That's why, when I created this new uniform, I wanted people to see that. Thats pretty good. As the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979 until he passed away in 2013, Dr. Jerry Buss oversaw one of the greatest stretches in sports and entertainment history. When he bought the Forum, it was called the Forum. Its one thing from your colleagues, its another when its your boss. Heres a look at each of their positions: Johnny Buss, 60, serves as the Lakers executive vice president of corporate development. As a millionaire businessman and real estate investor, Jerry was also fond of playing poker. Ryan is a professional and exceptionally experienced video game journalist as well. You wanted to give him a little extra. Buss owned other professional sports franchises in Southern California. Eventually, all three teams moved into a more modern arena in downtown Los Angeles, the Staples Center, which opened in 1999. The Lakers are on fire. Once you dealt with the media, you get on with your life. He loved to play cards, and wed talk about the season, and then what we could do to get the team better. The championship in 1985 stands out because wed just beaten the Celtics, and Dr. Buss was as proud as hes ever been of any team. Im going to always remember Vegas, Hawaii, Palm Springs all his favorite places. Never talked down to people. Thats the kind of guy you want to partner with. Thats what he wanted to do in his life. The NBA lost a great man. When Jerry Buss died in February 2013, the legendary Lakers owner left his six children each with an equal vote in charge of a family trust, with a 66% ownership stake in the team. Afterwards, I had to go to the hospital for three days. Remarkably, the Lakers made the Finals in nearly half the seasons he was in charge (16). Id just moved up to live with him in Playa Vista in 2006, and late one night after a game he was drinking wine. When Jerry Buss purchased the LA Lakers from former owner Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, he was divorced from his first wife, JoAnn Mueller. That was a big part of growing up for all of us. After I took the job with the Knicks, Dr. Buss called me on the phone and asked if I was in L.A., and he wanted to have dinner with (my wife) Chris and I. Jerry Buss Gerald Hatten Buss (January 27, 1933 - February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, investor, chemist, and philanthropist. Luckily that first year the players, in spite of my lack of experience, we won the championship and the rest is history. Buss was booked for driving under the influence when two Highway with JoAnn Buss Joey Buss born 1985, age 37 (approx.) science. After separation from Mueller, Buss dated Karen Demel and had two children: Joey Buss (born in 1985) and Jesse Buss (born in 1988). My family is from the islands, so the West Indies part of his background resonated with me also. Hes probably one of the best owners in the history of the NBA. Between 2006 and 2011, Id see him when I was coaching, and wed reflect on memories. I miss him a lot. championship three years in a row, the Lakers became the first team to achieve He made my dreams come true when he welcomed him to the Lakers family. The team was dominant Or to USC football games. After the test, he was found intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level of over 0.08 percentage and was taken into custody. His name will already be remembered, but to have it right there (on the shorts) is pretty big. carried their regular season form into the playoffs, winning the WNBA title and I cant do that! He said, Well thats what I had in mind. I said, I cant pick up the tab for a whole group of people! And that was the end of our betting routine. So, Im like, Oh boy, here it is, because I knew all trades had to go through him. It is believed to be correct at the time of inputting and is presented here in good faith. 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. There was purity to that. He talked about beating the Celtics. Many Los Angeles Lakers fans mourned the passing of the team's primary owner, Jerry Buss, on Monday. My thoughts and prayers are with the family & friends of Dr. Jerry Buss. We just stayed the course. In the mid to late 1970s, Dr. Buss owned the Los Angeles Strings of World Team Tennis. Just showed up and watched. One of the things he said is the most important thing about business is just having patience. That was a long process, too, and stressful. Back then, (player movement) on that scale was not something that happened that often I think Dr. Buss mindset played into it a lot. Jerry Buss buying the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. Daniel Craig. Jerome "Jerry" Carl Buss, 85, of Rochester, passed away Friday, December 31, 2021, at his home with his loving family by his side. En route to all the championships, the Lakers put together the NBA's best record since Dr. Buss bought the team from Jack Kent Cooke, going 1786-926 for a winning percentage of .659 (San Antonio is the only other franchise above .600 at .606). A new 10-part docuseries on the family titled Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers details the