It came down to Game 7 at Staples Center, and halfway through the game I felt very defeated. And I walked right by him. That was it. One of the things he said is the most important thing about business is just having patience. Finding great success in the real estate business, he pursued real estate investing full time. He talked to the janitors, the people that cleaned Staples Center. We just started talking about the crazy journey that weve been on. Coach him. He wanted to win every single year, but he also knew that was impossible. Today, you cant. He would empower the people that worked for him, and hed be a problem solver. And that resonated all the way back to Los Angeles. On February 14, 2013, it was revealed that Jerry had been battling cancer since the year before and four days later, he passed away at age 80. Jerry Buss had an on-off relationship with. I always (respected) how Dr. Buss interacted with people around the stadium. I think he knew, with me being 20 and alone all the way from Michigan, he became a father figure to me. He ran an indoor soccer team, the Lazers. 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.) He taught me everything. So, it was interesting timing how we both ran into each other in Barcelona during a family trip from him, and he came to the gym I used to work out at in a hotel in Barcelona. We were down, and it was that same old thing. He showed that you dont really have to lock yourself down in one area as a person. But now I realize, you actually really know your (stuff)! Then he started asking for my opinion on things. After a brief stint in the aerospace industry, Buss began working as a professor at the University of Southern California in the Chemistry department. Later, when the WNBA was formed, Buss took charge of operating that league's Los Angeles franchise, the Los Angeles Sparks. You have a right to express yourself. He took a drag of his cigarette, and he said, But when you say management thats me. And he didnt say anything after that. He had thought about it. We talked for about an hour and a half, two hours, and I decided to believe in him, and he believed in me. And that was pretty special to hear. Am I being traded? He says, Were not trading you, what are you talking about? So we start chitchatting, and talking about other things, and finally he says, Coop you know what, I got some other meetings I have to have, but I just want to let you know theres something for you at the tunnel. So I go, OK, this is it. I figured Jerry (West) or whoever the other team was at the tunnel at the Forum. He wanted it to be entertainment mixed in with a great team, and he was fortunate enough that he had a great team. But I do remember saying I dont know who management is.. He just shook the trophy in that tiny little locker room in Boston. I remember the first game that we played in Michigan*, at the Silver Dome, and it was a home game for us. 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 not going to be a 7th game. Source: Los Angeles Times, Lakers expected to remain a Buss family-owned team, Mike Bresnahan, Feb. 19, 2013. 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). Ultimately, one way or another, all four of Jerry Buss sons ended up being associated with the LA Lakers. After we won our first championship in 1980, we hugged, and said, Can you believe this? Thats something I still talk about and brag about to my sons. Let the women be the show, get the attention. Some people said, How dare you, you cant make it commercial. But yes. From online or printed sources and from publicly accessible databases. My first initial meeting I was kind of thrown back, because he didnt seem like an owner. 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. I was with Jerry West, (a.k.a.) Gerald Hatten "Jerry" Buss (January 27, 1933 - February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, real estate investor and chemist. And then we went and celebrated together again. I thought we were at our very, very best even though we got beat by the Pistons on that 3-peat effort, we were undefeated going into the Finals until Magic and Byron got hurt. He had two more children with his girlfriend, Karen Demel: Joey and Jesse. After hearing that from him, I decided to just trust him, and just stayed the course. He was just one of those type of guys. 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 seems like thatd be something that would be below his pay grade, but it wasnt. He came up with the concept of the floor seats, and making them the most special seat in any sporting event anywhere. As the owner of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1979 until he passed away in 2013, Dr. Jerry Buss oversaw one of the greatest stretches in sports and entertainment history. 12/22/2014 5:31 PM PT. *L.A. won 3-0 against Denver, 4-1 against Golden State and 4-0 against Seattle. He sold the team in 2006. I hope he was looking down happy, and we hoped that the Buss family was happy with everything. 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. 