And then Id go home. When Jack Kent Cooke sold the Lakers, the Kings, the Forum and a 13,000-acre ranch in Kern County, Jerry Buss met him at an office in Palos Verdes. One of his favorite comments always used to be, Aint nothin like winning! So thats one of my vivid memories. He was that dude. Well before his passing on Feb. 2013 at the age of 80, the Lakers' former longtime owner Jerry Buss had set up the family trust for his children, Jeanie, Jim, Johnny, Joey, Jesse and Janie.. He always treated me very well. I remember my son Thomas jumping in my arms, and he was five or six years old, and I was so tired, I could barely lift him. He is survived by sons Johnny, Jim, Joey and Jesse and daughters Jeanie Buss and Janie Drexel, all of Southern California; eight grandchildren; former wife JoAnn of Las Vegas; half sister Susan. 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. Let the women be the show, get the attention. He was a very intuitive guy, said Steiner. 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. OK but I dont just want your money, I also want you do this, this and this to build our brand. He cut deals that were unheard of in those days, and I witnessed that. He inspired the Lakers' Showtime era with his vision that basketball games must be entertaining. *In the 2004 Finals, Detroit beat L.A. 4-1. I was a nervous wreck the entire game, and we won the game, and I delivered the best that I could at the time. Announced as a member of the 2010 induction class of the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 5, 2010, he was formally enshrined as a contributor to the sport on August 13 of that same year. He also taught me how to be a leader and to hire the best people and let them do their jobs. You dont know when you make the commitment whats going to happen. He knew wed thrive under that pressure. 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. Magic being Mr. Inquisitive, he wanted to know about the business aspect of basketball and life in general. He was raised by his mother, Jessie, who worked as a waitress. There was no jealousy at all that he had that kind of relationship and Magic would surround himself with Dr. Buss and captains of industry. Could you imagine sitting in the front row for every concert? Ex-partner of Private We all understood that, we all knew that, we were all for it. Because Id worked on prior events like Championship parades and so on, event mode planning started. 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. All these companies want to do business with the Lakers? His daughter, Jeanie, took over the Lakers in March 2017. But now I realize, you actually really know your (stuff)! Then he started asking for my opinion on things. He spent two years convincing Cooke to sell him the team, in May of 1979. 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. And I know when it was all done, Dr. Buss was just very proud. Son of Lydus Henry Buss and Jessie Mae Buss He was in the pass, he was in the deflection. And thats what Dr. Buss wanted, to create a place where it could be magical, almost like Disneyland. During his induction into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2010, Magic Johnson called Jerry a master at building a team.. Thats the kind of guy you want to partner with. Jeanie Buss, Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss, and Phil Jackson Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Lakers Center (1975-89) 6X Champion, 2X Finals MVP, 6X MVP, 19X All-Star, Hall of Fame He always treated me very. On the other hand, Jesse Buss is the Assistant General Manager of the LA Lakers. After Jerry Buss death, Jim continued as the VP of Basketball Operations while his sister, Jeanie, looked after the business side of things as the team governor and president. He was going to build a championship team no matter what it takes. [2] And he really wanted me to listen. He made good observations about the game, and personnel and so forth. 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. He was one of the first people to do it, and now its commonplace. with JoAnn Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "JoAnn Buss", "gender": "Female" }, Joey Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Joey Buss", "gender": "Male" }, born 1985, age 37 (approx.) Father of Private; Private; Janie Drexel; Private and Private, Gerald Hatten "Jerry" Buss (January 27, 1933 February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, real estate investor and chemist. I think theres a lot of money in it. 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. He did everything in his head. The 10-part documentary series, which is set to premiere with two episodes on Monday, Aug. 15, will detail the rise of the Lakers after Buss' purchase of the franchise. And how he conducted business, it was always, hey, Im holding all the cards. I was working with Chick Hearn in the broadcast booth, but I remember meeting him at the Forum and had a very, very light discussion about the real estate business, and then I realized I was renting one of his apartments in Santa Monica, he and Frank Mariani. But it was one of the toughest things Ive encountered physically, mentally and emotionally. Every championship, wed go celebrate away from everybody. Buss made several key moves in his early years as the team's owner, most notably selecting Magic Johnson with the No. He was the mastermind. That was a lesson learned. 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. One of the great things about my dad is that no matter how successful he was, and no matter how much in the public spotlight he was, he always valued his family. So I immersed myself into the college game and wanted to be that for my dad, so we wouldnt take up a lot of cap space, but we could still get valuable role players. Daniel's 5th outing as Bond gets bums back on seats in the cinema. He promoted concerts at the Forum. Once that game got going, he was into it. In 1978, they moved to the Forum from the Sports Arena, and my dad was a big sports fan, so hed go to Laker games. I expect too much from the players, and the way I interact with players is terrible, its not who I am and I dont want to do it. The only way for us to change was to do something drastic. My first initial meeting I was kind of thrown back, because he didnt seem like an owner. academy of western music; mucinex loss of taste and smell; william fuld ouija board worth. MORE:How to watch Lakers documentary on Hulu. When I retired, I had a chance to watch some games with him. (818) 892-7093 / I didnt realize this was a thing, where you get handed this trophy from the commissioner and do a speech. Thats one of the most important things hes taught me. And he had an ability to let Bill Sharman, Jerry West, Pete Newell make important decisions that he didnt have the background to make. He did not yell and scream at me. He loved to play cards, and wed talk about the season, and then what we could do to get the team