Jerry was able to make the purchase with the help of a legal team of 50 lawyers and accountants. You saw his mannerisms go with every little gyration that was going on. Right after I was drafted by the Lakers in 1982, Jerry West wanted me to come out and have a physical, and meet everyone including Dr. Buss. (After winning a title), if we didnt bring Lamar back, that would have been hard. with Karen Demel And he got it right every single time. But I remember after 1985 when I was negotiating my contract. I became a real big Kobe fan because of that, and wed go to the card store, and Id try so hard to get as many Kobe Lower Merion cards, and rookie cards as I could find. Many Los Angeles Lakers fans mourned the passing of the teams primary owner, Jerry Buss, on Monday. with JoAnn Buss Janie Buss born 1963, age 59 (approx.) Hed always end the discussion with something like, Mitch, thats my opinion but youre the expert and Ill trust your judgment. Now, the one thing that was unique about him, if it ever involved numbers, I never saw him ever write anything down or calculate anything in shorthand or with a calculator or anything like that. 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. Boris Johnson. 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.) 12/22/2014 5:31 PM PT. All these companies want to do business with the Lakers? Have you ever seen anybody win the lottery? And wed go out and hed introduce me to some of the really good night clubs at the time during the time that I could go out. Coach him. 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. Magics family is like this, and here we are winning all these games. He was a brilliant, incredible owner, but he was even a better person with a great heart. Not much is known about Johnnys early life or educational background. I remember his comments in the locker room, you can look it up, about removing a certain sentence in the English language. Donald asks the courts to let him tweet. The Sparks also experienced their share of success, winning two WNBA championships with such players as Lisa Leslie, Tamecka Dixon and DeLisha Milton-Jones. He spent two years convincing Cooke to sell him the team, in May of 1979. We made it a mission to play them again in 1985, to prove to ourselves and the world that we could beat them. 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. My biggest concern was being traded every year. Rattling off 10 championships before his passing in 2013. From my standpoint, when I got in, Magic had been in the league for a few years and they were really close. When he got a chance to buy it, it was his biggest thrill at that point in time. Pat Riley had a great speech about that. He really was. He did not yell and scream at me. I was just told that he was having this picnic for employees, and how cool that was. Theyll like this! 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. He was just one of those type of guys. I guess it took everyone by surprise, but actually it worked out great for him, great for the Lakers, and he went on to produce some championship teams here in Los Angeles. He loved to play cards, and wed talk about the season, and then what we could do to get the team better. I remember once getting a math, or maybe I should call it a business lesson. Really cool. I believe I've accomplished that.". This was before smart phones, so there was no cheating. So he lined things up, and Id get samples, and wed talk it through, and hed say, Oh! Wed celebrate, have the parade, have a party, and then hed go to Vegas. Id just moved up to live with him in Playa Vista in 2006, and late one night after a game he was drinking wine. Very genuine, honest guy, and I respected him a lot. He was that dude. 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. Everybodys been calling, but this is the call Ive been waiting on. As a child, Buss spent time in Los Angeles and Kemmerer, Wyo. Id run into him in Los Angeles at various places and said hello. Im not saying that Jerry was the opposite, but he was a lot more fun than I think Jack was. It was an important economic trend, another thing that he identified, and brought the NBA into more prominence. It was just really cool. We knew when we got on that plane and we were going to beat the Celtics in Game 6. Copyright FameChain 2023, All rights reserved. Dr. Buss responded by sending Kobe a telegram from Italy. The purchase price, $67.5 million, made it the largest transaction in sports history at that time. It wasnt owner-player, it was two guys hanging out. With 10 NBA championships under his belt, Jerry was the single most decorated owner in sports history. In 1985, before we left (L.A. after Game 5), I told the dudes only take one set of clothes. I remember thinking it was really cool to have somebody go to the NBA straight from high school, somebody that was only five or six years older than me. Buss made several key moves in his early years as the team's owner, most notably selecting Magic Johnson with the No. An ensuing lawsuit split the family. He went from playing, to (working with) Chick, to assistant coach to a head coach in what, two and a half years? It was a great relationship for a number of years. Episode 1 of the docuseries will cover Buss' deal to buy the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke. And its crazy how the Lakers are one of the biggest, most successful franchises in sports history, and it feels like a mom and pop organization. He showed that you dont really have to lock yourself down in one area as a person. The bigger, the bolder, the better. Some might wonder if his death will bring radical changes to the ownership of the team, but according to his family, thats not very likely. So, Dr. Buss was one of the coolest owners Ive been around. At the end of the conversation he pushed that over, and he said, What I want to do Pat, is to take care of you and to be fair with you. So he pushed the number towards me, and I turned it over and I said, Thats more than fair, Dr. Buss. Shook his hand, and we had a deal on a new 3-year contract. USC Band. Kind of a unique thing, against the same team (Boston). *In the 2004 Finals, Detroit beat L.A. 4-1. Our first year! And then we went to the hotel and we danced all night. 