(Eventually) I became his eyes and ears about college players. The Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal tandem brought three more titles in the early 2000s. We just started talking about the crazy journey that weve been on. 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. The first time I met him was when we were in training camp in Hawaii, when he came into the gym in his jeans and his Hawaiian shirt, just watching practice. He realized there was an opportunity there, that perhaps if he could meet with him, he could convince Jack Kent Cooke to sell him the team. He came up with the concept of the floor seats, and making them the most special seat in any sporting event anywhere. I think the operative words from Dr. Buss message to Kobe were, Trust me Ive done things in my life, where when I say Im going to work this thing out, trust me, were going to work this thing out. I never envisioned that his trust me would end up with the kind of deal that he pulled off getting Pau. There was nothing too distract them, the players, and the family, because it really was all about the Lakers, all about preparing for the games, all about having fun in the games, Showtime, all about having fun in Los Angeles, all about having fun as families. After all the experiences Ive had in pro sports, Ive never had a better owner. 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. In exchange, Cooke received a lease to the Chrysler Building in New York City, along with properties in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maryland. It was Jerry West and Jerry Buss who opened the door for me, especially Dr. Buss, because I think Dr. Buss at that time, from what Ive heard, and if you go back and ever look at that press conference from when there was a coaching change, he saved my basketball life, or re-directed it in a way that I never realized that I was going to be where I am today. It was nice working for him. He created new revenue streams; thats why everybody has a club now. 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. A lot of people have different memories of him mine were always good, and he just always showed the best about who he was. He leaves behind six children, eight grandchildren, a former wife, two half-siblings and a step-brother. It was too good to be true. We reached our natural peak as a team in 87, 88 and 89. HRH King Charles III. I remember his comments in the locker room, you can look it up, about removing a certain sentence in the English language. The bigger, the bolder, the better. Im sure he had a lot of good conversations with Kobe at that time that helped him get his feet on the ground. We all love this sport, basketball, but there are other things to enjoy in life as well, and he certainly enjoyed them all. But once we acquired Shaq and Kobe, we started beating them more often than they were beating us. Very unique to have an owner who took a player under his wing and was really teaching him stuff outside of basketball to help him when the game was over. *It was a Mercedes Benz 420 in teal, a color that nobody else had. It was in that year when Jerry was able to pull off the most complicated and lucrative transaction in sports history - buying the Lakers. 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 . I played two years for Mr. Cooke, so I could really see the difference (right away). *In the 2004 Finals, Detroit beat L.A. 4-1. There was a clause in the contract where the doctor had to give the green light because of my back, to have a contract valid, and Dr. Buss didnt even wait for the doctors. MORE:How to watch Lakers documentary on Hulu. We werent getting better to the point that I needed our team to be. He was 80 years old. It was really important when I gave that speech not just to honor his memory and his legacy, but to also make sure we honor him in a way that we carry his legacy moving forward. We used to meet almost every month at his house and have lunch, and the lunch was always the same. Ultimately we came back and made another offer and Lamar took it. Thats pretty good. He would surprise you. All the big decisions had always been at Jerry Buss's feet and therefore the family were trying to determine who would now be the shot caller. 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. It all started to gel at that point. The first time I met him was in 1987 after I was hired, and Dr. Buss said, You come with a good recommendation Chickie Baby has recommended you highly. 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. Ill never forget Jerry Buss. I dont remember hearing of him really intervening and drawing a line in the sand for those two. He wasnt born in Los Angeles, but it was his home, and he loved it here. His vision inspired us and gave us the OK to be, sometimes, and thats pretty cool. Elon Musk. He had a huge, beautiful office with all kinds of knick knacks and stuff like that. When Jerry Buss purchased the LA Lakers from former owner Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, he was divorced from his first wife, JoAnn Mueller. However, Johnny stated that he did not wish to be a part of the family business. Some might wonder if his death will bring radical changes to the ownership of the team, but according to his family, thats not very likely. Eventually, all three teams moved into a more modern arena in downtown Los Angeles, the Staples Center, which opened in 1999. His daughter, Jeanie, took over the Lakers in March 2017. It was an important economic trend, another thing that he identified, and brought the NBA into more prominence. All the while, he inspired fondness and loyalty amongst his family, players, employees and fans. But I do remember saying I dont know who management is.. He was the first one who recommended Angels and Demons, before it became a really big hit. Dr. Buss responded by sending Kobe a telegram from Italy. I remember watching those games with my dad. He had a remarkable vision about how he wanted to see this team play. Its one thing from your colleagues, its another when its your boss. He loved to jump on it. Were just talking basketball for hours, until 2 a.m., and Im telling him about how I love being a talent evaluator. The Western playoffs were predictable, and we won pretty easily*. Jim played an important