family's rich history and how Jerry came to own the team. *L.A. won 3-0 against Denver, 4-1 against Golden State and 4-0 against Seattle. His ex-wife owns a portion of the team but does not have the ability to vote on a sale. I remember the first time we did it, during my second season, he told me, Hey man I really like your game, I like the way you play, I want you to go back and play confident and I want you to know that Im the boss, and I like you. the feat since the Chicago Bulls, who did so from 91-93 and 96-98, also The NBA wasnt like what it is today at that time. Wed go out to different musicals and shows and dinners with my dad. Buss said this or Dr. Slow down. He was very patient and he loved timing things out, but not necessarily rushing to places. Dr. Buss was truly an amazing man. the Lakers, who were then coached by Phil Jackson, became just the fifth team Guidelines. Lydus Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Lydus Buss", "gender": "Male" }, Jessie Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Jessie Buss", "gender": "Female" }, Johnny Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Johnny Buss", "gender": "Male" }, born 1956, age 66 (approx.) And he would wander off into other aspects of life, and he was so smart, and so brilliant, so well read in a lot of different areas that it was truly intriguing for me at that time, unbeknownst to me what was going on, that I was getting the education of a lifetime as a head coach and also as a man. Dr. Buss, its because the lights are so high up in the ceiling, and in order to make the court bright enough for broadcast, its really bright. He says, I understand, but can you keep an eye on that? So in 2004, the NBA came in with the All-Star game, and they brought in rigging with lights to create that sort of Broadway musical focus on the court. There was nothing too distract them, the players, and the family, because it really was all about the Lakers, all about preparing for the games, all about having fun in the games, Showtime, all about having fun in Los Angeles, all about having fun as families. Cooper took over the Sparks as head coach in the 2000-01 off-season, and The very first time that I met him was when he had purchased the team from Jack Kent Cooke. Have you ever seen anybody win the lottery? I saw how he would be able to rebuild a team quickly to get back to contender status. My dad was working with Jerry West, trying to build this team that was a playoff team, but not a contender. After Jerry's death, his children took up various roles within [] During the tournament, he became the third-best finish. Before that we had the (NBA) Draft, and we traded Vlade Divac, and we got back a player that frankly I thought was the best player in the Draft (Kobe Bryant). Dr. Buss said how proud he was of us to be there in the Finals, and it was just a nice moment. And hed say, I want you to come to Vegas in a week. Everywhere we went, everybody would holler our names. That chilled me out so much, just put me at ease, because I was so uptight having played for Mr. Cooke Dr. Buss was just such a great boss to play for. 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 . 1961) and Janie (b. Very unique to have an owner who took a player under his wing and was really teaching him stuff outside of basketball to help him when the game was over. during Busss tenure; they made the playoffs most years but never troubled the If some of Buss children or his ex-wife did want to sell, they would have to overcome some obstacles. Wed celebrate, have the parade, have a party, and then hed go to Vegas. I dont remember hearing of him really intervening and drawing a line in the sand for those two. He didnt walk around with a big hammer. 6 Reasons Why You Should Never Count Cards, Online Poker vs Live Poker: 9 Key Differences You Need To Know. After a decade of competitive teams that werent yet contenders, Dr. Buss and Jerry West signed free agent Shaquille ONeal, and traded for teenager Kobe Bryant, in 1996, then eventually brought Phil Jackson in to set up the next run of Lakers championships. Innovative in numerous areas, Dr. Buss made break throughs in advertising (like a major agreement with Great Western Bank in 1988), served served two terms as President of the NBA Board of Governors and helped launch Prime Ticket Network (now FS West/Prime Ticket) in 1985. And he loved Italian food. We werent always making money; it was a passion for him. And I walked right by him. It was really his love, his heart. Furthermore, this businessman has also owned the Playboy Club of the Phoenix. The times that he took out for 1-on-1 time to get me to feel comfortable, to tell me that he loved my game, that he wanted me to play confident. Furthermore, this poker player also appeared in the GSN series High Stakes Poker and the NBC late-night series Poker After Dark. I remember his comments in the locker room, you can look it up, about removing a certain sentence in the English language. Later on, Dancing Barry. I was happy to see the way that Dr. Buss and the franchise stuck by Earvin. Dr. Buss was open to all of the discussions. I think its because he commanded that