You could see it. Episode 1 of the docuseries will cover Buss' deal to buy the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke. Dr. Buss never sat and waited a month or two. 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. When Jerry Buss passed away in 2013, his 66% ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers passed to his six children, with each receiving 11%. and Ph.D. in physical chemistry by age 24. He knew the patterns of how often the boats and trains would come, and it was then a challenge to the whole family to make sure it happened and to execute on it properly. The purchase price, $67.5 million, made it the largest transaction in sports history at that time. 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. 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. That team experienced dynastic characteristics. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. If I just followed the blueprint he laid out for me, I was going to be successful, and I did. He was a very well-rounded person. In 1996-97, after I came back to the Lakers for Kobes rookie year, we didnt see Dr. Buss quite as much. From then on, I was at his house every weekend during the season, it seemed like. Before he embraced the Playboy philosophy in the mid-1960s, he. 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. In January 2008, Buss donated $7.5 million to USC's Department of Chemistry to fund two endowed chairs and an endowed scholarship fund for chemistry graduate students; the two chairs were to be named after his mentors at USC, professors Sidney Benson and David Dows. In exchange, Cooke received a lease to the Chrysler Building in New York City, along with properties in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maryland. Later, when the WNBA was formed, Buss took charge of operating that league's Los Angeles franchise, the Los Angeles Sparks. All relationship and family history information shown on FameChain has been compiled from data in the public domain. He was a first-time owner. He talked about having two sons with this franchise, being Magic and myself. We all held the trophy together. Me coming from a DIII school, Im one of the youngest, unknown guys, lowest on the totem pole. He was a very special man to me. Im sitting there wondering what the hell is going on. 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. The NBA lost a great man. Later on, Dancing Barry. He was doing it because it was truly his passion. He was one of a kind, man. He was a wheeler and dealer. Youre going too fast. 3 reviews. It was a conversation that only he and I knew about. But he wouldnt want us to watch as fans, hed be asking what we thought about specific players, how we thought certain free agents might fit on the team. 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. We wouldnt have to spend the midlevel exception; we could try to find midlevel value guys for a fraction of the price. He did everything in his head. Jerry (West) was so happy. So Im sitting there waiting, and at 10:30 a.m., I go in. (818) 892-7093 / 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. My contract is up, wed just beaten the Celtics in Boston, everybody was happy. 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 joined the Lakers in 1998 as an apprentice to General Manager Jerry West. It wasnt owner-player, it was two guys hanging out. If you knew me you would understand Im not about money at all. On the other hand, Jesse Buss is the Assistant General Manager of the LA Lakers. Never raised his voice, and that inspired people. He had this amazing feel for price sensitivity and value. *In the 2004 Finals, Detroit beat L.A. 4-1. I remember watching those games with my dad. He had something written on it, but it was turned over. We just stayed the course. When he bought the team, it was more like a dream come true he told me he always wanted to own the Lakers. He didnt know what the future held, I didnt know what the future held. He is the greatest team owner ever. In 1985, before we left (L.A. after Game 5), I told the dudes only take one set of clothes. To speak about what Dr. Buss meant to the Lakers and to basketball, to the NBA, period. In total, Jerry forked over $135million for the whole deal. I dont remember a whole lot about the podium when Dr. Buss accepted the championship, but I do remember that Kareem stuck a towel in Pat Rileys mouth so he wouldnt say wed win it again next year. 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. It was an important economic trend, another thing that he identified, and brought the NBA into more prominence. And of course I went to greet at him and sat at his table until his guests got there. And we all took one set. It began when Dr. Buss purchased his dream. This franchise and that franchise, and we got em. The Buss family owns . Many of those people offered their favorite stories about what made Dr. Buss who he was in advance of Dr. Buss night on Feb. 10, 2020. At the end of the day, it was almost like a perfect puzzle. 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. The NBA wasnt like what it is today at that time. Never talked down to people. Dr. Buss was the first celebrity owner in all of sports. Hes already done the math in his head. We had a genuine relationship and respect for one another, because I was there with him at the time he bought his dream, and it was mine too. 