role in the teams scouting decisions and worked his way up the sports teams hierarchy. And they said, Now the Dallas Mavericks come up. They said, Word is that the Lakers may trade James Worthy to Dallas for Roy Tarpley, a couple other players and a draft pick. Now, after we won the title that first year in 1999-2000, Id go back to Dr. Buss to ask for approval of updated price codes, and Id have a document that compared last years price codes to what I was suggesting for the 2000-01 season. He said, Johnny just sit here because I think were about to embark on something incredible, recalls Johnny, now 60. Because when the Lakers were playing, the men got the stage and the platform. Thats all I heard. why was waylon jennings buried in mesa az; chop pediatric residency We had some pretty decent teams at the time, I just didnt think we were ready to take that next level. Image. So Im sitting there waiting, and at 10:30 a.m., I go in. Read more. Ultimately, one way or another, all four of Jerry Buss sons ended up being associated with the LA Lakers. When we won Game 4 in the Garden, that was the big difference. All these companies want to do business with the Lakers? He was a master at dealing with people, a genius businessman, and really just as good with people as he was with business. Episode 1 of the docuseries will cover Buss' deal to buy the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke. I had been a coach for three years, and I told him no, this is not something I should do. And the level of intensity at practice rose instantly with his appearance in the gym. The Lakers are on fire. I thought he was really sincere about the things that he always said, so thats what I appreciated the most about him. He was always like that. I understood him, because he was a man that loved to have fun, but he was also very competitive at everything. We were so confident. What do you think. It wasnt even close. He did not make demands. As a child, Buss spent time in Los Angeles and Kemmerer, Wyo. 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. Never talked down to people. He had his jeans on with his sports coat, big smile on his face, open collared shirt. We took a little bit longer to know each other, but he was great for me and for my family. He lived a true rags-to-riches story, as he learned the value of hard work at a young age. You wanted to give him a little extra. But we were able to do it together. And I did very well investing in the coins. HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" introduced younger viewers to Dr. Jerry Buss, whom Kobe Bryant once called "the greatest owner in sports, ever." Charlie is 5 years old and Chayton is 6, so that idea was as much wishful thinking as a sincere request. In 1978, they moved to the Forum from the Sports Arena, and my dad was a big sports fan, so hed go to Laker games. Think about somebody calling you to say goodbye, and we both cried for I dont know how many hours. Hed always end the discussion with something like, Mitch, thats my opinion but youre the expert and Ill trust your judgment. Now, the one thing that was unique about him, if it ever involved numbers, I never saw him ever write anything down or calculate anything in shorthand or with a calculator or anything like that. And he had his hands on everything. He went from playing, to (working with) Chick, to assistant coach to a head coach in what, two and a half years? He was a first-time owner. I remember being in the Finals against Philadelphia, and we were at the hotel bar of the team hotel. Here are the tributes to Betty Jean Buss. After separation from Mueller, Buss dated Karen Demel and had two children: Joey Buss (born in 1985) and Jesse Buss (born in 1988). I remember once getting a math, or maybe I should call it a business lesson. There was no social media, nothing to really distract you. Really low key and very friendly. The Buss family praised Dr. Buss for his "amazing strength and will to live" during an 18-month long battle with cancer and vowed to carry on his "unparalleled legacy" at the helm of the LA Lakers. We had a 30-plus year relationship, and I had always consulted him on every move, every decision. We made it a mission to play them again in 1985, to prove to ourselves and the world that we could beat them. Hes probably one of the best owners in the history of the NBA. Shaq, myself, the whole team, we didnt know. During those years, we would always go to Hawaii for training camp, and Dr. Buss would really enjoy when wed have a team dinner at the beginning of camp at Kobes Japanese Steak House. We had finished the parade, and Gary Vitti and the organization made the decision I needed surgery. It means more, and it means more because of this one man, and everything that came from it. New Jersey was going to draft him at seven, which they did not. After being hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with an undisclosed form of cancer, he died of kidney failure at 5:55 a.m. on February 18, 2013, aged 80. Coach him! You saw his mannerisms go with every little gyration that was going on. and Ph.D. in physical chemistry by age 24. We had gone through the playoffs only losing one game, against Philly. Magics family is like this, and here we are winning all these games. Shes trying to do the same thing her dad did, so thats great. Theyll like that! Bit by bit, hed put his personal love in every selection and make sure that at least during the Holidays, all the people that meant something to him got something meaningful. Obviously, Kobe was able to do that with the help of the franchise. Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. And then youve got this team thats running. Finally, during the draft, Charlotte took him, and we were able to acquire Kobes rights. He wanted to make sure that the Lakers, what hed created with the winning, and what they meant to the community, would continue. Have you ever seen anybody win the lottery? Thats when I got to meet Magics family. All of these great people spoke about him. The trust stipulates that the ownership, now held by his ex-wife and six children, cannot be divided and sold off in pieces. , its another when its your boss end the discussion with something like, Mitch, thats my but! 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