big into collecting basketball cards growing up. Nights after the game, hed tease me, because wed go to have dinner at Dan Tanas or somewhere like that, and Id say, I have to go home, we have practice in the morning. And hed say, Thats why I love you. I think he knew, with me being 20 and alone all the way from Michigan, he became a father figure to me. That was his vision. I thought we had a great professional relationship, and over the years I got to know him and be friends with him. He just said he was going to get (expletive) done. The Buss siblings had a meeting the week after Dr Jerry Buss death, to discuss how the Lakers would work going forward. It didnt have naming rights like Staples Center. I think when you have success, its just different. After Jerry divorced JoAnn, in 1972, he had two more. His daughter, Jeanie, took over the Lakers in March 2017. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. But I do remember saying I dont know who management is.. We were holding the trophy, and there was a writer, Steve Springer with the L.A. Times, who came into the hallway when we were walking off the floor with my dad, and (Springer) asked what did it feel like to win your first championship since 1988? 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. So, it was interesting timing how we both ran into each other in Barcelona during a family trip from him, and he came to the gym I used to work out at in a hotel in Barcelona. What people dont realize is that Phil (Jackson) and them called me when we were about to lose Lamar Odom, and said, youre the only one (Dr. Buss) will listen to. An alumnus of Northwestern University and Arcadia High School, she has written about everything from high school sports to college football to boat racing during the past 15 years. Later on in the day, Dr. Buss was having a picnic for all his employees. After Jerry's death, his children took up various roles within the organization, with Jeanie Buss ultimately becoming the president and controlling owner of the Lakers.She was only 17 when her father bought the team, and she held various managerial roles over the years, with the team winning the title in 2020. And at the time, Cooke owned an NFL team in Washington, and he saw Jerry Buss as a worthy person to carry on with the Lakers and the Los Angeles Kings and the Forum. 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. There was a lot of pressure, but Dr. Buss I think took a lot of that pressure off of us. We all know that Dr. Buss was the first to bring in a dance team, and he felt it was equal opportunity. So I came to this park, and I was with Jerry West and somebody from the Lakers front office, and I got disconnected from my hosts. Thats pretty good. Such a meaningful and historical figure to all of us that who love this game and this League. But Buss was wise to plan early for the team and make his wishes specific and legally binding. Create a franchise that was worth billions., Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli. So theyre chatting one time, and he says, Hey, would you like to put your name on the building? They say, How would that work? Dr. Buss says, Well, youre going to pay me, wed agree upon a price, and it would become the Great Western Forum. And boom. with JoAnn Buss Jeanie Buss born 1961, age 61 (approx.) So its strange to have a guy whos your mentor, father figure and best friend all rolled into one And then when Jeanie called me (to share the news that he had passed away (one of the) toughest days in my life. 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