respect. His father, Lydus, was an accountant who went on to teach statistics at Berkeley. And Jerry West pulled off the biggest free agent signing there ever was when he brought Shaquille ONeal in 1996. You can be super successful and win at the highest level while being a great father and family man, and also still have a social life. 1953[citation needed]), Johnny (b.1956), Jim (b. Its opening night for Staples Center: Nov. 3, 1999. He would call me in some days and hed say Hey, hey, be a coach. Buss started working for his stepdads plumbing company while still in school. Since his death, there [10] Buss later sold his controlling interest in the Kings to Bruce McNall in 1988 (who made headlines that year by trading for Wayne Gretzky from the Edmonton Oilers), retaining ownership of the Lakers and The Forum. Jim was later appointed as the Head of Basketball Operations but was removed in 2017 by Jeanie. the NBAs LA Lakers, the NHLs LA Kings, The Forum indoor arena, and a In order to purchase the team, Jerry had a team of lawyers and accountants and ultimately exchanged the Chrysler building in NYC Credit: Getty - Contributor. It was really vivid and authentic. It all started to gel at that point. Businessman Buss purchased the professional basketball team, Los Angeles Lakers, and the professional hockey team, Los Angeles Kings Hockey, and The Forum, with $67.5 million in 1979. It was an honor to be able to be asked to say some words. outstanding business success. And thats how I recollect my relationship with him. He was doing it because it was truly his passion. At the end of the day, it was almost like a perfect puzzle. I just remember generations of Lakers have come through this organization, obviously, and the team that we had at the time werent really knowledgeable of the history of the franchise. Jerry Buss died of kidney failure on February 18, 2013. All six of his children worked. You understood the genius of this man, because youre dealing with a guy whos just on a different plane. Notwithstanding, she is embraced and she has composed a book named Late for the Buss: A . He took me to (some parties), and different places, introducing me to people, and it was a great time. We made it a mission to play them again in 1985, to prove to ourselves and the world that we could beat them. Jeanie Buss, 55, is in her fourth season as Lakers president, her 18th season overall with the organization. It was Jerry West and Jerry Buss who opened the door for me, especially Dr. Buss, because I think Dr. Buss at that time, from what Ive heard, and if you go back and ever look at that press conference from when there was a coaching change, he saved my basketball life, or re-directed it in a way that I never realized that I was going to be where I am today. This one, though, would undoubtedly be a less vibrant, less wealthy industry. Magic Johnson had to retire early, sooner than we thought, and the team stayed competitive through the early and mid 90s, but my dad really, really wanted to get back to the winning ways. Jeanie inherited the Lakers from her late father Dr. Jerry Buss and previously was engaged to former Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, 77. And thats what Dr. Buss wanted, to create a place where it could be magical, almost like Disneyland. Hed say, Jeanie, the Lakers are what connects the community, and when theyre not winning, then were not being part of the community. Its almost like the Lakers are owned by the fans. Beginning in the early 1980s, Jerry Buss was notoriously seen in and around Los Angeles at charitable events with his ever-present entourage of close friends who were infamously dubbed in the press as The Seven Dwarfs. He was a wheeler and dealer. That would be incredible.. Jeanie, Dr. Buss and I spent a lot of time talking about price sensitivity. I was finally going to join the team I grew up loving in the Bahamas as a kid, from afar. It wouldnt just be me reaching out. So he asked me and Pat if wed be co-coaches, and I said Id consider it for a month. [22] On February 14, 2013, four days before his death, it was revealed that Buss had been battling cancer since 2012. In 1953, Buss graduated from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Chemistry in only two and a half years. He was also a well-known 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. And he did. He was just a very good man. Dr. Buss never sat and waited a month or two. Ten titles. It was just a conversation (Dr. Buss) and I had. It seems, for now, After the divorce, Jerry started dating Karen Demel, with whom he had two more children, Joey Buss in 1985 and Jesse Buss in 1988. About four years later, at the age of 41, she was named the executive vice president of the Lakers. Jerry Buss was known primarily for being the owner of the LA Lakers. He had a string of young girlfriends and was also known as a playboy during his young and adult age. Dr. Buss shared it with us in great style. Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter. Then in his third season owning the team, they ended up calling them the Laker Girls, and established a dance team. 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