Then he started to go to Italy for a month. His father, Lydus, left the family when Jerry was an infant. Thats when I got to meet Magics family. Hey Pat, come on down and lets have a talk. The next thing I know, theres a number in front of me with more money than I could ever dream of making in my life. I had someone in my mind, me coming from the South, who was going to be really distinguished and have a suit on, and youd be able to know who the owner was right away as soon as you seen him. I was thankful he gave me an opportunity to get involved, and more importantly, get involved with someone like him where I learned a lot. And then 25 years later, to be able to celebrate at a different stage in my life with him again (2010). 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. He loved plays, and he wanted the focus to be on the athletes and the court. Rookie owner, rookie player and we did it. 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. And that resonated all the way back to Los Angeles. I love him, and his family, and I thank him to this day for the opportunity. Finding great success in the real estate business, he pursued real estate investing full time. But I have to do it.. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Powered by Standing Stone Designs | Jeanie Buss, the teams governor and controlling owner has made clear the Lakers are not for sale. I think when you have success, its just different. And he would tweak a price code by $1.25, or $0.75, and in my mind I know hes going to want to know the gross potential, so Im getting out my calculator, but before I input the numbers, hes already telling me what the gross potential is. In the 1990s, basketball was a little different, and it took a team to win the title; it wasnt put the best players on the court, it was all about teamwork and chemistry, and we were building towards that. I thought their relationship was great. Under the ownership of the Buss family, the franchise won 10 championships with Jerry leading the pack and one with his daughter, Jeanie Buss. Dr. Buss shared it with us in great style. And then we went and celebrated together again. Its more than just going out there and playing. He was thinking of Kobe. At the very end, wed get to business, and he always had an opinion. Dr. Buss created that. That's why, when I created this new uniform, I wanted people to see that. That was it. It was a ritual. 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 was a mentor to me in a lot of ways. It wouldnt just be me reaching out. So I played in San Antonio for about 4.5 months and had no idea the Lakers were interested in me. Dr. Jerry Buss's professional success and his reputation as a playboy have been well documented over the years, yet little is known about the Buss family. Mr. He taught us that we should do our best to be happy, and do things that make us happy; whether or not that was basketball was up to us. Then Id add it all up and give a gross potential. It was an extension of the brand, a way to reach Los Angeles. The . The Lakers were very successful under Buss' ownership, winning ten NBA championships with such players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. We had some pretty decent teams at the time, I just didnt think we were ready to take that next level. He was just really conscious of people around him and respected people that worked for him. He has put the Lakers right up there with the New York Yankees as the top brands in sports. I was a rookie. I said, Were trying to repeat, and I know you love winning championships, and a key piece of that is Lamar Odom. Dr. Buss told me how (Stone) came up with the title. I dont know if its Jerry West, or if its Magic, I dont know whats going on. I just couldnt believe it. And especially on airplanes, hed always ask me what I was reading, because he was an avid reader. Im sitting there wondering what the hell is going on. So he created the Senate seats program sort of the precursor to the club suites program. In the late 1980s, we were living in Encinitas, California, and my father was home with a family friend, and they needed to go watch the Lakers game against Boston, so they locked themselves up in his bedroom. And I did very well investing in the coins. He has been able to do so because he is one of the shrewdest businessmen you will ever meet. We just clicked. He not only was an avid reader, he knew some of the great authors, as well. In exchange, Cooke received a lease to the Chrysler Building in New York City, along with properties in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maryland. In any industry, when your boss says youre doing a good job, thats what you want to hear. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Afterwards, I had to go to the hospital for three days. Read more. He was the mastermind. It was like watching a 17-year-old guy just batter a 30-something year old guy, and youd expect itd be a lot more balanced than that. We were the only team to win a world championship in Boston Garden other than the Celtics. 