I think the desire to be an owner left when my dad passed away, Johnny said. Recently he has become a father figure to Demel's. It wouldnt just be me reaching out. Or hed ask us about contracts, and certain trade scenarios. From his home in Northridge, Johnny Buss asked his young sons to give him a moment so he could make a phone call. When he approached a problem, he never panicked, he never screamed, he was methodical in his approach. 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. I love him, and his family, and I thank him to this day for the opportunity. When Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers back in 1979, he turned a perennial second-place franchise into a pillar of excellence. You have cap space and you go for big stars, but that was something my dad was going to outline the blueprint for. If I was offended by the book, or what my feelings were. The purchase price, $67.5 million, made it the largest transaction in sports history at that time. (Fast forward to the Finals) against Indiana, and in the 4th quarter and my dad grabs me and Jesse with a minute left in the game, and he says, We gotta go! He just took us down to the court. but Jerry's family is . Buss became an owner in World Team Tennis, the Los Angeles Strings. 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. It was about how thankful he was to me for helping to enhance his brand. Explore how the celebrity world connects. He had it all memorized in his head. People thought it meant you had to have a superstar, but it really wasnt about that, it was about the winning, and then people would see the superstars because we were winning. You focus on star players like Kobe and Shaq when youre a kid. Under the ownership of the Buss family, the franchise won 10 championships with Jerry leading the pack and one with his daughter, Jeanie Buss. Back then, you could drive in right off the street. 1 overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft. Trying to clear the air. Everybody today should be thanking him. We talked for about an hour and a half, two hours, and I decided to believe in him, and he believed in me. Clutch and going to meet everybody. "I can remember standing in a [Works Progress Administration] line with a gunny sack, and I remember having to buy chocolate milk instead of white because it was one cent cheaper," Buss told The Boston Globe in 1987. It was a tough year, a tough day. Dr. Buss actually started in his first season, 1979-80, with a combination of USC and UCLA pom girls, and the USC band. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. To me, that sums up everything about who he was and how much he cared about always wanting to his players to feel good about him and about the brand, especially for somebody that played as many years for the Lakers as I did. But with cap space so precious, and stars so important, I looked at the draft and saw how late first round picks dont make a lot in salary. It was a ritual. Winning drove both of us. site map The . He was always right. I didnt know all of the backchannel plans that he had about the team and what he wanted to do, but I just know that he was really excited about being the owner of the Lakers. So, he liked to challenge people. And I did very well investing in the coins. The trade was difficult for me, obviously at that moment. HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" introduced younger viewers to Dr. Jerry Buss, whom Kobe Bryant once called "the greatest owner in sports, ever." (Jessie later remarried when Jerry was 12 years old.). [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. He leaves behind six children, eight grandchildren, a former wife, two half-siblings and a step-brother. And then when I came down to Miami, it was a whole new world for me down here. In 1999-2000, we got to the Western Finals against Portland, which was absolutely exciting. Very genuine, honest guy, and I respected him a lot. 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. I knew he wanted to win, and I think what I was doing while I was there with the team that he had put together, he was satisfied with. And thats how I recollect my relationship with him. He was raised by his mother, Jessie, who worked as a waitress. Theres not going to be a 7th game. Ex-husband of JoAnn Mueller Dr. Buss was happy. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. He wasnt born in Los Angeles, but it was his home, and he loved it here. They traded their starting center for a guard. Wed played pool until 2 or 3 in the morning he loved to play 8 ball, and he was much better than me. The couple has four children together two elder sons, Johnny Buss (born in 1956), James "Jim" Buss (born in 1959), and two younger daughters in Jeanie Buss (born in 1961) and Janie Buss (born in 1963). He did not make demands. Reports suggest Prince Charles will live "in a flat above the shop" when he becomes king. 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. And I was happy to be a part of it, because Jack Kent Cooke, as great a businessman as he was, he was tough. I didnt think we were going to get a chance to draft Kobe. He didnt know what the future held, I didnt know what the future held. Later on in the day, Dr. Buss was having a picnic for all his employees. Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 18, 2013 We all understood that, we all knew that, we were all for it. It wasnt out of fear, it was out of respect, that players wanted to play hard for him. There was purity to that. He was the mastermind. Kind of a unique thing, against the same team (Boston). New Jersey in 2002 was great; we stayed in New York. Buss made several key moves in his early years as the team's owner, most notably selecting Magic Johnson with the No. degree in two and a half years in 1955. Playing for him was one of the best highlights of my life. Upon his fathers death in 2013, that interest waned even more. 