Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss died this morning of
kidney failure. He had been battling cancer for the past year. He was 80 years old.
Buss is one of a handful of executives, along with NBA Commissioner
David stern, Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and select few others, who
lifted the NBA from being a fringe sport struggling for exposure to a world renowned
outlet of sports entertainment and marketing personalities. Dr. Buss purchased
the Lakers in 1979. While showcasing Hall of Fame players like Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul
Jabbar, and James Worthy and winning ten NBA championships as the Lakers’ owner,
Buss’ greatest overall contribution was merging NBA basketball and show business.
Buss’ Lakers will forever be associated with the “Showtime”
atmosphere that emerged at Lakers games in the 1980s. Lakers games became an
A-list event for A-list people to see and be seen. From the players to the
cheerleaders, to Jack Nicholson’s ubiquitous appearance courtside leading the
host of celebrities that could be seen at Lakers games, Buss established the
Lakers as one of the NBA’s two premier franchises. The rivalry that the Lakers
battled out with the other premier franchise, the Boston Celtics, three times in the 1984, 1985, and 1987 NBA
Finals played a major role in making the NBA a water cooler topic all across
America.
Buss’ front office leadership continued into the 21st
century. The Lakers won five more World Championships after Y2K (2000, 2001,
2002, 2009, 2010) under Coach Phil Jackson with future Hall of Fame guard Kobe
Bryant. Buss’ shrewd decision making, such as the trades that brought future
Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal and Bryant to L.A. in 1996 and, later, the
decision to trade Shaq from the Lakers kept the Lakers at the forefront of NBA
discussions as well as contention.
Buss is survived by six children, including Jim and Jeanie
Buss, who will run the Lakers’ day-to-day operations.
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| 1933-2013 |
Image from www.heavy.com
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