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. I connected with him more through others, some of the people that were tight with him, who would always tell me that Dr. Jim played an important role in the teams scouting decisions and worked his way up the sports teams hierarchy. I was also in a position where I felt like I needed to move on and change scenery in a different situation because Memphis was going through a very tough, tough stretch with (former Grizzlies owner Michael) Heisley trying to sell the team, and constant rebuilding. With me, he was always classy. Shaquille and I started to talk over the phone, and we sorta became friends. All these companies want to do business with the Lakers? And guess what, a few months later, it ended up happening, and our paths crossed and we had an incredible run and were able to win championships. And he said, I have one suggestion for you, Tim: Its really bright in here. I said, It is. Dr. Buss was one of those guys. She is the one who took over the family business, and her children may do the same someday. And then when I came down to Miami, it was a whole new world for me down here. At the time, we were marveling at how much a Michael Jordan rookie card was in the early 1990s. Dont worry about it, kid. He would talk about how he could go anywhere in the city and people loved the Lakers. Im not going to tell them what trade to make. It was probably the only time I felt really stressed with the Lakers. 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. It was weird timing, because Kobe was during that time also unhappy and there were stories of him potentially getting traded, or being able to move on from L.A., and then looking for a different situation. So he asked me and Pat if wed be co-coaches, and I said Id consider it for a month. 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. 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! But Wrigley was also the name of the family who owned the team, and also the name of their chewing gum, Wrigleys Spearmint Gum. Then in his third season owning the team, they ended up calling them the Laker Girls, and established a dance team. In 1979 Jerry purchased Pickfair Mansion in Beverly Hills from the estate of Mary Pickford. James Jim Hatten Buss was born on November 9, 1959, and is the second eldest son of Jerry Buss. So I got back to L.A., and Dr. Buss called me in his office, and hes like, look, This is a business, this is the way it goes, we dont have to tell you. I said, I at least expect a phone call. He said I understand youre upset, it was taken out of context. Of course, I had to go talk to Magic too, and Magic said Theyd have to give up a lot more to get James Worthy. You know how that goes. He liked to challenge us. And when (my wife) Chris and I would have dinner with Dr. Buss, he was very gracious with Chris. My dream was to be a businessman after I was done. It was a nice event, because hed ask every player and every coach to say a few words, and it was a nice atmosphere. Have you ever seen anybody win the lottery? I walked in and (Dr. Buss) called me over to his table and I sat next to him. 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. Magics mom was a Seventh Day Adventist, and they have similar dietary restrictions as Muslims, and she was aware of my faith, so she would cook for me and take care of me when I was on the road and wed cut through and play in Detroit. 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. One story showed how appreciative he was for the work that he did, and for playing hard for the city of Los Angeles. The money that everybody is making today he was the first one that saw outside that box, and he really moved the NBA to a whole other level by his out of the box thinking. I dont think theres any thrill in it. I was working with Chick Hearn in the broadcast booth, but I remember meeting him at the Forum and had a very, very light discussion about the real estate business, and then I realized I was renting one of his apartments in Santa Monica, he and Frank Mariani. But how can I contribute? We talked for about an hour and a half, two hours, and I decided to believe in him, and he believed in me. 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. I even wrote a paper when I was in seventh grade about how Kobe was going to be a future Hall of Fame player, and that the combination of Shaq and Kobe was going to be one of the best duos of all time. Between 2006 and 2011, Id see him when I was coaching, and wed reflect on memories. That was my reaction. Once you dealt with the media, you get on with your life. He talked to the janitors, the people that cleaned Staples Center. He wanted everybody to be together, and he was right in the middle of us. One time, we shook everybody up. And thats what Dr. Buss did. Having him around, you always felt support. Thats pretty good. Later, when the WNBA was formed, Buss took charge of operating that league's Los Angeles franchise, the Los Angeles Sparks. He made you feel appreciated, and part of the family. So Im sitting there waiting, and at 10:30 a.m., I go in. It became a happening. I think theres a lot of money in it. In 2013, after Jerry Buss passed away, all six Buss siblings were given an equal shareholding in the LA Lakers franchise. Johnny, Jim, Jeanie, and Janie with his wife JoAnn Mueller (divorced in 1972), and Joey and Jesse with his girlfriend Karen Demel. I need to say no more. I thought, this is the way it should be. So, we were preparing for the offseason in 1996 when we signed Shaq and traded for the rights to draft Kobe. 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. He asked a lot of questions about defense, how we were defending this or that. Jerry Buss has six children. He had to liquidate everything, practically, to get it. 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. 