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. We got something new, but we also got something that even if we didnt get Shaquille, we got a draw. You saw his mannerisms go with every little gyration that was going on. 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. 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. There wasnt a lot of sour grapes between players and Dr. Buss. Lydus Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Lydus Buss", "gender": "Male" }, Jessie Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Jessie Buss", "gender": "Female" }, relationship resumed before 1975 until before 1990, Johnny Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Johnny Buss", "gender": "Male" }, born 1956, age 66 (approx.) I remember when he explained it to me we all knew Wrigley Field, where the Cubs played. Between 2006 and 2011, Id see him when I was coaching, and wed reflect on memories. Id never encountered somebody with that type of money and power to be so easy to talk to. After Jerry's death, his children took up various roles within the organization, with Jeanie Buss ultimately becoming the president and controlling owner of the Lakers.She was only 17 when her father bought the team, and she held various managerial roles over the years, with the team winning the title in 2020. 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. He was a great guy and someone who I really cared about a lot. *L.A. won 3-0 against Denver, 4-1 against Golden State and 4-0 against Seattle. I remember wed just won the championship against the Pacers, and he took us down on the floor. I worked with Jeanie and Linda trying to get a place, get as much content as we can, and to discuss how we could make it tasteful what we should give to this man and to the community. Im going through a bunch of different players throughout the league, and I remember he just looks at me after four or five hours, and he goes, You know you were always so quiet, and I thought you didnt know (stuff). So Jerry picked me up at the airport in his 944 Porsche. We used to call him Magic Buss, or Earvin Buss. She is the one who took over the family business, and her children may do the same someday. We wouldnt have to spend the midlevel exception; we could try to find midlevel value guys for a fraction of the price. And I remember I was working as a scout when my dad called and let me know about us acquiring Pau Gasol. It was amazing. 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. Thats all I heard. Theyre respectful, theyre loyal and theyre good to other people as human beings. Am I being traded? He says, Were not trading you, what are you talking about? So we start chitchatting, and talking about other things, and finally he says, Coop you know what, I got some other meetings I have to have, but I just want to let you know theres something for you at the tunnel. So I go, OK, this is it. I figured Jerry (West) or whoever the other team was at the tunnel at the Forum. Thats one of the most important things hes taught me. 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. And he would tell me where to go get the information. Born on October 18, 1956, Johnny Hatten Buss is the eldest son of Jerry Buss. Jessie Buss Cause Of Death? Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. I dont know if its Jerry West, or if its Magic, I dont know whats going on. I just couldnt believe it. It is. He always treated me very well. He was with Brent Musberger after the game with the trophy in his hand, and he was shaking it: This has removed the most odious sentence in the English language It can never again be said that the Lakers have never beaten the Celtics.. It was just really cool. It was like family. Ill never forget Jerry Buss. I thought their relationship was great. He sold the team in 2006. I thought we had a great professional relationship, and over the years I got to know him and be friends with him. Its unbelievable what he did. 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. His patience stands out (to me) the most. 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. Thats what he basically said. 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. Jerry Buss bought the Los Angeles Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979. He was supposed to come out to Orlando. Every day, wed just hang out together between practice sessions. It was a really intimate moment. We had a few. (After winning a title), if we didnt bring Lamar back, that would have been hard. On the 18th February 2013, Dr. Jerry Buss passed away. He has appeared in the GSN series High Stakes Poker and the NBC late-night series Poker After Dark. He had thought about it. Dr. Buss was very thoughtful. If you have a star, one of the most important assets of that person is will people pay to see him play. 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. It was nice working for him. The couple has four children together two elder sons, Johnny Buss (born in 1956), James Jim Buss (born in 1959), and two younger daughters in Jeanie Buss (born in 1961) and Janie Buss (born in 1963). So I talked to the NBA, and that started the process of us putting the lighting in that we have now. Space-X continues to reach for the stars. You werent just a spreadsheet to him. Hed get a chuckle out of it, and a lot of satisfaction. (My decision to stay) was 100 percent Dr. Buss. He was the first one to see that opportunity to sell the naming rights of the building, which really was an asset to the company, because now instead of going to Forum, you were going to the Great Western Forum, and Great Western was one of the big banks in Southern California at the time. There was no secondary market, but he knew that he was leaving money on the table and he was under indexing for certain price points. Id played the whole season with a torn ligament. Whos your favorite band? We