Thats one thing different about Dr. Buss different from owners back in the day he was a celebrity too. He was talking about wanting to get out of Memphis and all this stuff, and Im like, Man itd be great if we could play together. Ive always had respect for him, known his family. In 1979 Jerry purchased Pickfair Mansion in Beverly Hills from the estate of Mary Pickford. And so, I had to trust him. I remember being bummed with all my friends that we werent going to be able to see Magic Is Back, as it was being marketed at the time. 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. Hes already done the math in his head. He was also a country singer who performed at dive bars, among his favorite jobs. And we drafted a kid who we think is going to be phenomenal. I told him when I saw him in college at LSU: The day I saw you, I went and told our owner, Jerry Buss, he has to wear a Laker uniform one day. In the process of this thing, I said, Jerry, this is going to really be costly. That was an absolutely incredible gesture on his part, which I always appreciated, to say the least. I thought they had a great relationship that seemed to blossom until the day that Dr. Buss passed away. Buss purchased the team, reported to be worth around $1 billion, in 1979. I remember him saying, You know how cool it would be for the Buss family to own the Lakers for 100 years? Johnny never fully dove into his familys sports holdings, but he stuck around while his father lived. The Buss siblings have occasionally butted heads in the past, such as with the hiring of coach Mike DAntoni over Phil Jackson, the fiance of one of the Buss children. He also taught me how to be a leader and to hire the best people and let them do their jobs. I was also in a position where I felt like I needed to move on and change scenery in a different situation because Memphis was going through a very tough, tough stretch with (former Grizzlies owner Michael) Heisley trying to sell the team, and constant rebuilding. Im not going to tell them what trade to make. We won big. I miss him a lot. And so, when I became an assistant coach because of Jack McKinneys injury, and then all of a sudden I became the head coach on an interim basis, and Jerry Buss thinking and probably speaking to Jerry West about, Im going to turn over a $100 million asset to a guy whos never, ever coached and Jerry (West) and I had a good relationship, but I dont think he thought that I had the chops to really be a head coach. We never had any problems to talk about, except for any games that we might lose. Eventually, all three teams moved into a more modern arena in downtown Los Angeles, the Staples Center, which opened in 1999. And I was happy to be a part of it, because Jack Kent Cooke, as great a businessman as he was, he was tough. Reports suggest Prince Charles will live "in a flat above the shop" when he becomes king. He would also search through his hometown looking for old telephone books and other paper products to stuff into his fireplace in order to provide heat for his home. We were all super excited to see him play, and one of the referees threw him out early on for arguing calls. The thing he taught me the best is that he maximized his days. *L.A. won 3-0 against Denver, 4-1 against Golden State and 4-0 against Seattle. We didnt tell Mitch (Kupchak), we didnt tell anybody about that. AFTER purchasing the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979, Dr Jerry Buss started a legacy that still continues to this day. Many of those people offered their favorite stories about what made Dr. Buss who he was in advance of Dr. Buss night on Feb. 10, 2020. I was emotionally and mentally exhausted. 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. We knew when we got on that plane and we were going to beat the Celtics in Game 6. My dad changed the landscape of the NBA in terms of how he thought about the business. Theyll like that! Bit by bit, hed put his personal love in every selection and make sure that at least during the Holidays, all the people that meant something to him got something meaningful. He was in great spirits, it was great talking, he still had his sense of humor. Were just talking basketball for hours, until 2 a.m., and Im telling him about how I love being a talent evaluator. If anybody thought that Johnny or Jeanie or Jimmy or any of his kids could fill his shoes, theyre grandly mistaken, Johnny said. When Jerry Buss passed away in 2013, his 66% ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers passed to his six children, with each receiving 11%. From his home in Northridge, Johnny Buss asked his young sons to give him a moment so he could make a phone call. He was big on that. Never embarrassed anybody. Jerry Busss other two sons, Joey and Jesse, are also a part of the LA Lakers operations. He was a very, very, very generous man. Although not much is known about Buss partners, he was married from 1983 to 1985 and is a father. I was just sitting there. It was really a great celebration of life for him, and I was so proud of that. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. And we just talked about how cool it would be if we could actually end up playing together, but I hardly gave it a thought, because I thought there was no way they would trade me to the Lakers. Dr. Buss saw the Lakers becoming something, more of an entertainment value than just a sports value, and the league has adopted, to a large degree, that same mentality. You can. Jerry was soft spoken, he had a great charm about him, and was just a unique person who believed in me for a long time, and I dont think in my life Ive ever had anybody who was as straight forward with me as him. At that point, we seemed unbeatable. Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 18, 2013 Thats not normal for most owners. Should you have information that conflicts with anything shown please make us aware by email. Really low key and very friendly. He was my mentor. It was really important when I gave that speech not just to honor his memory and his legacy, but to also make sure we honor him in a way that we carry his legacy moving forward. Dr. Buss responded by sending Kobe a telegram from Italy. Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. When Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers back in 1979, he turned a perennial second-place franchise into a pillar of excellence. Every championship, wed go celebrate away from everybody. He was very, very friendly, and the door was always open. In 1985, before we left (L.A. after Game 5), I told the dudes only take one set of clothes. On May 29, 2007, Buss was issued a citation for driving under the influence after two California Highway Patrol officers saw him driving his gold Mercedes-Benz on the wrong side of the road in the coastal community of Carlsbad in northern San Diego County, with a 23-year-old woman passenger. Not only evidenced by his 10 NBA Championships but also from his sports marketing successes such as creating a regional sports network, establishing the first-ever NBA dance squad, "The Laker Girls," and, of course, designing the VIP row featuring the "Jack Nicholson" seats. It was a whirlwind (amidst the sadness), and all of a sudden here we are at the Nokia Theatre, with check in, banners outside where people could write messages, former Lakers and NBA players a beautiful stage and so on. 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. He had something written on it, but it was turned over. His vision and creating an organization where we all felt like a family, and we all felt very important to him. We wanted to change that, and one way was to have entertainment all the way through the game, he said. However, Johnny stated that he did not wish to be a part of the family business. [3] Buss started as a chemist for the Bureau of Mines (now the Mine Safety and Health Administration); he then briefly worked in the aerospace industry and was on the faculty of USC's chemistry department. Ex-husband of JoAnn Mueller And hed say, I want you to come to Vegas in a week. Everywhere we went, everybody would holler our names. Had they succeeded, that would have removed her as the Lakers controlling owner and could have threatened the Buss familys ownership of the Lakers. We didnt have 10 people doing it. Im going to always remember Vegas, Hawaii, Palm Springs all his favorite places. 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. It had just come out, and somehow he got his hands on it, and wanted to know my thoughts on it, especially because he knew I was Italian and I was raised Roman Catholic. He moved to Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he earned an M.S. But he took the time (with me) a couple of times a year. And thats what he, thats what we, created. 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. He didnt want Kobe to be the only superstar Laker of his tenure that didnt beat the Boston Celtics. He made my dreams come true when he welcomed him to the Lakers family. There was something about both of us. Pat Riley, myself, Dr. Buss and one of his friends. It all started to gel at that point. He was just really conscious of people around him and respected people that worked for him. Everybody was like, who is this dude? He says he plans to run for political office next year, but wouldnt say which one. Im still not quite sure what possessed him to have me do it that time. 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. The team folded in 1989 and the league folded three years later. I think the desire to be an owner left when my dad passed away, Johnny said. A few days later, the first time I met Dr. Buss was at the Forum Club, after a game. We talked about where we came from, what our lives were like, and in a lot of respects we had some similarities in our lives. And what Jerry Buss always wanted to accomplish was to have one of those players on his team, the Showtime part of it. He originally went into real estate investing in order to provide an income so he could continue teaching. He was an incredibly visionary. He was 80 years old. He was just a very good man. [5] Fast facts to know about Lakers owner before release of Hulu documentary, Buss said in a 2010 interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. But thats how I got to know him and the Buss family. To speak about what Dr. Buss meant to the Lakers and to basketball, to the NBA, period. And quite frankly, I cant remember a time where he made a bad decision. (Jerry and JoAnn divorced in 1972.) He understood that I needed that, and I would have been lost out here in this big city. Our first year! And then we went to the hotel and we danced all night. I walked in and (Dr. Buss) called me over to his table and I sat next to him. Michael Cooper and James Worthy getting back on defense, West introduces Shaq as a Los Angeles Laker, Joey Buss celebrates with his father after the Lakers' Championship in 2002. He was the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning 10 league championships that were highlighted by the team's Showtime era during the 1980s. Me coming from a DIII school, Im one of the youngest, unknown guys, lowest on the totem pole. Despite some setbacks in the years since she took over, with only one NBA Championship win in 2020, Jeanie is still the undisputed boss of the franchise. It was a ritual. Magic was like his third son after Jimmy and Johnny before Jesse and Joey were born. He would listen to things. Jessie Buss Cause Of Death? Read More: Where is Jerry Buss Daughter Jeanie Buss Now? If you knew me you would understand Im not about money at all. He spent two years convincing Cooke to sell him the team, in May of 1979. It came down to Game 7 at Staples Center, and halfway through the game I felt very defeated. And when we were all kids and we were together growing up, wed always watch the games. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. 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. I think I hurt his feelings, Johnny said. The trade was difficult for me, obviously at that moment. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It was a very unique way of conducting business. I said, Were trying to repeat, and I know you love winning championships, and a key piece of that is Lamar Odom. Let the women be the show, get the attention. Buss graduated from the University of Wyoming with a bachelor's degree. The takeaway is that we all have to be good, well-rounded people. Having known that about him, after we won various championships, the relief that you saw on him when we got that trophy, it was like he was out there sweating with us. I thought, Wow, this is awesome. Some of my earliest memories were sitting courtside and seeing Magic come back from the HIV diagnosis, and him getting thrown out in one of his first games back. I remember his comments in the locker room, you can look it up, about removing a certain sentence in the English language. [1], Born in Salt Lake City and raised in Kemmerer, Wyoming, Buss was raised by his divorced mother, Jessie. We just clicked. During his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2010, Magic Johnson called Jerry a master at building a team.. We had growth within our own team, like Andrew Bynum, to go with Kobe and Lamar. He had been in and out of the hospital for more than a year before his death. 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. You saw his mannerisms go with every little gyration that was going on. He was the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning 10 league championships that were highlighted by the team's Showtime era during the 1980s. Hed recommend books for me to read. Not just the owner-player, employer-employee relationship. Dr. Buss shared it with us in great style. He was the first one who recommended Angels and Demons, before it became a really big hit. Ultimately, one way or another, all four of Jerry Buss sons ended up being associated with the LA Lakers. That showed me what he was all about to me, he was the best owner. Buss later sold the Kings, retaining ownership of the Lakers and The Forum. Id run into him in Los Angeles at various places and said hello. He had a home in San Diego, where I live, and we used to go to training camp in Hawaii just about every year, and a couple times we were on the same flight heading over from San Diego. He really maximized his time and was very efficient with his time, and he knew later on that he didnt have much time left. I think thats why people just adore him so. And then youve got this team thats running. There wasnt a lot of sour grapes between players and Dr. Buss. I wanted that to be the case here as well. Jerry Buss has six children, one of whom is Jeanie Buss. 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. When Jerry West left, the transition was very natural now, I will say that when Jerry retired, it was a little bit weird. Jerry always planned to pass down the Lakers to his children via a trust. It was nice working for him. We shared a hobby as coin collectors, and Dr. Buss owned some really important coins, and I was aware of that. When we made the decision to move to Staples Center, we had to price the building. But do note that it is not possible to be certain of a person's genealogy without a family's cooperation (and/or DNA testing). Later, when the WNBA was formed, Buss took charge of operating that league's Los Angeles franchise, the Los Angeles Sparks. Thats one of the most important things hes taught me. On the 18th February 2013, Dr. Jerry Buss passed away. 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. The trust makes it very difficult for any of them to sell their shares, and impossible without the approval of their other siblings. He had a huge, beautiful office with all kinds of knick knacks and stuff like that. And thats what Dr. Buss did. Thats the kind of guy you want to partner with. I connected with him more through others, some of the people that were tight with him, who would always tell me that Dr. He owns The Ice House, a comedy club in Pasadena, California, and has also shown interest in politics. So, we were preparing for the offseason in 1996 when we signed Shaq and traded for the rights to draft Kobe. I asked him, How could you go up there and do that? He said, I just did it. I said, But youre so good at it! Hes like, I hate it! He was a first-time owner. This franchise and that franchise, and we got em. with JoAnn Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "JoAnn Buss", "gender": "Female" }, Jim Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Jim Buss", "gender": "Male" }, born 1959, age 63 (approx.) But I remember after 1985 when I was negotiating my contract. Where is Jerry Buss Daughter Jeanie Buss Now. We would go to Italy a lot, and we were staying at the Hotel Le Boulevard in Venice on the island of Lido when we had to trade Shaq. Buss also owned other professional sports franchises in Southern California. I had no idea it was Dr. Buss. Pat Riley had a great speech about that. It wasnt owner-player, it was two guys hanging out. The $24 million he purchased for the Lakers and Kings would be $95.57 million in today's money. The whole way, hed keep track on his watch, and we had to get there on the dot at 12:00. Every time wed meet, itd be at an Italian restaurant. Given that the Winning Time season finale takes place in 1980, only Johnny and Jim appear in the episode. He wasnt born in Los Angeles, but it was his home, and he loved it here. We had Reebok down our sides, on the dance top, on jackets and everything. It was the first time we actually felt a part of something. Son of Lydus Henry Buss and Jessie Mae Buss In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established to St. John Lutheran Church and Cottonwood Hospice both in Beatrice and Gold Crest Center in Adams. 