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. He lost some weight worrying about whether he was going to be able to convince the big fella to come West. My dad was working with Jerry West, trying to build this team that was a playoff team, but not a contender. When we made the decision to move to Staples Center, we had to price the building. 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.) Charlie is 5 years old and Chayton is 6, so that idea was as much wishful thinking as a sincere request. Previously, she spent six years covering football, first for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla., then the Houston Chronicle and ESPN. Mr. It was a whirlwind (amidst the sadness), and all of a sudden here we are at the Nokia Theatre, with check in, banners outside where people could write messages, former Lakers and NBA players a beautiful stage and so on. We talked about his vision, and all types of things. That was a big thing for both of us. And thats how I recollect my relationship with him. Elon Musk. I cant do that! He said, Well thats what I had in mind. I said, I cant pick up the tab for a whole group of people! And that was the end of our betting routine. After we won our first championship in 1980, we hugged, and said, Can you believe this? It wasnt that I was around Dr. Buss that much that I had to rely on him for something, but when you were around him damn he made you feel good. In the mid to late 1970s, Dr. Buss owned the Los Angeles Strings of World Team Tennis. So before I leave, he gives me an envelope, and he says, Give this to the person thats down there. So I go down there and give it to them, and there are six cars lined up there. That was the plan that I understood.. As business people, our job is to drive a profit, but you do that also by taking care of your customers. And in hindsight, we can see the result. He was a master at dealing with people, a genius businessman, and really just as good with people as he was with business. Or hed ask us about contracts, and certain trade scenarios. He noticed for a few years that the owner, Jack Kent Cooke, was not attending Laker games. Buss turned Lakers games into experiences. He was very, very friendly, and the door was always open. I think that was the only ring that he wore, when we beat Boston the first time. It is believed to be correct at the time of inputting and is presented here in good faith. Working with front-office executives West, Bill Sharman and Mitch Kupchak, Buss spent lavishly to win his titles, often running the NBA's highest payroll while also paying . He had thought about it. He said, I think the desire to be an owner left when my dad passed away. 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. The Lakers had literally won the championship a few minutes earlier, but my dad couldnt stop raving that I had 25 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks in my AAU game. Ten championships? 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. 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. It was one of my finest moments. For him to give me that 1-on-1, personal treatment considering where I stood on the team that was treatment I thought hed give Kobe or Shaq. We had finished the parade, and Gary Vitti and the organization made the decision I needed surgery. He would listen to things. Luckily that first year the players, in spite of my lack of experience, we won the championship and the rest is history. Thats how I try to live. He was a brilliant, incredible owner, but he was even a better person with a great heart. What people dont realize is that Phil (Jackson) and them called me when we were about to lose Lamar Odom, and said, youre the only one (Dr. Buss) will listen to. There wasnt a lot of sour grapes between players and Dr. Buss. There was purity to that. Obviously he went to USC, and he loved the band. with JoAnn Buss Janie Buss born 1963, age 59 (approx.) 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. You wanted to give him a little extra. 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. He really wanted to own the team.. 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 talked about beating the Celtics. The latest installment of BEYOND THE GLORY goes beyond the glitz and glamour of the Lakers' owner and takes an in-depth look at the personal lives and struggles of one of sports' most well . The love of his life was the Lakers and his kids. Should you have information that conflicts with anything shown please make us aware by email. Let the women be the show, get the attention. It was a ritual. with JoAnn Buss Jim Buss born 1959, age 63 (approx.) And how he conducted business, it was always, hey, Im holding all the cards. He was always like that. He just shook the trophy in that tiny little locker room in Boston. Our 1987 team was just loaded, so we expected to win every game in the playoffs. When he bought the Forum, it was called the Forum. Shes trying to do the same thing her dad did, so thats great. Then due to (certain circumstances), Jerry wanted us to be co-coaches. He always treated me very well. But I remember after 1985 when I was negotiating my contract. Whatever Lamar got paid was worth it. Explore how the celebrity world connects. EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Jerry Buss' children intend on carrying out their father's succession plan for the Los Angeles Lakers following the iconic owner's death Monday. 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