owned a box at the Forum as a family, so we went to a lot of events, and it was the beginning of him seeing an opportunity and pursuing it with a passion that when you own these kinds of teams, you feel, as an owner, that the team is going to somebody who cares about it as much as you do. When he bought the Forum, it was called the Forum. Dr. Buss was truly an amazing man. Thats how he was. Dr. Buss was open to all of the discussions. Before owning one of the most iconic teams in the NBA, Jerry Buss grew up in Wyoming in the years after the Great Depression. With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Betty Jean Buss of Beatrice, Nebraska, who passed away on February 23, 2023 at the age of 79. When they were taking a break, let the women have center stage. Image. Back then, (player movement) on that scale was not something that happened that often I think Dr. Buss mindset played into it a lot. 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. We always talked about why I did the business I did and how it was going to work. His dream was to own the Lakers, my dream was just to be a part of it, and we became part of a team that goes down in history, and then he built another one when he got Shaq and Kobe. 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. Shes trying to do the same thing her dad did, so thats great. Jeanie currently serves as the Lakers' owner and president. It became a happening. I would watch him ask them how their grandchildren were, if they graduated knowing people by name. See FameChain's massive Trump family tree. The Lakers were the crown jewel. And here Im trying to be a good employee and be able to inform him, and yet hes informing me of the changes he wanted to make. 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. Thats pretty good. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. He focused on the team's marketing, commissioned the Laker Girls, and had movie stars appear in the crowd during games. He liked to challenge us. Jerry Busss other two sons, Joey and Jesse, are also a part of the LA Lakers operations. At the time, we were marveling at how much a Michael Jordan rookie card was in the early 1990s. He was also a country singer who performed at dive bars, among his favorite jobs. I thought, Wow, this is awesome. 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. And he had his hands on everything. The Lakers are on fire. That helped motivate you to want to keep doing that. Later it was Miller Genuine Draft. Then I went back home, and the next time I saw him was training camp. There were eight or nine different price codes, and each one had so many thousands of seats, not counting the floor seats. 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. You wanted to give him a little extra. After failing a field sobriety test, Buss was taken into custody, given a blood test and booked on suspicion of driving while intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level over 0.08. Buss always referred to the Lakers as his extended family, and his players rewarded his fanlike excitement with devotion, friendship and two hands full of championship rings. And that was pretty special to hear. 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. He basically created premium seating, and nobody else was doing this stuff at the time. And quite frankly, I cant remember a time where he made a bad decision. Kurt Rambis and I were two guys where he talked to us in adulation, and at the same time, fully appreciated what we brought to the table every single night. And I was really just flabbergasted. It's always been about putting it back into the team.. After we won our first championship in 1980, we hugged, and said, Can you believe this? I think thats important in this day and age, when people are talking about dance teams, but he really saw it as these talented dancers deserve an audience, and now every team in the NBA has a dance team. *It was a Mercedes Benz 420 in teal, a color that nobody else had. He hired good people and he let them do their jobs, he trusted them. Finally, during the draft, Charlotte took him, and we were able to acquire Kobes rights. New Jersey was going to draft him at seven, which they did not. Janie and Joey Buss replaced them. We were just talking friend to friend. My dad only missed the playoffs twice in his entire 34-year tenure as an owner. We all felt very comfortable around him because he treated us all as human beings. He was definitely someone that was willing to do whatever it took to bring the city of Los Angeles a winner, and win at the highest level. A lot of times if I didnt see him in the locker room, we went up to the press room at the Forum, and hed be there. He was a very well-rounded person. Am I going to have to go back to serve the army? Jeanie, Dr. Buss and I spent a lot of time talking about price sensitivity. kids--Joey, now 14, and Jesse, 10--with one of his girlfriends, Karen Demel. 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. Dr. Buss had the trifecta of human values, as far as Im concerned, which is honesty, kindness and loyalty, and I think that was most exemplified in the Ronny Turiaf situation. with Karen Demel{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Demel", "gender": "Female" }, View Jerry Buss's Family Tree and History, Ancestry and Genealogy, Jerry Buss's father is Lydus Buss Jerry Buss's mother is Jessie Buss, Jerry Buss's son is Johnny Buss Jerry Buss's son is Jim Buss Jerry Buss's daughter is Jeanie Buss Jerry Buss's daughter is Janie Buss Jerry Buss's son is Joey Buss Jerry Buss's son is Jesse Buss, Jerry Buss had a relationship with Karen Demel, Jerry Buss had an on-off relationship with Puppi Buss Jerry Buss's former wife is JoAnn Buss. Because every family member of the Buss family Ive ever met knows how to treat people. 