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. To watch the franchise grow and see his influence on the Lakers, and more importantly, some of the things he did that teams in the league are still doing. Then in his third season owning the team, they ended up calling them the Laker Girls, and established a dance team. At the time of his death, a Buss family spokesperson declared that the children had "no interest in ever selling the team.". We were just sitting there talking, and that was a pretty special moment. Not only did Dr. Buss want a dance team to entertain on the court during halftime and quarter breaks, but he also wanted to show that there were talented young ladies who are great brand ambassadors. 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. I talked to him, and I said, Dr. He was just one of those type of guys. 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. The sports executive is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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. That would be amazing to me. He really was. Image. I was a young player in Portland, and I knew about Jack Kent Cooke and what his reputation was, but we all heard about this man named Dr. Buss buying the Lakers, Kings and the Forum, and some real estate properties for what was an exorbitant amount of money at the time. He was a mentor to me in a lot of ways. with JoAnn Buss Jeanie Buss born 1961, age 61 (approx.) I think thats what he always wanted, for this to be a family business, where we all work together. Wed usually eat, hang out by the pool and talk after the morning session, and then after the evening session, a lot of times wed go to dinner together. She was predeceased by : her husband Gerald Buss; her sons, Phil Buss and Chris Buss; her parents, Ehme Busboom and Jennie Busboom (Ideus); her siblings, Rosie Miller and Gerald Busboom; her siblings-in-law, Barbara Wrightsman (Don) and Robert Schoen; and her parents-in-law, Herman and Alvina Buss. I will miss her and send my deepest sympathy to the family.. He bought me dinner. He knew the patterns of how often the boats and trains would come, and it was then a challenge to the whole family to make sure it happened and to execute on it properly. I stopped in there, and Dr. Buss walked in. He always was that kind of an owner. He was one of a kind, man. He said, Oh yeah, thats my building! and I said, Well, thats great, maybe I can get free rent or something like that! But I do remember that there was this zest and this absolute excitement and enthusiasm that he had when he bought the Lakers and he became the owner. 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. And he had his hands on everything. On the other hand, Jesse Buss is the Assistant General Manager of the LA Lakers. After all of this, not only have I resigned from [the Lakers], Ive resigned from being a member of the Buss family, Johnny says. When he approached a problem, he never panicked, he never screamed, he was methodical in his approach. When I wanted to get into the theatre business, he was the one who connected me with everybody. Charlie is 5 years old and Chayton is 6, so that idea was as much wishful thinking as a sincere request. But when we did speak and get a chance to talk to each other, I thought it was real genuine. At the time, we were marveling at how much a Michael Jordan rookie card was in the early 1990s. Jerry Buss, the playboy owner of the Los Angeles Lakers who died last month, has left his sprawling Hawaii digs and hot wheels to his much younger girlfriend. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. We thought it was great. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. And I knew, dont talk about management. We took a little bit longer to know each other, but he was great for me and for my family. He was there for us. [1] When he was nine years old, he moved with his mother to Los Angeles; they moved to Kemmerer, Wyoming, three years later when she remarried. They watched the game and came out cheering and smiling, and I asked whats happening, and he said, Were getting ice cream! I was excited to have the ice cream thats probably when becoming a Lakers fan began for me. He saved Ronnys life, and he didnt have to. He was a great man and an incredible friend. You look at them like father figures. Magic was perfect for that. Buss turned Lakers games into experiences. Winning drove both of us. He did everything in his head. Shaquille and I started to talk over the phone, and we sorta became friends. Im sure he had a lot of things, having just won a championship, a lot of different engagements, but he was reaching out to me. There was no question about that. He loved to jump on it. And he got it right every single time. He was one of the first people to do it, and now its commonplace. Hed meet his friends there, and some of his friends were executives at Great Western Bank. My biggest concern was being traded every year. Thats probably the most Ive ever seen him animated. Kinda rustic. In 2002, when the WNBA was restructured to give its teams individual owners, Buss took ownership of the Sparks. And that resonated all the way back to Los Angeles. privacy policy | HRH King Charles III. Trying to clear the air. Thats how I try to live. Most owners are coming in, they have security, they go to their box, they get in and they get out. And he loved Italian food. He says hes tried to apologize. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. With Dr. Buss, Im sure he would have loved for the two of them and the team to be able to coexist a little longer and maybe get another title or two, but he let it play out. Boris Johnson. The stake could legally be sold off entirely, but given the familys devotion to the team, the Lakers are sure to stay with them. All the while, he inspired fondness and loyalty amongst his family, players, employees and fans. Buss also owned other professional sports franchises in Southern California. The money that everybody is making today he was the first one that saw outside that box, and he really moved the NBA to a whole other level by his out of the box thinking. Teams individual owners, Buss took ownership of the Sparks and then we,. 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