He completely got something that all of us take for granted: athletes love entertainers, and entertainers love athletes. Sports ownership. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. And his grasp of math, and his ability to run numbers and fit that into the equation, whatever the equation was whether it was the cap, payroll, profit loss statements whatever it was, he ran it all in his head. That was a big thing for both of us. Shes trying to do the same thing her dad did, so thats great. and Janie. It was an extension of the brand, a way to reach Los Angeles. Jerry was confident that it was going to happen, said Jerrys longtime friend and spokesman Bob Steiner to The Sun Sentinel. 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. That was a long process, too, and stressful. We didnt have 10 people doing it. And I walked right by him. Who is Dr. Jerry Buss? After we won our first championship in 1980, we hugged, and said, Can you believe this? Powered by WordPress.com VIP. When you hire someone and they meet your qualifications, let them do their job, and go from there. In 1996-97, after I came back to the Lakers for Kobes rookie year, we didnt see Dr. Buss quite as much. Discover Jerry Buss's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. He was very, very friendly, and the door was always open. All of these great people spoke about him. But we were able to do it together. When he bought the Forum, it was called the Forum. The one (free agent) that was really the star on top of the Christmas tree was Shaquille ONeal. We were big into collecting basketball cards growing up. Unless you were John Wooden, you couldnt win every year, so he had some realistic expectations about some things that could happen even to dynastic teams. Magic was way ahead of the game, and now Kobe Bryant and LeBron James and some of these guys have been (following in those footsteps) in business. I thought he was kidding. New Jersey in 2002 was great; we stayed in New York. It all started to gel at that point. Everybody that we asked to participate agreed to be interviewed, and everybody gives the experience that they had because the fans know about what took place on the court, Jeanie said to The Athletic. [1], Born in Salt Lake City and raised in Kemmerer, Wyoming, Buss was raised by his divorced mother, Jessie. In exchange, Cooke received a lease to the Chrysler Building in New York City, along with properties in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maryland. From his home in Northridge, Johnny Buss asked his young sons to give him a moment so he could make a phone call. He says he plans to run for political office next year, but wouldnt say which one. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Jerry Buss' purchase of the Lakers in 1979 started a family legacy that still continues to this day, In order to purchase the team, Jerry had a team of lawyers and accountants and ultimately exchanged the Chrysler building in NYC, Under Jerry's ownership, the Lakers would win 10 NBA titles making him the most decorated owner in sports history, Jerry's daughter, Jeanie, took over the Lakers in March 2017, Inside the wild story of the Lakers family legacy after Dr Jerry Buss exchanged the Chrysler building for the team, Chelsea sell wonderkid Billy Gilmour to Brighton for 9m as midfielder agrees four-year contract at the Amex, Chelsea confirm 10m transfer of Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with Marcos Alonso heading to Nou Camp, Fulham confirm season-long loan transfer from Leeds star Dan James on busy day for Marco Silva's side, 'Not always easy' - Hector Bellerin posts emotional message to Arsenal fans after joining Barcelona on free transfer, 'This isnt the club it was two years ago' - Rodgers slams Leicester's transfer business with Foxes bottom of league, Michy Batshuayi transfer from Chelsea to Nottingham Forest COLLAPSES after documents not sent in time, Aston Villa HIJACK West Ham's move for Jan Bednarek and agreeing season-long loan transfer for Southampton defender, Bamba Dieng walks out of private jet terminal for flight to Leeds and chooses Nice transfer.. but then FAILS medical, Fulham complete transfers of ex-Arsenal and Chelsea ace Willian and former Tottenham striker Carlos Vinicius. We would usually start watching NBA League Pass at 4 p.m., when the Eastern games would come on, but he didnt really know as much about the draft. And he really wanted me to listen. He made good observations about the game, and personnel and so forth. That was my reaction. Geni requires JavaScript! Ten championships? Thats probably the most Ive ever seen him animated. Buss was an inaugural member of the USC College Board of Councilors. He loved plays, and he wanted the focus to be on the athletes and the court. It was this big weight had been taken off of his back. Buss also owned other professional sports franchises in Southern California. He has appeared in the GSN series High Stakes Poker and the NBC late-night series Poker After Dark. Hes a once-in-a-lifetime kind of person. That was a lesson learned. But thats how I got to know him and the Buss family. Some people said, How dare you, you cant make it commercial. But yes. 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. That first one, we went to Palm Springs. Through his 80th birthday on January 27, 2013, he had not attended a Lakers game during the 201213 season due to health concerns. We had finished the parade, and Gary Vitti and the organization made the decision I needed surgery. Coach him. It started with Dr. Buss, and we were all upset about 1984. Just so, so cool. I believe I've accomplished that.". 