Ten championships? I was a little uptight, and didnt really know what to expect, so my first impression just totally relaxed me. 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. But Buss was wise to plan early for the team and make his wishes specific and legally binding. Id run into him in Los Angeles at various places and said hello. We wanted it so bad. and its impact on sports entertainment. Click here to Start FameChaining. Not only were the Lakers Not just the owner-player, employer-employee relationship. Nevada. Im not saying that Jerry was the opposite, but he was a lot more fun than I think Jack was. 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. He always treated me very well. He was a wheeler and dealer. Pat did a great job good basketball mind, and he had the work ethic to achieve that. This California farm kingdom holds a key, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater, These are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles, Usain Bolt missing $12.7 million from account, attorneys say, Southern California high school girls basketball rankings, USC switches strategies to deal with daunting 2023 football schedule, Damar Hamlin has started making regular visits to Bills practice facility, coach says, NHL backs Ivan Provorovs decision to boycott Pride celebration because of religion. New Jersey was going to draft him at seven, which they did not. I do remember after we won that year, on the night of Game 7, and looking in Dr. Busss eyes as he was being presented the trophy. fm m rult f wrkng wth, Read More Ryan Haywood: Early Life, Sexual Misconduct & Net WorthContinue, The secret to modeling is not beauty; what one needs is a face people can recognize in a second. That first one, we went to Palm Springs. Dr. Buss will always be forever in my heart. Notwithstanding, she is embraced and she has composed a book named Late for the Buss: A . And that resonated all the way back to Los Angeles. out of college was working as a chemist for the Bureau of Mines. He allowed Jerry West to make the bulk of the basketball decisions, and Dr. Buss would give him the yay or nay, and most of the time it was a yay. After his academics, Jerry began working as a chemist for the Bureau of Mines then at the aerospace industry on the faculty of USCs chemistry department. Have you ever seen anybody win the lottery? He bought me dinner. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. The team was dominant 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. Jerry Busss other two sons, Joey and Jesse, are also a part of the LA Lakers operations. It was really a great celebration of life for him, and I was so proud of that. So I said, Oh is that good, and he said, Yeah, we really think hes going to be able to bring us to contender status and try to really win a championship.. Also, check Stefan Holm: Divorce, Controversy & Net Worth>>. Now, after we won the title that first year in 1999-2000, Id go back to Dr. Buss to ask for approval of updated price codes, and Id have a document that compared last years price codes to what I was suggesting for the 2000-01 season. He asked a lot of questions about defense, how we were defending this or that. Thats one of the most important things hes taught me. He eventually passed He was in Hawaii at that time, and I called him. The UK's supply crisis puts extra pressure on Prime Minister Boris. We didnt plan to meet, but after work one time, I stopped at Dan Tanas by myself. the family in minority ownership. The 11 years that I was coaching as an assistant and head coach, that team went to the NBA Finals eight or nine times and we won five championships, probably should have won two more. [20], In 2012, Buss was in a hospital for months with an undisclosed intestinal problem. My biggest concern was being traded every year. If you have a star, one of the most important assets of that person is will people pay to see him play. 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). 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. For three decades of sustained prosperity, Dr. Buss was named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's className of 2010, enshrined in Springfield, Massachusetts, on August 13, 2010. He wanted people to come to the Forum and be entertained, not just by the basketball team and the talent on the court, but leave the arena thinking, That was really fun, I had a great time.. The Great Western Forum is a Los Angeles indoor arena that used to host many games for the Buss family's teams. Dr. Buss responded by sending Kobe a telegram from Italy. I saw how he would be able to rebuild a team quickly to get back to contender status. 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. He also served as the President of the Los Angeles Lazers, a professional indoor soccer team, and the Los Angeles Sparks, a professional womens basketball team. He said, I want you to take me to dinner at this real fancy restaurant with some friends. I said, I cant afford that! I connected with him more through others, some of the people that were tight with him, who would always tell me that Dr. Dr. Buss was the perfect owner to play for. Id heard all about the championships in the 1980s, but we werent there yet. Life is funny that way. Jerry Buss has six children. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Jerry Buss had an on-off relationship with. Now, HBO's 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty' provides a dramatized version of that period. Jeanie was extremely surprised after reading the letter and admitted that at that time, she didn't know whether to believe Lee or not, largely because she's witnessed so many random people claim to. That team experienced dynastic characteristics. In order to purchase the team, Jerry had a team of lawyers and accountants and ultimately exchanged the Chrysler building in NYC Credit: Getty - Contributor. He was just a very good man. You have to look at me coming in as a rookie, with Hall of Famers like Phil Jackson, Kobe and Shaq, and the history of the Lakers. Jerry Buss has six And thats what Dr. Buss did. 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. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. His two things he was mainly focused on was winning championships, getting the Lakers back to that level, and being a family man, being a father to his children. I didnt have firsthand memories of winning a championship, and felt like wed never get one, because it seemed so hard. He had a string of young girlfriends and was also known as a playboy during his young and adult age. As a millionaire businessman and real estate investor, Jerry was also fond of playing poker. Jerry Buss Gerald Hatten Buss (January 27, 1933 - February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, investor, chemist, and philanthropist. 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). history. If it wasnt for Dr. Buss, thered be no Jerry Jones. Stern said, The NBA has lost a visionary owner whose influence on our league for cancer treatment in 2012. After she united with them, Lee's birth family and the Buss family became very close. It was just great to be able to watch and learn. He put his imprint on the league fast, and then we win the championship too? Theres not going to be a 7th game. So when you talk about him not being a person who would yell or be a tyrant or throw things to motivate, he was a teacher, and he knew how to motivate people. Furthermore, this businessman has also owned the Playboy Club of the Phoenix. He gave the OK to pursue it. There becomes a bigger trust by an owner, a greater dependency on the people whom youre working closely with. Kurt Rambis doing his usual mischief, (having fun) with Dr. Buss. So I want you to play confident. Then at times, if I was struggling a bit later in the season, wed do it again. Winning drove both of us. Thats something I still talk about and brag about to my sons. He grew up in nearby Reeseville and graduated from Juneau High School. He also began to integrate his youngest sons, Jesse and Joey, more into the basketball business. Magic being Mr. Inquisitive, he wanted to know about the business aspect of basketball and life in general. My dad changed the landscape of the NBA in terms of how he thought about the business. Jerome "Jerry" Carl Buss. Not much is known about Johnnys early life or educational background. That meant a lot to us at that particular time, because it was a very difficult time, uncertain. He would be sickened if he saw what was going on with my brothers.. Coming through life, there are some people that you look at as more than a friend, more than a boss. 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. Veteran guys. maintains the controlling stake in the Lakers today. Jim was later appointed as the Head of Basketball Operations but was removed in 2017 by Jeanie. It was a long time before the other franchises got wise like that. Johnson (then-named President of Basketball Operations) in the dark on some And his business smarts (also kicked in), and the Laker Girls got branded through Reebok. earned an MS and Ph.D. in physical chemistry and was ready to truly make his Thats when I got to meet Magics family. Although he stepped away from active involvement in the Lakers operations in 2017, Johnny seemingly remains a part-owner in the franchise. In 1990, Puppi Buss mentioned that Jerry was having an on-and-off relationship with Buss for 15 years. Im still not quite sure what possessed him to have me do it that time. I dont know if its Jerry West, or if its Magic, I dont know whats going on. I just couldnt believe it. Theyll like this! Buss was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on January 27, 1933, at the height of We really were a family, and we were intact as a team, and all the families were invested. And little did we know wed be teammates months later extremely serendipitous. Dr. Buss was my boss in a completely different way from what happened later. We werent getting better to the point that I needed our team to be. restaurant in the Forum into a nightclub, bringing glitz, glamour, and celebrities I get up, I go there at 10 a.m. to his office (at the Forum) and they tell me I have to wait, Dr. Buss is in a meeting with Jerry West. You have a right to express yourself. He took a drag of his cigarette, and he said, But when you say management thats me. And he didnt say anything after that. 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. 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). It was an extension of the brand, a way to reach Los Angeles. If you got up five miles over the speed limit, hed say, What are you doing? [13], Buss was a high-stakes cash game poker player for many years, but later in life was more active in tournament games. Ryan is a professional and exceptionally experienced video game journalist as well. After we won our first championship in 1980, we hugged, and said, Can you believe this? We had a bunch of guys who were great guys that all knew their roles, and they werent out seeking attention for themselves. They wanted him to be happy with them. He basically created premium seating, and nobody else was doing this stuff at the time. is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come.. We were playing for not just ourselves but everybody. Theyd fax over every scenario they had for Shaq trades. I do remember when Lamar (Odom) was a free agent, and Im not sure what our financial situation was at the time, but it was a rough negotiation, because wed just won the 2009 championship. I always (respected) how Dr. Buss interacted with people around the stadium. Even today, when they talk on ESPN, Greatest Owners in Sport History come on man, thats crazy! I was happy. We shared a hobby as coin collectors, and Dr. Buss owned some really important coins, and I was aware of that. After Jerrys death, Jeanie became the president of the Lakers. One vacation in Italy, we needed to get from the hotel to a boat in Venice to get to the train station, then hop on a train to go to a little town for lunch at a certain time, lets say 12:00 p.m.; so hed work his way backwards from 12:00 for how much time each leg would be required so he knew exactly when to leave. reason why you will see different A-list celebs from any industry courtside at . Every day, wed just hang out together between practice sessions. Magics family is like this, and here we are winning all these games. 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