At the time of his death, a Buss family spokesperson declared that the children had "no interest in ever selling the team.". So I became obsessed with it, and how that process worked. The Buss siblings had a meeting the week after Dr Jerry Buss death, to discuss how the Lakers would work going forward. It wasnt much of a workout. It was really a great celebration of life for him, and I was so proud of that. He was very, very friendly, and the door was always open. The team folded in 1989 and the league folded three years later. Im not going to tell them what trade to make. Jesse would just rattle off the stats. Buss Family Trust is a 66% controlling ownership of the Lakers passed to Jerry Buss' six children via a trust, with each child receiving an equal vote (11% for each child). 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. with JoAnn Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "JoAnn Buss", "gender": "Female" }, Janie Buss{ "@context": "http://schema.org", "@type": "Person", "name": "Janie Buss", "gender": "Female" }, born 1963, age 59 (approx.) He showed that you dont really have to lock yourself down in one area as a person. So its strange to have a guy whos your mentor, father figure and best friend all rolled into one And then when Jeanie called me (to share the news that he had passed away (one of the) toughest days in my life. As a player, you have to put your trust in the organization and some organizations nowadays have so many different shareholders and board members and people that are making decisions by committee and all this crazy stuff. Thats why we got together so much. He loved being around the guys. The sports executive is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He really wanted to own the team.. Space-X continues to reach for the stars. 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. It became a happening. Everybody today should be thanking him. He put his imprint on the league fast, and then we win the championship too? He was raised by his mother, Jessie, who worked as a waitress. I had always wanted to know, How did you work the deal with Magic to sign him to a 25-year, 25-million-dollar contract? And he gave me how easy it was, how he took this and put it in an annuity somewhere else, and so on. We knew when we got on that plane and we were going to beat the Celtics in Game 6. "My dream really was to have the Lakers and Los Angeles identified as one and the same," Buss said in a 2010 interview with ESPNLosAngeles.com. I had to prove that I could play in the NBA. 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. Rattling off 10 championships before his passing in 2013. It was a really intimate moment. When he bought the team, there were literally two prices: the downstairs and the upstairs. He didnt want to go fast. We all understood that, we all knew that, we were all for it. It is believed to be correct at the time of inputting and is presented here in good faith. His daughter, Jeanie, took over the Lakers in March 2017. Fortunately, we put together a miraculous comeback. Afterwards, I had to go to the hospital for three days. It was a way to motivate us to be efficient. Reports suggest Prince Charles will live "in a flat above the shop" when he becomes king. We were big into collecting basketball cards growing up. If you got up five miles over the speed limit, hed say, What are you doing? He lived a true rags-to-riches story, as he learned the value of hard work at a young age. Thats the affirmation you really want. That was my reaction. 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. He was a great guy and someone who I really cared about a lot. So I want you to play confident. Then at times, if I was struggling a bit later in the season, wed do it again. So I played in San Antonio for about 4.5 months and had no idea the Lakers were interested in me. 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. It started with Dr. Buss, and we were all upset about 1984. He was always right. We won that as a group. There was something about both of us. degree in two and a half years in 1955. She is the one who took over the family business, and her children may do the same someday. He joined the Lakers in 1998 as an apprentice to General Manager Jerry West. We really hit it off. His first investment in the 1960s was $1,000 in a West Los Angeles apartment building. Then he started to go to Italy for a month. That iconic, focus-on-the-court lighting, started on Nov. 3, 1999. Dr. Buss was very thoughtful. [2] and Janie. He saved Ronnys life, and he didnt have to. And Kobe was going to be one of them, we thought. kids--Joey, now 14, and Jesse, 10--with one of his girlfriends, Karen Demel. We wanted it so bad. As a player, he helped lead the Lakers to three NBA championships in 1980, 1982, and 1985. 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. Theres always former Lakers around. Magic was perfect for that. What do you think. You have cap space and you go for big stars, but that was something my dad was going to outline the blueprint for. We had Reebok down our sides, on the dance top, on jackets and everything. He was a little bit more military stylistic of leadership than Jerry was. We had a bunch of guys who were great guys that all knew their roles, and they werent out seeking attention for themselves. He was supposed to come out to Orlando. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. When you hire someone and they meet your qualifications, let them do their job, and go from there. Jerry's 66 percent ownership of the team passed to each of his six children via a trust, equating to 11 percent per child. Buss purchased the team, reported to be worth around $1 billion, in 1979. So that was an awkward couple of days. And he said, I have one suggestion for you, Tim: Its really bright in here. I said, It is. 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. In 1989, he gave me a five-year contract, and they hadnt even hired the head coach yet. Its about bringing out the best from that person. I couldnt believe it. I gave him Jerrys number. That was so special. I just wanted some of that Salisbury steak and a good meal. He really maximized his time and was very efficient with his time, and he knew later on that he didnt have much time left. Its the first thing you do now when youre going to build a building. "When you think New York, you think Yankees. 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. The Sparks also experienced their share of success, winning two WNBA championships with such players as Lisa Leslie, Tamecka Dixon and DeLisha Milton-Jones. US based Meghan and Harry.. FameChain has their amazing trees. 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. It was incredible. We shared a hobby as coin collectors, and Dr. Buss owned some really important coins, and I was aware of that. 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. Magic being Mr. Inquisitive, he wanted to know about the business aspect of basketball and life in general. If it wasnt for Dr. Buss, thered be no Jerry Jones. won 3-0 against Denver, 4-1 against Golden State and 4-0 against Seattle. It was a long time before the other franchises got wise like that. He always was that kind of an owner. Jessie Buss Cause Of Death? He says hes tried to apologize. So in 1987, we win the championship, and I win Defensive Player of the Year. Johnny never fully dove into his familys sports holdings, but he stuck around while his father lived. It really became overwhelming to see just how much he put into seeing every single little detail of that trade. 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. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. It was one of my finest moments. Born in Santa Monica, California, [1] Buss was the third of four children to Joann and Jerry Buss, and one of two daughters; she grew up with older brothers Johnny and Jim and younger sister Janie. So he created the Senate seats program sort of the precursor to the club suites program. In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established to St. John Lutheran Church and Cottonwood Hospice both in Beatrice and Gold Crest Center in Adams. He said, I want you to take me to dinner at this real fancy restaurant with some friends. I said, I cant afford that! Nights after the game, hed tease me, because wed go to have dinner at Dan Tanas or somewhere like that, and Id say, I have to go home, we have practice in the morning. And hed say, Thats why I love you. It didnt have naming rights like Staples Center. And while his relationship with his siblings is strained, he shares with them a reverence for their father. And I walked right by him. The stake could legally be sold off entirely, but given the familys devotion to the team, the Lakers are sure to stay with them. And then when I came down to Miami, it was a whole new world for me down here. I was there with my wife; wed just gotten married the year before. He just wanted to assure me that his promises never changed about winning championships, and being patient in the process, waiting for the right piece to come along. 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