She became the Lakers governor in 2014 after her father's death and is now the representative of the team on the NBA board of governors. Its unbelievable what he did. I love him, and his family, and I thank him to this day for the opportunity. And then at the end of that, they said someone talked to Magic (Johnson), and Magic approved the trade. Ex-husband of JoAnn Mueller Its one thing from your colleagues, its another when its your boss. 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. I was a dominant player in Games 2 through 6, and we got over the hump finally. Thats the kind of guy you want to partner with. Never raised his voice, and that inspired people. Dr. Buss saw the Lakers becoming something, more of an entertainment value than just a sports value, and the league has adopted, to a large degree, that same mentality. He liked to challenge us. 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. The Lazers also played in The Forum. He said, Hey Mark, I know you had the surgery yesterday and am just thinking about you, hoping for a quick recovery, and I hope youre OK. It was really cool of him. Magics family is like this, and here we are winning all these games. That would be incredible.. Worthy, Riley, Magic, Cooper, and Buss Celebrate the 1987 Title. Luckily that first year the players, in spite of my lack of experience, we won the championship and the rest is history. I will miss her and send my deepest sympathy to the family.. A funeral service was held on Tuesday, February 28th 2023 at 10:00 AM at the same location. That confluence doesnt happen very often, and Dr. Buss was very much able to get with the moment and enjoy the moment. Of course, that series had a, uh, flexible relationship with the truth, as it was a semi-fictionalized story that attempted to entertain rather than educate its audience. When he said that on the podium at the Forum, we were just trying to celebrate the previous title, but he knew what he was doing. 43 years later, the combined purchase of both teams would be a fraction of the Lakers' current . I didnt really have an agent at the time. Thats pretty good. 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. He knew that he had this hot team in the Lakers in the early years of Showtime, but the Kings were always a tough sell. There was a lot of pressure, but Dr. Buss I think took a lot of that pressure off of us. After we lost to the Pistons*, we had an organization type of dinner, with all the players and the media in a banquet room. Id run into him in Los Angeles at various places and said hello. Im sitting there wondering what the hell is going on. The team folded in 1989 and the league folded three years later. We werent getting better to the point that I needed our team to be. privacy policy | I just looked at him. Theres a picture I have in my office where guys are grabbing his shoulders, throwing champagne on him, Im messing his hair up. Most people at that level were pretty standoffish. The championship in 1985 stands out because wed just beaten the Celtics, and Dr. Buss was as proud as hes ever been of any team. Despite some setbacks in the years since she took over, with only one NBA Championship win in 2020, Jeanie is still the undisputed boss of the franchise. It started with Dr. Buss, and we were all upset about 1984. His vision inspired us and gave us the OK to be, sometimes, and thats pretty cool. I asked him, How could you go up there and do that? He said, I just did it. I said, But youre so good at it! Hes like, I hate it! Coach him. That was his vision. One of his favorite comments always used to be, Aint nothin like winning! So thats one of my vivid memories. That helped save this league. degree in two and a half years in 1955. Just a great feeling to play for an organization that had a leader like Dr. Buss. And he always wanted to know what my favorite book was, and I told him it was The Agony and the Ecstasy. He said, Thats interesting, because I knew Irving Stone, the author. We drafted Ronny, were ready to sign him, but first we sent him in for a physical exam. So he lined things up, and Id get samples, and wed talk it through, and hed say, Oh! and Janie. 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.) Wed watch Lakers games together before he bought the team, and all hed talk about was, Someday Im gonna own that team. And (a couple of years later) he did. 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. So in 1987, we win the championship, and I win Defensive Player of the Year. Kurt Rambis doing his usual mischief, (having fun) with Dr. Buss. 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. He would just sit there, empty desk, and Id go through the business with him and vary rarely would he say, Let me think about that and get back to you. It was almost always he had an opinion or a decision right then and there. Thats when I learned, in my life, you can tell a lot about someone with how they treat someone else that can do nothing for them. We talked about where we came from, what our lives were like, and in a lot of respects we had some similarities in our lives. (Towards the end) we were just talking and reminiscing about old times. After all of this, not only have I resigned from [the Lakers], Ive resigned from being a member of the Buss family, Johnny says. Thats all I heard. He loved the players. Previously, she spent six years covering football, first for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla., then the Houston Chronicle and ESPN. Id have at least expected a phone call or something. He basically created premium seating, and nobody else was doing this stuff at the time. An ensuing lawsuit split the family. 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. You have cap space and you go for big stars, but that was something my dad was going to outline the blueprint for. Rookie owner, rookie player and we did it. Who Is Jerry Buss Mom & Dad? In exchange, Cooke received a lease to the Chrysler Building in New York City, along with properties in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maryland. I think the everyday element had taken its toll, so he probably was spending more time with his family and a little bit less with the team. 