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. Even today, when they talk on ESPN, Greatest Owners in Sport History come on man, thats crazy! What do you think. When they were taking a break, let the women have center stage. It was really a great celebration of life for him, and I was so proud of that. I just wanted some of that Salisbury steak and a good meal. When we made the decision to move to Staples Center, we had to price the building. Make sure relatives of Betty Jean Buss know they have sympathy messages here. He then reached a major advertising agreement with Great Western Bank for the naming rights to The Forum, resulting in the official name of the building being changed to the Great Western Forum. The Forum Club theres never been a hotter night club within a building. I remember when he explained it to me we all knew Wrigley Field, where the Cubs played. Charlie is 5 years old and Chayton is 6, so that idea was as much wishful thinking as a sincere request. Daniel's 5th outing as Bond gets bums back on seats in the cinema. You wanted to give him a little extra. Very casual. He originally went into real estate investing in order to provide an income so he could continue teaching. On May 29, 2007, Buss was issued a citation for driving under the influence after two California Highway Patrol officers saw him driving his gold Mercedes-Benz on the wrong side of the road in the coastal community of Carlsbad in northern San Diego County, with a 23-year-old woman passenger. 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. When we won Game 4 in the Garden, that was the big difference. So Im sitting there waiting, and at 10:30 a.m., I go in. Kurt Rambis doing his usual mischief, (having fun) with Dr. Buss. But inside it was the 4th of July, with fireworks. Coach him! My dad could see talent, and he knew how to approach and get the best out of each person. He didnt walk around with a big hammer. My last year when I retired (2004-05), I remember being a free agent, and one call from him made my decision easier when he told me, You started with the Lakers, you have to retire with the Lakers. That was my decision, trusting that guy, and man, it was a pleasure to play with him. So I had the surgery, and one of the first phone calls I got when I got home was from Dr. Buss, just calling to check in on me. It was a remarkable experience that Ill remember forever. What impressed me most about him was he would speak to the parking attendant, the staff, anybody he just liked people, and you felt that about him. I dont know who spoke first about it, but the discussion of Lamar came up and as hard as it was to work our way through that negotiation, at that moment, it was the greatest feeling in the world to have been able to have done that. But it appears as though Johnny began a career in sports management in 1975 and later became the Executive Vice President of Strategic Development of the Los Angeles Lakers for several years. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Just go out there and play. One of his favorite comments always used to be, Aint nothin like winning! So thats one of my vivid memories. Dr. Buss said how proud he was of us to be there in the Finals, and it was just a nice moment. It was in that year when Jerry was able to pull off the most complicated and lucrative transaction in sports history - buying the Lakers. One time, we shook everybody up. That was wonderful, to get my game back in gear for the next five games (after the Memorial Day Massacre). Throughout my tenure away from the team, Id send him a note every time they won a championship. But Wrigley was also the name of the family who owned the team, and also the name of their chewing gum, Wrigleys Spearmint Gum. And Id just played in a rec league game maybe a week prior. The Buss siblings have occasionally butted heads in the past, such as with the hiring of coach Mike DAntoni over Phil Jackson, the fiance of one of the Buss children. Dr. Buss responded by sending Kobe a telegram from Italy. He said, I think the desire to be an owner left when my dad passed away. He was once an heir to his father Jerry Busss kingdom, but insists the sports world never quite interested him. And I was really just flabbergasted. He used to always say, Now Bill, you go ahead and tell me what you think, and then you listen to what I have to say. I think Dr. Buss always had a plan in life. Because the Lakers threw everything into the pot, anticipating and hoping to be able to acquire Shaq. Read More: Where is Jerry Buss Daughter Jeanie Buss Now? He would do math tricks when we were going places all the time. He left the organization in good hands Jeanie is a great owner, too. In 1978, at age 33, he became owner of the team following his father's death. 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. Everybody that we asked to participate agreed to be interviewed, and everybody gives the experience that they had because the fans know about what took place on the court, Jeanie said to The Athletic. 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