RIP Jerry Buss

My condolences to his family and to Laker Nation. He was a self-made man, bazillionaire and successful at everything he put his prodigious mind to, including winning NBA Championships.

Sorry, TJ.


bob


.

I know he made Lakers fans as happy as he made me unhappy so many times. He clearly "got" pro basketball executive life. He had the knack of pulling off what seemed to be highway robbery but, in actuality, was perfectly legal and absolutely brilliant. He'd definitely have to go down as one of my scariest opponents ever.

Rest in Peace, Jerry.

Sam

bobheckler wrote:My condolences to his family and to Laker Nation. He was a self-made man, bazillionaire and successful at everything he put his prodigious mind to, including winning NBA Championships.

Sorry, TJ.


bob


.

Thanks Bob.
I just started reading Jeanie Buss' book titled Laker Girl.
The first couple of chapters are mostly about her father and what he went through as a young child and as a high school student.
When Jerry was 9 he would have to wake up before school often in freezing or below zero temperatures in Wyoming to help his step-father dig ditches for his plumbing business. By the time he was 13 he was working as a bell-hop at a hotel and had a stamp collecting/selling business. He quit HS to work on the railroad in a very labor intensive job. He was a remarkable man who had nothing given to him but worked hard and took chances to give himself and his family a better life.

I get the impression that Dr. Buss is very well respected throughout the NBA.
He will be missed.

tjmakz

Because of Jerry Buss Tj, You and Laker fans will always have a treasure chest full of great memories to reflect on. Laker fans--Celtic fans. We sure have been fortunate to have been guided by the best.

Swish

Pretty hard for Jerry Buss to screw up the Lakers becoming successful when:

1) Every super star player wanted to play in Tinsel Town when they became free agents. Does Shaq ring a bell? Tough not to have a winning record given those up front spots.
2) Huge market both in population and media that can command top dollars.
3) The Lakers were the first basketball team to reach the Southern California with an existing track record garnered from Minny.

112288

112288 wrote:Pretty hard for Jerry Buss to screw up the Lakers becoming successful when:

1) Every super star player wanted to play in Tinsel Town when they became free agents. Does Shaq ring a bell? Tough not to have a winning record given those up front spots.
2) Huge market both in population and media that can command top dollars.
3) The Lakers were the first basketball team to reach the Southern California with an existing track record garnered from Minny.

112288

Other than Shaq what free agents have the Lakers signed over the last 30 years?
What up front spots are you referring to?
The Lakers have had the inability to sign free agents because of salary cap restrictions and have missed out on all good young players in the draft because of their continued success in the regular season almost every year.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, wanted out of Milwaukee, and the Lakers acquired him in a trade.

Peter Vecsey - New York Post - Thirty-six years ago (come June 16) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded by the Bucks to the Lakers. Before his sixth season the team franchise player/league centerfold politely informed management he was prepared to sign with the ABA Nets when his contract ran out later that year if he weren’t dealt to an NBA city of his choice. Embry conducted the clandestine operations that resulted in the Lord of the Rims being exchanged (along with Walt Wesley) for Brian Winters, Elmore Smith, Nos. 2 and 7 in the first round (David Meyers and Junior Bridgeman) and cash.

I can go on but I am traveling in Chicago and do not have the time to cite other examples. However when you are able to get the 2 top centers in the last 25 years to be on your team....the rest as they say is history!

112288

Dr. Jerry Buss - from Wikipedia - what an amazing man!

Gerald Hatten "Jerry" Buss (January 27, 1933 – February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, real estate investor and chemist. He was the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning 10 league championships that were highlighted by the team's Showtime era during the 1980s. Buss also owned other professional sports franchises in Southern California. Announced as a member of the 2010 induction class of the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 5, 2010, he was formally enshrined as a contributor to the sport on August 13 of that same year.[1]
Contents

1 Early life and business career
2 Sports ownership
3 Poker player
4 Philanthropy
5 Personal
6 Death
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Early life and business career

Born in Salt Lake City and raised in Kemmerer, Wyoming, Buss was raised by his divorced mother, Jessie. Buss earned a scholarship to the University of Wyoming,[2] graduating with a B.S. degree in two and a half years in 1955. He moved to Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in physical chemistry by age 24.[3] Buss started as a chemist for the Bureau of Mines (now the Mine Safety and Health Administration); he then briefly worked in the aerospace industry and was on the faculty of USC's chemistry department. He originally went into real estate investing in order to provide an income so he could continue teaching. His first investment in the 1960s was $1,000 in a West Los Angeles apartment building. Finding great success in the real estate business, he pursued real estate investing full time. In 1979 Jerry purchased Pickfair Mansion in Beverly Hills from the estate of Mary Pickford.[3] He was also the co-owner of a real estate investment company called Mariani-Buss Associates with his long-time business partner Frank Mariani.
Sports ownership

Buss became an owner in World Team Tennis, the Los Angeles Strings. He purchased the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA along with the Los Angeles Kings hockey team of the NHL, The Forum, and a large ranch from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979. The purchase price, $67.5 million, made it the largest transaction in sports history at that time. Buss later sold the Kings, retaining ownership of the Lakers and The Forum. 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.