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. What made him so special is he was this analytical, mathematical genius who had business savvy and sense, and the right negotiating sense, because he could apply the human factor to it. Should you have information that conflicts with anything shown please make us aware by email. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty follows Jerry Buss, the owner of the LA Lakers, as he tries to steer the newly acquired NBA team towards success. Coming from Yugoslavia, I had some issue with military service, and there was an issue there that Dr. Buss made sure to let me know he was behind me and my family no matter what. 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. It was a very unique way of conducting business. 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. Theyd fax over every scenario they had for Shaq trades. Her father, Jerry Buss, had died in February 2013 at age 80, . Wed played pool until 2 or 3 in the morning he loved to play 8 ball, and he was much better than me. He said, I want to do something for you for what youve done over the 1980s. I was just an assistant coach, with that kind of contract. I think he just figured that whether the front office, general manager or coach could figure out a way to make those two see their ways and see what was best for the franchise and the city. Wed celebrate, have the parade, have a party, and then hed go to Vegas. He knew we had a great team, and he dealt with the good and the bad. So I became obsessed with it, and how that process worked. Buss also owned other professional sports franchises in Southern California. I would watch him ask them how their grandchildren were, if they graduated knowing people by name. Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. Therefore, viewers must be curious to find out whether Buss sons ended up working with the LA Lakers. We were up 3-1, and I remember about 2-to-3 hours before tip, I called him and said, Where are you, why are you not coming to Orlando? He said, Im not going to make it, you have to hold down the fort if we win, you have to accept the trophy. I said, Why cant someone else do it. He said, No, youre an owner, Im having you do it. I said, Well, OK do you have any advice? He said, Oh youll do great, dont worry, and he hung up the phone. I said, Were trying to repeat, and I know you love winning championships, and a key piece of that is Lamar Odom. [1], Born in Salt Lake City and raised in Kemmerer, Wyoming, Buss was raised by his divorced mother, Jessie. His best finishes included third in the 1991 World Series of Poker seven-card stud event and second place in the 2003 World Poker Tour Freeroll invitational. You dont realize these things until you get my age, that you have these kinds of people, that theyre not just your boss. The very first time that I met him was when he had purchased the team from Jack Kent Cooke. He didnt know what the future held, I didnt know what the future held. The sports executive is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). And then youve got this team thats running. He realized there was an opportunity there, that perhaps if he could meet with him, he could convince Jack Kent Cooke to sell him the team. Just sit and let the dust settle, and a decision will be evident to you. Because Id worked on prior events like Championship parades and so on, event mode planning started. Jerry's 66 percent ownership of the team passed to each of his six children via a trust, equating to 11 percent per child. He always wanted to make his family feel important, and he showed that in many different ways. 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. There wasnt a lot of sour grapes between players and Dr. Buss. But once we acquired Shaq and Kobe, we started beating them more often than they were beating us. 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. He says hes tried to apologize. Hed meet his friends there, and some of his friends were executives at Great Western Bank. 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. And he would wander off into other aspects of life, and he was so smart, and so brilliant, so well read in a lot of different areas that it was truly intriguing for me at that time, unbeknownst to me what was going on, that I was getting the education of a lifetime as a head coach and also as a man. Mr. 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.. 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. All six of his children worked. "When you think New York, you think Yankees. 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. But it was one of the toughest things Ive encountered physically, mentally and emotionally. He was my mentor. He currently resides in Los Angeles. He bought me dinner. When you hire someone and they meet your qualifications, let them do their job, and go from there. Not much is known about Johnnys early life or educational background. You understood the genius of this man, because youre dealing with a guy whos just on a different plane. But Wrigley was also the name of the family who owned the team, and also the name of their chewing gum, Wrigleys Spearmint Gum. But lo and behold, we had won again, in dramatic fashion, and I remember the look in Dr. Busss eye, like, We made the right decision.. kids--Joey, now 14, and Jesse, 10--with one of his girlfriends, Karen Demel. 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. 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. Having known that about him, after we won various championships, the relief that you saw on him when we got that trophy, it was like he was out there sweating with us. Shaquille and I started to talk over the phone, and we sorta became friends. We all held the trophy together. Before the championships from 2000-02, as an adolescent, it was very frustrating watching the Lakers lose in the playoffs. 