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. He initially worked in the aerospace industry before he built up his fortune alongside his friend and business partner, Frank Mariani, with real estate investments. The first time I met him was in 1987 after I was hired, and Dr. Buss said, You come with a good recommendation Chickie Baby has recommended you highly. He owns The Ice House, a comedy club in Pasadena, California, and has also shown interest in politics. I thought, Wow, this is awesome. Not making quick decisions, rushing into things. I thank him for not telling Jerry West, No, I dont want him, I want you to find somebody else.. By age 46, Jerry and his business partner, Frank Mariani, turned that million into a real-estate empire in multiple states that was worth an estimated $350million. 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. Luckily that first year the players, in spite of my lack of experience, we won the championship and the rest is history. Jerry Buss was an American businessman who began his professional career as a chemist and worked at the Bureau of Mines (presently known as the Mine Safety and Health Administration). There was a time in the early 1980s when Dr. Buss would ask me, Whos going to be the most improved team in the league this year by the greatest number of games. Hed say, Well bet a dinner on this. I said, OK, Ill bet with you. So each year, wed both pick a team, and I won for three straight years. There wasnt a lot of sour grapes between players and Dr. Buss. I love it. He was very appreciative, very happy. "When you think New York, you think Yankees. We talked about his vision, and all types of things. With Dr. Buss in particular, I had surgery on my left wrist after my rookie year. Another thing: he forced his drivers to drive five to 10 miles below the speed limit when he was in the car with them. Were just talking basketball for hours, until 2 a.m., and Im telling him about how I love being a talent evaluator. Very casual. 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. And when (my wife) Chris and I would have dinner with Dr. Buss, he was very gracious with Chris. Once that game got going, he was into it. And of course I went to greet at him and sat at his table until his guests got there. He had a 66 percent stake in the team when he died, and judging by the trust he set up years ago to hold the ownership stake, it has long been his intention to keep the Lakers in the Buss family. He wanted to make sure that the Lakers, what hed created with the winning, and what they meant to the community, would continue. Some of it is a blur, but thats what I remember. 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. You could see it. 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. After the championship in 1980, it was like the rocket just took off. He didnt know what the future held, I didnt know what the future held. So in 1987, we win the championship, and I win Defensive Player of the Year. It wasnt much of a workout. 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. Then due to (certain circumstances), Jerry wanted us to be co-coaches. So that was an awkward couple of days. He sold the team in 2006. Dr. Buss literally went through every moment vicariously with us. Dr. Buss was open to all of the discussions. 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. We wanted to change that, and one way was to have entertainment all the way through the game, he said. Im this young guy out of UCLA, and when you first meet him coming into the locker room, and he comes to shake your hand, theres no greater form of nervousness in this town at that point in time. Dr. Buss was there with us. What people dont realize is that Phil (Jackson) and them called me when we were about to lose Lamar Odom, and said, youre the only one (Dr. Buss) will listen to. My dream was to be a businessman after I was done. Id played the whole season with a torn ligament. Once they got on the floor, they seemed to be able to put all that behind them and do what they needed to do. Sports ownership. I was just looking at my dad in awe, with how incredible that was. He was so quick. He joined the Lakers in 1998 as an apprentice to General Manager Jerry West. He was a great man and an incredible friend. Hed play his cards. Thats how I try to live. I remember being at the Forum in Inglewood in 1985 in my rookie year, meeting Dr. Buss and him saying Lets have lunch one day. Time goes by until you decide, Im going to take him up on that. So we arranged a lunch, midweek after a practice, and went up to his office, and we had a real, genuine, 1-on-1 conversation talking about life itself outside of basketball. It wouldnt just be me reaching out. Every day, wed just hang out together between practice sessions. It was a tough year, a tough day. The latest installment of BEYOND THE GLORY goes beyond the glitz and glamour of the Lakers' owner and takes an in-depth look at the personal lives and struggles of one of sports' most well . In 2002, when the WNBA was restructured to give its teams individual owners, Buss took ownership of the Sparks. EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Jerry Buss' children intend on carrying out their father's succession plan for the Los Angeles Lakers following the iconic owner's death Monday. Buss was a high-stakes cash game poker player for many years, but later in life was more active in tournament games. He always was that kind of an owner. And there were always all these hours spent talking basketball, and him trying to prep me for a bigger role. It was in that year when Jerry was able to pull off the most complicated and lucrative transaction in sports history - buying the Lakers. Jerry Buss bought the Los Angeles Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979. Winning drove both of us. He was there to support us. Obviously, Kobe was able to do that with the help of the franchise. and Janie. He had a huge, beautiful office with all kinds of knick knacks and stuff like that. Where is Jerry Buss Daughter Jeanie Buss Now. But I always had a relationship with Dr. Buss, even after that. 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). 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. Theres not going to be a 7th game. He was a very, very, very generous man. These were special parts of the relationships between our teammates and management and everything. He had a brilliant mind, and he made a fortune in real estate because he was able to see the opportunity and bring everything together, and thats how he built his wealth. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. I stopped in there, and Dr. Buss walked in. 