1 overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Dr. Buss was there, and Earvins family was there, and it was just very special. Daniel Craig. I sense that youre deferring to these guys a little bit. Back in those days you could actually raise your voice to players and theyd understand. The Lakers, Kings and WNBA's Sparks later played their home games at the Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) starting in 1999. He wanted me to be the highest paid assistant in the NBA. Not just the owner-player, employer-employee relationship. He sold the team in 2006. My last year when I retired (2004-05), I remember being a free agent, and one call from him made my decision easier when he told me, You started with the Lakers, you have to retire with the Lakers. That was my decision, trusting that guy, and man, it was a pleasure to play with him. [3] He was also the co-owner of a real estate investment company called Mariani-Buss Associates with his long-time business partner Frank Mariani. We really hit it off. Jim worked as the President of Los Angeles Lazers from 1985 (to 1989), succeeding his elder brother in the role. 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. Thats something I still talk about and brag about to my sons. But I hadnt seen him yet. Episode 1 of the docuseries will cover Buss' deal to buy the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke. Magic was worth every accolade or attention he got, because he carried us. Johnny never fully dove into his familys sports holdings, but he stuck around while his father lived. Theres no secret why the Lakers had had so much success under him. Shaquille and I started to talk over the phone, and we sorta became friends. 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. Given that the Winning Time season finale takes place in 1980, only Johnny and Jim appear in the episode. with Karen Demel{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Demel", "gender": "Female" }, Jesse Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Jesse Buss", "gender": "Male" }, born 1988, age 34 (approx.) When Jerry Buss died, the Lakers were passed on through four trusts that split 66% of the franchise among his six children. Jerry wanted to make going to a Lakers game an experience that couldnt be replicated just by watching on TV. Wed come up with Steve Blake and Matt Barnes, and my dad was fully supportive of it, and cleared it with Mitch and Jim, and we ended up signing them. When the deal was complete that Dr. Buss bought the Lakers, we had lunch, and we hung out for the whole weekend. Obviously, Kobe was able to do that with the help of the franchise. Shaq, myself, the whole team, we didnt know. And there were always all these hours spent talking basketball, and him trying to prep me for a bigger role. We didnt plan to meet, but after work one time, I stopped at Dan Tanas by myself. With me, he was always classy. Jerrys 66 percent ownership of the team passed to each of his six children via a trust, equating to 11 percent per child. He didnt walk around with a big hammer. Son of Lydus Henry Buss and Jessie Mae Buss When he got a chance to buy it, it was his biggest thrill at that point in time. If we werent playing well, he would just show up at practice, unannounced, wouldnt say anything. As a child, Buss spent time in Los Angeles and Kemmerer, Wyo. And when (my wife) Chris and I would have dinner with Dr. Buss, he was very gracious with Chris. He wasnt born in Los Angeles, but it was his home, and he loved it here. Not much is known about Johnnys early life or educational background. He was in Hawaii at that time, and I called him. There was a lot of pressure, but Dr. Buss I think took a lot of that pressure off of us. It was good to see him, man. And then they walked me back over and said, Heres Dr. Buss. Coming from Tobacco Road, North Carolina, I was like, Damn, this is a cool dude! I couldnt believe he was just down to earth. (Eventually) I became his eyes and ears about college players. Many Los Angeles Lakers fans mourned the passing of the teams primary owner, Jerry Buss, on Monday. And quite frankly, I cant remember a time where he made a bad decision. We kept in touch that way. He originally went into real estate investing in order to provide an income so he could continue teaching. And teams like the Spurs were getting guys late in the first round that were contributors. That was his vision. In 2012, Buss was in a hospital for months with an undisclosed intestinal problem. I read a biography on Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, and really got into collecting early gold coins, so I focused on it, and it was interesting talking to Dr. Buss about his collecting. If you got up five miles over the speed limit, hed say, What are you doing? For him to give me that 1-on-1, personal treatment considering where I stood on the team that was treatment I thought hed give Kobe or Shaq. With 10 NBA championships under his belt, Jerry was the single most decorated owner in sports history. She became the Lakers governor in 2014 after her father's death and is now the representative of the team on the NBA board of governors. So I talked to the NBA, and that started the process of us putting the lighting in that we have now. (Jessie later remarried when Jerry was 12 years old.). He also taught me how to be a leader and to hire the best people and let them do their jobs. I know you may not believe that, but trust me, we do. Boris Johnson. 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