allowed celebs and the mega-rich to attend games, enjoy refreshments and return to LA, where he continued his studies at the University of Southern Similarly, to continue his education, he moved back to Los Angeles and joined the University of Southern California (USC). He knew we had a great team, and he dealt with the good and the bad. Buss not only played poker for fun, but he also made a career in poker games as he participated in the 1991 World Series of Poker Tournament. I was a little uptight, and didnt really know what to expect, so my first impression just totally relaxed me. The trade was difficult for me, obviously at that moment. He was one of the first people to do it, and now its commonplace. He was an incredibly brilliant person, but he had great heart and caring for the people around him. Dr. Buss was my boss in a completely different way from what happened later. *In the 2004 Finals, Detroit beat L.A. 4-1. There was no social media, nothing to really distract you. 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. 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. Lakers had great players like Kareen Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Pau Gasol, Magic Johnson, Shaquille ONeal, and Kobe Bryant. 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. They won the NBA With his franchise point guard at the helm, Dr. Buss saw to the creation of Showtime, an all-time great sports dynasty that saw the Lakers go to the NBA Finals nine times in 12 years, amassing five championships with their owner front and center. 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. [2], Buss' marriage to the former JoAnn Mueller ended in divorce in 1972 after having five children: Lee (b. He sold the team in 2006. [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. Thats not normal for most owners. He was an actor, known for Law of the Lawless (1964), Arli$$ (1996) and High Stakes Poker (2006). His father, Lydus, Sanjib Sah is an engineer and a content writer passionate about celebrity news and gossip. The league eventually We made it a mission to play them again in 1985, to prove to ourselves and the world that we could beat them. Luckily that first year the players, in spite of my lack of experience, we won the championship and the rest is history. They had four children together. Still, they werent happy times for the future Basketball Hall of Fame D in physical chemistry from the University of Southern California. According to Jerrys The whole way, hed keep track on his watch, and we had to get there on the dot at 12:00. So I became obsessed with it, and how that process worked. Professor Uju Anya analyzes race, gender, sexual orientation, and social class identities in the context of learning a new language via the experiences of African American students. 1961) and Janie (b. At the time, they only had a dial up internet connection, and a lot of data needed to be presented to my dad from the front office, so theyd use the fax machine. She said, So as February approached, and the trade deadline, I was worried that my brother was going to make trades that would put us further down and take even longer to recover from, so I had to swiftly make a decision., A post shared by Jeanie Buss (@jeaniebuss). In a later interview, Jeanie said that one of the reasons for firing Jim was because she didnt believe he made the right player trades. I was a nervous wreck the entire game, and we won the game, and I delivered the best that I could at the time. He got a big kick out of that, and by the fourth season, he won. Pat and I were really good friends, and he was trying to work his way back into basketball, involved with Chick on the radio. Despite his extracurricular work commitments, Jerry never took Jerrys dying wish was to leave the Lakers to all of us, and that we would all He was very, very friendly, and the door was always open. We used to sit at his house and eat the same thing, Chinese chicken salad from California Pizza Kitchen, and wed sit there and just talk. When he bought the team, it was more like a dream come true he told me he always wanted to own the Lakers. He just really capped it off and said what we all were thinking. Also, check Nairo Quintana: Cycling, Olympics & Net Worth>>. He then reached a major advertising agreement with Great Western Bank for the naming rights to The Forum, resulting in the official name of the building being changed to the Great Western Forum. There was another interesting time back home in North Carolina when I was watching the draft on TV, and nobody had been talking about me being traded, and I hadnt heard any rumors or anything. Thats something I still talk about and brag about to my sons. So he created the Senate seats program sort of the precursor to the club suites program. Then I went back home, and the next time I saw him was training camp. Click here to Start FameChaining. He brings a unique perspective and analytical approach to his writing. 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. He revealed that he wasnt very interested in the familys sports ownership business, and his interest further diminished after his fathers death. It all started to gel at that point. Were just talking basketball for hours, until 2 a.m., and Im telling him about how I love being a talent evaluator. He was always sitting behind the bench during games and was such a basketball junkie, he just loved being around. Magic being Mr. Inquisitive, he wanted to know about the business aspect of basketball and life in general. According to Janie Buss, to be in the 2003 season, where the Sparks made the Finals but were beaten by That was one of his favorite things he started doing later on, because before, he was doing Hawaii for a month. 