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. Jerry was confident that it was going to happen, said Jerrys longtime friend and spokesman Bob Steiner to The Sun Sentinel. with JoAnn Buss Joey Buss born 1985, age 37 (approx.) Its one thing from your colleagues, its another when its your boss. Its not just another team in the league. I would watch him ask them how their grandchildren were, if they graduated knowing people by name. I think the desire to be an owner left when my dad passed away, Johnny said. He did not make demands. 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. Jerry Buss had an on-off relationship with. Dr. Buss said how proud he was of us to be there in the Finals, and it was just a nice moment. Joey Buss accepts the Larry O'Brien Trophy from David Stern, Jeanie Buss, Magic Johnson, Dr. Jerry Buss, and Phil Jackson. 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. He was that fast. Their parents divorced in 1972, leaving Buss feeling emotionally abandoned. Gerald Hatten "Jerry" Buss was born on Jan. 27, 1933, in Salt Lake City. 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. He had Hugh Hefner come with all the girls, and then I invited Michael Jackson. 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. 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. Im like the janitor, pretty much. I know you may not believe that, but trust me, we do. Before he embraced the Playboy philosophy in the mid-1960s, he. It was a very unique way of conducting business. The most innovative with Showtime and all the business connections he was way ahead of his time, more than any owner in history. It doesnt mean you can always win every year, but you have to give them something that theyre proud of and that they can connect to. He says hes tried to apologize. If you have a star, one of the most important assets of that person is will people pay to see him play. Slow down. He was very patient and he loved timing things out, but not necessarily rushing to places. I need to say no more. I thought, this is the way it should be. And Id just played in a rec league game maybe a week prior. Thats why we got together so much. The thing he taught me the best is that he maximized his days. We were coming off a championship. Thats one of the most important things hes taught me. Dr. Buss knew his team needed more wins than losses, but he also knew they needed to entertain. He loved the players. It wasnt even close. Jeanie currently serves as the Lakers' owner and president. In 1999-2000, we got to the Western Finals against Portland, which was absolutely exciting. with Karen Demel Jesse Buss born 1988, age 34 (approx.) Dr. Buss was one of those guys. 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. He was an incredibly brilliant person, but he had great heart and caring for the people around him. Wed go out to different musicals and shows and dinners with my dad. His passions, what brought him to the mindset of wanting to own a team and what he wants from a team, and then just L.A.; it was an all-new environment for me, and he wanted to make sure I knew about it and understand as much as I possibly could. He would do math tricks when we were going places all the time. I think theres a lot of money in it. Receive obituaries from the city or cities of your choice. His vision and creating an organization where we all felt like a family, and we all felt very important to him. After the 2008 debacle, being able to redeem yourself in 2010, that made it extra special. We had a bunch of ideal guys Kareem Abdul Jabbar and James Worthy next to Earvin. During those years, we would always go to Hawaii for training camp, and Dr. Buss would really enjoy when wed have a team dinner at the beginning of camp at Kobes Japanese Steak House. Then Id add it all up and give a gross potential. Not just the owner-player, employer-employee relationship. I remember him saying, You know how cool it would be for the Buss family to own the Lakers for 100 years? On the 18th February 2013, Dr. Jerry Buss passed away. 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. Even that youd think, well how can a guy (that processed things so fast) not make a mistake? He was really a very nice guy who enjoyed the fun things in life. He had a lot to prove: a lot of people looked at him, because he didnt wear a suit and tie, he came in as a different owner. Johnny was previously married to Christy Curtis Buss and has at least two sons. So he created the Senate seats program sort of the precursor to the club suites program. Thats one thing different about Dr. Buss different from owners back in the day he was a celebrity too. When he bought the Forum, it was called the Forum. Dr. Buss told me how (Stone) came up with the title. 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. I thought it was a 1-on-1 dinner! Write your message of sympathy today. When they were taking a break, let the women have center stage. I was taken back by his willingness to be one of the guys, and his openness with his players was very enjoyable to be around. He liked to challenge us. 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. Since Joey and Jesse were little, wed go to the card shop and buy basketball cards, and (Dr. Buss) would love to quiz them on the players. I didnt have firsthand memories of winning a championship, and felt like wed never get one, because it seemed so hard. 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.. It was really his love, his heart. His name will already be remembered, but to have it right there (on the shorts) is pretty big. We had a genuine relationship and respect for one another, because I was there with him at the time he bought his dream, and it was mine too. The Forum Club theres never been a hotter night club within a building. I think his father was a coal miner, if I remember correctly, and we shared a lot of personal things that you share if you like each other. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Leadership starts from the top, and he was one of these guys who commanded respect. It was a remarkable experience that Ill remember forever. 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. Guy who enjoyed the fun things in life be remembered, but to have entertainment the! So he created the Senate seats program sort of the docuseries will cover Buss ' deal to buy,... I couldnt believe he was really a very unique way of conducting business be there in Finals... 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