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. 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.) Jordan Greer is an NBA content producer for The Sporting News. We all love this sport, basketball, but there are other things to enjoy in life as well, and he certainly enjoyed them all. From his home in Northridge, Johnny Buss asked his young sons to give him a moment so he could make a phone call. He loved the players. Her father, Jerry Buss, had died in February 2013 at age 80, . Before he embraced the Playboy philosophy in the mid-1960s, he. 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. And quite frankly, I cant remember a time where he made a bad decision. And then at the end of that, they said someone talked to Magic (Johnson), and Magic approved the trade. 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. You werent just a spreadsheet to him. I think thats why people just adore him so. and Ph.D. in physical chemistry by age 24. His father, Lydus, left the family when Jerry was an infant. My relationship with him, I think, became so close as Id try to explain to him how important each position was and what you would expect from those different positions, and how theyd fit. The takeaway is that we all have to be good, well-rounded people. Johnny was previously married to Christy Curtis Buss and has at least two sons. Born on October 18, 1956, Johnny Hatten Buss is the eldest son of Jerry Buss. 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 went from playing, to (working with) Chick, to assistant coach to a head coach in what, two and a half years? 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. Johnny never fully dove into his familys sports holdings, but he stuck around while his father lived. And teams like the Spurs were getting guys late in the first round that were contributors. He currently resides in Los Angeles. Very casual. Click here to Start FameChaining. The Lakers are on fire. He revealed that he wasnt very interested in the familys sports ownership business, and his interest further diminished after his fathers death. After separation from Mueller, Buss dated Karen Demel and had two children: Joey Buss (born in 1985) and Jesse Buss (born in 1988). My dad only missed the playoffs twice in his entire 34-year tenure as an owner. When I took over, he and I chatted about getting the girls out in the community because the players werent always able to. It was incredible. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. 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). 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. He had his jeans on with his sports coat, big smile on his face, open collared shirt. So I became obsessed with it, and how that process worked. So he lined things up, and Id get samples, and wed talk it through, and hed say, Oh! Its not only a game, its entertainment. Pat Riley, myself, Dr. Buss and one of his friends. If we werent playing well, he would just show up at practice, unannounced, wouldnt say anything. The MISL (Major Indoor Soccer League), at the point where I was playing, was propping up soccer in America, and outdrawing NBA teams in certain markets. You saw his mannerisms go with every little gyration that was going on. After about 40 minutes, I said, Weve seen enough. But it was really through (his agent Arn Tellum) and the Bryant family, that (teams passed on him). Never talked down to people. There was no social media, nothing to really distract you. Buss purchased the team, reported to be worth around $1 billion, in 1979. 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. Most people at that level were pretty standoffish. Although not much is known about Buss partners, he was married from 1983 to 1985 and is a father. He had an appeal to the common man, and thats what I think when I look back at everything. I gave him Jerrys number. This franchise and that franchise, and we got em. He promoted concerts at the Forum. I didnt really have an agent at the time. But one things I remember that stood out to me, as nice as Dr. Buss was, he was really a good owner but he looked at me and said, Look, I understand youre upset. That was wonderful, to get my game back in gear for the next five games (after the Memorial Day Massacre). 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. Dr. Buss was there with us. We had Reebok down our sides, on the dance top, on jackets and everything. 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. If I just followed the blueprint he laid out for me, I was going to be successful, and I did. In total, Jerry forked over $135million for the whole deal. 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. So Jerry picked me up at the airport in his 944 Porsche. 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. Most owners are coming in, they have security, they go to their box, they get in and they get out. After a family feud, Jim resigned from the Buss Family Trusts and the Board of directors but is still seemingly a part-owner of the franchise. And I remember after Game 7 of the 2010 Finals against Boston, down on the court amongst all the fanfare, Dr. Buss and I huddled up a little bit and kind of smiled. It was really his love, his heart. 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. 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. Thats how he was. 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. 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