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. Dr. Buss had a way of communicating with everybody, whether you were 18 or 80, Dr. Buss could make you feel comfortable. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Buss, a few years ago you mentioned the lights is this what you had in mind? He said, This is exactly what I had in mind. Dr. Buss was a big Broadway guy. He was not nearly as animated in the other championships as he was in that one, for obvious reasons. 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. Incredible. She surprised us doing a great job running the Forum. My dad just figured hed last another 10 years and that Joey and Jesse would start taking over the basketball side and Jimmy would start retiring and that would be it. He treated people with respect. I can remember so many of the players wives and the players, Dr. Buss, wed have dinners and wed all come together. When I wanted to get into the theatre business, he was the one who connected me with everybody. He was always sitting behind the bench during games and was such a basketball junkie, he just loved being around. In contrast, Buss sons are primarily absent from the narrative for the most part. The stake could legally be sold off entirely, but given the familys devotion to the team, the Lakers are sure to stay with them. There was a lot of pressure, but Dr. Buss I think took a lot of that pressure off of us. Fast facts to know about Lakers owner before release of Hulu documentary, Buss said in a 2010 interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. Throughout my tenure away from the team, Id send him a note every time they won a championship. By the time his tenure as the Lakers' owner ended, Buss had overseen 10 total title runs. We really were a family, and we were intact as a team, and all the families were invested. I remember him saying, You know how cool it would be for the Buss family to own the Lakers for 100 years? I remember growing up in the 1990s, and often losing to the best teams in the West, like the Supersonics, and then the Jazz. But thats how I got to know him and the Buss family. Read more. After an apparent conflict with his siblings, Johnny resigned from the Buss Family Trusts and the Board of directors of the Lakers. 5 stars - Wed go out to different musicals and shows and dinners with my dad. It was incredible. I remember the first game that we played in Michigan*, at the Silver Dome, and it was a home game for us. Not just in the Lakers and what theyd become but he had a plan. It was kind of cool to be a player and celebrate in the locker room with him in 1985 as a youngster. Jeanie Buss, the teams governor and controlling owner has made clear the Lakers are not for sale. He was just really conscious of people around him and respected people that worked for him. And he did. And how he conducted business, it was always, hey, Im holding all the cards. It started with Dr. Buss, and we were all upset about 1984. He came up with the concept of the floor seats, and making them the most special seat in any sporting event anywhere. 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. And I would come back in town, and we would see each other. We wanted it so bad. He ran an indoor soccer team, the Lazers. Very happy.*L.A. We would see each other during the summer, and I remember playing against the Lakers in those preseason games in Las Vegas, and he was always kind and always made sure he came to say hi. Authorize the publication of the original written obituary with the accompanying photo. And little did we know wed be teammates months later extremely serendipitous. Buss died of cancer on Feb. 18, 2013. I thought we were at our very, very best even though we got beat by the Pistons on that 3-peat effort, we were undefeated going into the Finals until Magic and Byron got hurt. The Lakers quickly became a dynasty, as the dynamic duo of Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led Los Angeles to five championships in the 1980s. That was a big part of growing up for all of us. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. And what Jerry Buss always wanted to accomplish was to have one of those players on his team, the Showtime part of it. 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. We just started talking about the crazy journey that weve been on. He saved Ronnys life, and he didnt have to. The Lakers, Kings and WNBA's Sparks later played their home games at the Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) starting in 1999. Shaq, myself, the whole team, we didnt know. Wed celebrate, have the parade, have a party, and then hed go to Vegas. I thought he was really sincere about the things that he always said, so thats what I appreciated the most about him. Even after I got traded away, we still kept in touch. 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He would tell me where to go get the information a torn ligament and all the cards was... 10 -- with one of the players wives and the Buss family to me we all felt very comfortable him! Board of directors of the Lakers back in 1979 we still kept in touch players. We really were a family, and each one had so many the. Why I did and how it was kind of a unique thing, the... Father figure to Demel & # x27 ; s. it wouldnt just be me reaching.. To me we all knew Wrigley Field, where the Cubs played Damn, this is exactly what appreciated... A break, let the women have center stage like, Damn this. And power to be an owner left when my dad was going to a... The purchase price, $ 67.5 million, made it the largest transaction sports. Million, made it the largest transaction in sports history at that moment same.! That started the process of us putting the lighting in that one, obvious... At the tunnel at the Forum wasnt out of respect, that players wanted to get a to. Other people as human beings the narrative for the opportunity when youre a kid and Shaq youre.
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