better. Just so, so cool. Youd pick up three of them, and it was the same trade tweaked multiple times. After we lost to the Pistons*, we had an organization type of dinner, with all the players and the media in a banquet room. I think his success led him to the heights where people, fans loved him, and they were like him. I was a little uptight, and didnt really know what to expect, so my first impression just totally relaxed me. I played two years for Mr. Cooke, so I could really see the difference (right away). Jerry Buss has six children, one of whom is Jeanie Buss. We thought it was great. A lot of people have different memories of him mine were always good, and he just always showed the best about who he was. Kind of re-thinking the economics of ticket sales. You walk into the locker room and you see three Hall of Famers on your side, plus one of the best defenders of all time in Michael Cooper, and a great coach, and you cant help but feel that way. All of these great people spoke about him. We drafted Ronny, were ready to sign him, but first we sent him in for a physical exam. 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. She is the one who took over the family business, and her children may do the same someday. I remember once getting a math, or maybe I should call it a business lesson. Fast facts to know about Lakers owner before release of Hulu documentary, Buss said in a 2010 interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. Later on, Dancing Barry. Dr. Buss, many nights after the games where hed come down to the locker room after everybody cleared out. He was there for us. 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. It wasnt that I was around Dr. Buss that much that I had to rely on him for something, but when you were around him damn he made you feel good. 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. won 3-0 against Denver, 4-1 against Golden State and 4-0 against Seattle. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. I think Dr. Buss always had a plan in life. Jeanie currently serves as the Lakers' owner and president. I cant tell you the number of times Id be in his office talking about basketball, life, and also he was always accessibly when I needed him when something important came up. These were special parts of the relationships between our teammates and management and everything. There was a clause in the contract where the doctor had to give the green light because of my back, to have a contract valid, and Dr. Buss didnt even wait for the doctors. We got something new, but we also got something that even if we didnt get Shaquille, we got a draw. And I knew, dont talk about management. If it wasnt for Dr. Buss, thered be no Jerry Jones. Some people said, How dare you, you cant make it commercial. But yes. Coach him. However, Johnny stated that he did not wish to be a part of the family business. In any industry, when your boss says youre doing a good job, thats what you want to hear. Hes a once-in-a-lifetime kind of person. Worthy, Riley, Magic, Cooper, and Buss Celebrate the 1987 Title. My contract is up, wed just beaten the Celtics in Boston, everybody was happy. The Finals were tough, though, against Boston. And especially on airplanes, hed always ask me what I was reading, because he was an avid reader. After a family feud, Jim resigned from the Buss Family Trusts and the Board of directors but is still seemingly a part-owner of the franchise. It wasnt much of a workout. I didnt get a phone call, or any kind of notification that, Well, Jerrys leaving, Mitch, and Im hiring you. I remember Jerry West retiring, and me saying, OK, whos the GM going to be? I think somebody asked me to reach out to Dr. Buss, and Dr. Buss said, Well Mitch, of course you are. I said, Thank you very much. I think he assumed it, but of course I didnt assume it. Dr. Buss told me how (Stone) came up with the title. With 10 NBA championships under his belt, Jerry was the single most decorated owner in sports history. All the big decisions had always been at Jerry Buss's feet and therefore the family were trying to determine who would now be the shot caller. and his wife, JoAnn, had four children: Johnny, Jimmy, Jeanie. Obviously, Kobe was able to do that with the help of the franchise. I dont think theres any thrill in it. Thats how he was. He really wanted to own the team.. And Jerry West pulled off the biggest free agent signing there ever was when he brought Shaquille ONeal in 1996. I had no idea it was Dr. Buss. He loved being around the guys. Bryant captured two more rings without O'Neal to close out that decade. We were just sitting there talking, and that was a pretty special moment. We kept in touch that way. His vision that, Im going to get this big guy, and were going to go from there. He was very positive, and his dreams were never unrealistic, and set the tempo for the franchise to keep moving forward. We had a bunch of guys who were great guys that all knew their roles, and they werent out seeking attention for themselves. (Eventually) I became his eyes and ears about college players. He was the first one who recommended Angels and Demons, before it became a really big hit. There is no good answer for the loss of a loved one. If you got up five miles over the speed limit, hed say, What are you doing? The one (free agent) that was really the star on top of the Christmas tree was Shaquille ONeal. He ran an indoor soccer team, the Lazers. Working with front-office executives West, Bill Sharman and Mitch Kupchak, Buss spent lavishly to win his titles, often running the NBA's highest payroll while also paying . I dont think theres any thrill in it. Buss turned Lakers games into experiences. I thought he was really sincere about the things that he always said, so thats what I appreciated the most about him. Then I went back home, and the next time I saw him was training camp. Showtime was on fire, And now Hollywood is coming out in droves to see the Lakers. Who is Dr. Jerry Buss? Through his 80th birthday on January 27, 2013, he had not attended a Lakers game during the 201213 season due to health concerns. She is survived by : her children, Gail Kruse (Jim) of Sunrise Beach, MO and Jerry Buss of Beatrice; her grandchildren, Jennifer Surface (Matt), Brooke Pohlman (Jordan), Kelsey Weishahn (Spencer), Abbee Buss, Bryce Buss (Cheyanne) and Abby Morgan (Tristan); her great grandchildren, Kaysee Meyer, Collin Surface, River Morgan and Weishahn; her siblings, Anora Schoen and Ron Busboom (Verla); and her siblings-in-law, Marlene Busboom, Karen Buss, Betty St. Clair and Kenny Miller. One story showed how appreciative he was for the work that he did, and for playing hard for the city of Los Angeles. 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 cant make it commercial raised by his mother, Jessie, who worked as waitress... Wed talk about the business aspect of basketball and life in general best people and let them do their.... 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