Later, when the WNBA was formed, Buss took charge of operating that league's Los Angeles franchise, the Los Angeles Sparks. Eventually, all three teams moved into a more modern arena in downtown Los Angeles, the Staples Center, which opened in 1999. As part of the deal to move the Lakers into Staples Center, Buss sold the Great Western Forum (which was later reverted to its original name).

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. He inspired the Lakers' Showtime era with his vision that basketball games must be entertaining. The Sparks also experienced their share of success, winning two WNBA championships with such players as Lisa Leslie, Tamecka Dixon and DeLisha Milton-Jones.

In 2002, when the WNBA was restructured to give its teams individual owners, Buss took ownership of the Sparks. He sold the team in 2006. Buss also owned the Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The Lazers also played in The Forum. The team folded in 1989 and the league folded three years later.
Poker player

Buss was a high-stakes cash game poker player for many years, but later in life was more active in tournament games. His best finishes included third in the 1991 World Series of Poker seven-card stud event and second place in the 2003 World Poker Tour Freeroll invitational. He has appeared in the GSN series High Stakes Poker and the NBC late-night series Poker After Dark.[4]
Philanthropy

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. Buss was an inaugural member of the USC College Board of Councilors.[3]

112288 wrote:Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, wanted out of Milwaukee, and the Lakers acquired him in a trade.

Peter Vecsey - New York Post - Thirty-six years ago (come June 16) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded by the Bucks to the Lakers. Before his sixth season the team franchise player/league centerfold politely informed management he was prepared to sign with the ABA Nets when his contract ran out later that year if he weren’t dealt to an NBA city of his choice. Embry conducted the clandestine operations that resulted in the Lord of the Rims being exchanged (along with Walt Wesley) for Brian Winters, Elmore Smith, Nos. 2 and 7 in the first round (David Meyers and Junior Bridgeman) and cash.

I can go on but I am traveling in Chicago and do not have the time to cite other examples. However when you are able to get the 2 top centers in the last 25 years to be on your team....the rest as they say is history!

112288

So Kareem is all you can come up with when I asked for the name of some players that the Lakers have signed as a free agent in the last 30 years? Kareem was traded to the Lakers many years before Buss bought the Lakers.

TJ,

Jerry Bus deserves all the respect in the world, and not just because he was busted for driving drunk on the wrong side of the road with a 23 year old.

worcester wrote:TJ,

Jerry Bus deserves all the respect in the world, and not just because he was busted for driving drunk on the wrong side of the road with a 23 year old.

This is low class comment with him being dead for 12 hours.

I meant that as a compliment TJ.

After how many hours post mortem would you consider it to be high class?

tj you can be an annoying pest, the guy that made the Lakers was Jerry West, Buss had the insight to let Jerry do his job and get out of the way.

tj you can be an annoying pest,
the guy that made the Lakers was Jerry West,
Buss had the insight to let Jerry do his job
and the Lakers became darlings of the LA mob...


Cow, I thought it rhymed better this way.
W

Cowens-Worcester

Real classy comments.

Swish

worse you be a rapper!!!

Cow, we better start taking our serious pills again. Apparently we're getting too frivolous.

cowens/oldschool wrote:tj you can be an annoying pest, the guy that made the Lakers was Jerry West, Buss had the insight to let Jerry do his job and get out of the way.

I am not just going to accept people biased opinions.
If I share my opinion and you feel like I am an annoying pest, you need to re-evaluate how you view opinions that are not in line with yours.

So, when things went well for the Lakers it is because of Jerry West?
This sounds like the people who want to give Kupchak credit for everything good that has happened to the Lakers and want to blame Jim Buss for every negative thing that has happened to the Lakers.
I give Jerry credit as a great GM.
I also give Dr. Buss credit as a great and successful owner.

tj I didn't like your response to 112288 either, this has nothing to do with basketball.

cowens/oldschool wrote:tj I didn't like your response to 112288 either, this has nothing to do with basketball.

I'm confused.
1) 112288 complained about how the Lakers have a leg up on other teams because free agents want to sign there.
2) I asked 112288 to give some examples of free agents other then Shaq that have signed with the Lakers.
3) His response was about a trade the Lakers made 4 years before Dr. Buss bought the Lakers.

How does this have nothing to do with basketball?

Tj, Again Jerry Buss was a great GM, owner, and man. So was Walter Brown. There have been very few such visionary owners.

It shows even without Buss, players for some reason wanted to go to LA, and that was his point, they have always gotten top players before Buss, ever hear of Wilt Chamberlain?.....and I know that was a trade , not free agency, but the point is the same.

your confused, you deserve that for being so annoying, players love coming to LA to be in LA, and always have, not for Buss.

cowens/oldschool wrote:It shows even without Buss, players for some reason wanted to go to LA, and that was his point, they have always gotten top players before Buss, ever hear of Wilt Chamberlain?.....and I know that was a trade , not free agency, but the point is the same.

your confused, you deserve that for being so annoying, players love coming to LA to be in LA, and always have, not for Buss.

How soon until you bring up George Mikan's name?
Do you think if Buss ran his team like the Clippers or Knicks (very large market teams) have ran their teams, players would have wanted to be a Laker?

right forgot he was a good pimp too

Come on guys. This thread was intended as a measure of respect for a worthy competitor. To let it degenerate into anything less is something I'd expect to see on BDC.

How about moving on to other matters?

Thank you,

Sam