3 reviews. In 1979 Jerry purchased Pickfair Mansion in Beverly Hills from the estate of Mary Pickford. The NBA wasnt like what it is today at that time. A true genius from a business standpoint, Dr. Buss built his wealth by mastering the real estate game, and quickly applied what hed learned over the years to his sports and entertainment properties. 12/22/2014 5:31 PM PT. Buying the Forum, Lakers, Kings and other properties was the largest sports transaction at that time. It was a conversation that only he and I knew about. but Jerry's family is . But he took the time (with me) a couple of times a year. I cant imagine coming into the league at 18 in a grown mans world. 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. He also began to integrate his youngest sons, Jesse and Joey, more into the basketball business. Buss became an owner in World Team Tennis, the Los Angeles Strings. We were all super excited to see him play, and one of the referees threw him out early on for arguing calls. How he figured out our monetary system, the Coast Guard, customs, the first inspector general of the Army ridiculous. His daughter, Jeanie, took over the Lakers in March 2017. Pat Riley had a great speech about that. with Karen Demel Jesse Buss born 1988, age 34 (approx.) He was going to build a championship team no matter what it takes. [5] During the Finals in Philly in 2001, we would get cheesesteaks before the games. Have you ever seen anybody win the lottery? Jerry West called it the Shaq Diet. (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. 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. By the time his tenure as the Lakers' owner ended, Buss had overseen 10 total title runs. 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. 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. Thats the affirmation you really want. He focused on the team's marketing, commissioned the Laker Girls, and had movie stars appear in the crowd during games. Janie, Joey and their youngest brother Jesse have been firm in their support of Jeanie, whom the trusts designate as the Lakers controlling owner for the rest of her life. You can be super successful and win at the highest level while being a great father and family man, and also still have a social life. If I was offended by the book, or what my feelings were. So he went to Jerry West, and said, weve got to get somebody to come and get us back to winning. What do you think. And he did. Just showed up and watched. I thought it was a 1-on-1 dinner! Dr. Buss was happy. Ultimately we came back and made another offer and Lamar took it. Any age group, any ethnic group. Never embarrassed anybody. He not only was an avid reader, he knew some of the great authors, as well. Youre going too fast. We thought it was great. This is two days after the parade and everything. He was one of the first people to do it, and now its commonplace. Dont be afraid of him just because hes Kareem, just because hes Magic. It wasnt just owner-athlete relationship, it was more like a family with his employees. It was incredible. 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. The first hour was always just talking and telling stories and visiting. I remember the first game that we played in Michigan*, at the Silver Dome, and it was a home game for us. He was always sitting behind the bench during games and was such a basketball junkie, he just loved being around. 5 out of It wasnt much of a workout. He was like, The contract is good. That was it. So Jerry picked me up at the airport in his 944 Porsche. Pat and I were really good friends, and he was trying to work his way back into basketball, involved with Chick on the radio. Having him around, you always felt support. Then I went back home, and the next time I saw him was training camp. And so, when I became an assistant coach because of Jack McKinneys injury, and then all of a sudden I became the head coach on an interim basis, and Jerry Buss thinking and probably speaking to Jerry West about, Im going to turn over a $100 million asset to a guy whos never, ever coached and Jerry (West) and I had a good relationship, but I dont think he thought that I had the chops to really be a head coach. Thats not normal for most owners. He was once an heir to his father Jerry Busss kingdom, but insists the sports world never quite interested him. with Karen Demel document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Powered by Standing Stone Designs | Tania Ganguli covered the Lakers for the Los Angeles Times from 2016-20. Every day, wed just hang out together between practice sessions. Magic was like his third son after Jimmy and Johnny before Jesse and Joey were born. Although not much is known about Buss partners, he was married from 1983 to 1985 and is a father. That was one of his favorite things he started doing later on, because before, he was doing Hawaii for a month. He truly cared about how we were doing, how our families were doing. Moment and enjoy the moment and enjoy the moment and enjoy the moment enjoy... Girls, and Buss Celebrate the 1987 Title s family is friends there and! For Shaq trades junkie, he just loved being around to talk over phone! Was when he had purchased the team folded in 1989 and the bad the! Kobe, we win the championship, and he hung up the.... In many different ways when you hire someone and they meet your qualifications, let them do their job and... The genius of this team call or something, Well you know what the future held, also. This thing, I said, Well, we would get cheesesteaks before the games because id on! The games get this big guy, and his family feel important, and told! 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It, and set the tempo for the opportunity more into the league at 18 a.
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