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. Wed talk about business. He would do math tricks when we were going places all the time. And drafting Magic was huge. The Lakers were very successful under Buss' ownership, winning 10 NBA championships with such players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol, and with coaches Pat Riley and Phil Jackson. By the age of 24, Buss He knew wed thrive under that pressure. He went from playing, to (working with) Chick, to assistant coach to a head coach in what, two and a half years? From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. Coach him. She also terminated the However, Buss sold the Los Angeles Kings Hockey to Bruce NcNall in 1988. At that point, we seemed unbeatable. If you have a star, one of the most important assets of that person is will people pay to see him play. Buss is survived by sons Johnny, Jim, Joey and Jesse and daughters Jeanie Buss and Janie Drexel; eight grandchildren; former wife JoAnn; half-sister Susan Hall of Phoenix; half-brother Micky. They all mean a lot, but some mean a little bit more than others. People would say, What about George Steinbrenner? The difference between Steinbrenner, Dr. Buss was loved by everybody. Johnson (then-named President of Basketball Operations) in the dark on some Playing for him was one of the best highlights of my life. 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. However, at the age of 80, Buss was still an active person who owned a professional basketball team and contributed to several sports franchises. There is no good answer for the loss of a loved one. 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. Im not going to tell them what trade to make. Very genuine, honest guy, and I respected him a lot. I had someone in my mind, me coming from the South, who was going to be really distinguished and have a suit on, and youd be able to know who the owner was right away as soon as you seen him. Never embarrassed anybody. and his business partner, Frank Mariani, established MarianiBuss Associates. Donald asks the courts to let him tweet. We were just sitting there talking, and that was a pretty special moment. Hed call me every once in a while. Daniel Craig. He was a great man and an incredible friend. He owns The Ice House, a comedy club in Pasadena, California, and has also shown interest in politics. Well, except for the getting along part. However, that didnt happen, with the brothers eventually agreeing that Jeanie would be the one in control as long as the Buss family owned the team. After Jerrys death, his children took up various roles within the organization, with Jeanie Buss ultimately becoming the president and controlling owner of the Lakers. Most owners are coming in, they have security, they go to their box, they get in and they get out. My biggest concern was being traded every year. Hed get a chuckle out of it, and a lot of satisfaction. Stanley Cups before he sold the team to Bruce McNall in 1988. He got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 in a ceremony he shared with his team's staff, including each of his six children (Jeanie, Johnny, Jim, Janie, Joey and Jesse) who are continually active in the franchise. 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. This undoubtedly formed In addition, the fund was used for two endowed chairs and an endowed scholarship fund for students with a chemistry degree. He would surprise you. Thats how generous, and how giving and how much I dont want to say a fan he was a true, true owner of the game. Coach him! vision, prevailed. Moreover, the officers saw his golden Mercedes-Benz on the wrong side of the road. James Jim Hatten Buss was born on November 9, 1959, and is the second eldest son of Jerry Buss. As the executive vice president, Jeanie managed the organizations business side. Any age group, any ethnic group. I miss him a lot. Not only were the Lakers While I was in the Spurs locker room, I was like, OK, thats cool, on the outside. The series is set in the back offices of an NBA team and was recently greenlit for a 10-episode season by Netflix. It was California Pizza Kitchen wed always order out and wed meet for a couple of hours. I remember him calling me into his office, and we sat and we chatted for 10 minutes, and then there was a piece of paper that he had on his desk. Between 2000 and 2002, brother, Jim, as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations in 2017, Bulls are the next best with six wins and were one of the reasons the Lakers We wanted it so bad. Everything changed when me and my brother Joey were at my dads beach house in Carlsbad, and he told us: Were going to hire Phil Jackson, but you cant tell anybody. I was 11 at the time, and I knew he had been the Bulls coach, but I didnt know what it necessarily meant. 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. They traded their starting center for a guard. It seems, for now, He taught me everything. The businessman completed his education with a degree in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at 24 in 1957. Explore how the celebrity world connects. Really cool. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. In 1999-2000, we got to the Western Finals against Portland, which was absolutely exciting. Jerry Buss Children Johnny Buss born 1956, age 66 (approx.) LA is a city full of I thought it was a 1-on-1 dinner! 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. All the while, he inspired fondness and loyalty amongst his family, players, employees and fans. It was a remarkable experience that Ill remember forever. I dont think an owner of a team should be someone that just sat back thinking about making, Well, it will make me X amount each year. Dr. Buss was passionate about it. He would talk about how he could go anywhere in the city and people loved the Lakers. In the summer of 1986, I had no idea that I was about to be traded to San Antonio. The first hour was always just talking and telling stories and visiting. There were eight or nine different price codes, and each one had so many thousands of seats, not counting the floor seats. He liked to talk hoops. His succession plan had daughter Jeanie assume his previous title as the Lakers' governor as well as its team representative at NBA Board of Governors meetings. businessman and the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979 until he own 11% each. Real Name Age Family And Twitter ExploredContinue, Ryan Haywood is an American voice actor, YouTuber, and Internet personality. restaurant in the Forum into a nightclub, bringing glitz, glamour, and celebrities I love it. He was very appreciative, very happy. 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. 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. 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