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It was a beautiful day in Los Angeles. A cool breeze drifted through Chick Hearn Court and
the sun illuminated L.A. Live. The Nokia Theatre is accustomed to having media and fans gather outside. On this day, however, the scores of people were here not to catch a glimpse of celebrities, but to say goodbye and thank you to a man. Dr. Jerry Buss, the owner of the Lakers, quietly passed away on February, 18th 2013. Dr. Buss purchased the team in 1979. His vision helped the Lakers total 16 finals appearances and 10 NBA Championships while amassing some of the most talented rosters in NBA history.
On February 21st, the Buss family held a private memorial to honor the man who brought so much joy to Los Angeles. The list of speakers included Tim Leiweke, Jim Hill, Johnny Buss, Frank Mariani, David Stern, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Phil Jackson, Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, Pat Riley, Kobe Bryant, and Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Ten championship trophies accompanied by purple and gold flowers adorned the stage while three large screens projected pictures of Jerry Buss through his 80 years of life. Slowly the room started to fill with people that helped Buss fulfill his vision.
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West walked up the steps and began sharing his stories of Buss’ work ethic and fun loving attitude. “With Jerry, somebody was talking about hard work, you have to be the first one to work, well he never went to bed. So how in the hell could he not be the first one there in the morning,” West joked. With that drive, Dr. Buss helped to revolutionize the NBA with ideas such as a regional sports network and bringing entertainment to the game during commercial breaks and halftimes. “I want people to come see a winning basketball team, but he says, but I want entertainment, very much like a broadway show,” West continued. “He loved the league, he sacrificed for the league.”
Magic Johnson continued by discussing the impact Dr. Buss had on him just as he entered the NBA. Buss became a father figure for Johnson who had just moved to Los Angeles from Michigan. Buss would take Magic to watch boxing, tennis, hockey, and horse racing. When diagnosed as HIV positive, Buss called various hospitals to make sure Magic would receive the absolute best healthcare possible. “That’s when I knew this man loved me and cared about me outside of winning championships, outside of making no look passes. That’s who Jerry Buss was.”
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Perhaps the greatest moment came when Magic ordered every current or former Laker to stand up. The empire that Jerry Buss had built was immediately visible. Standing in that room were some of the greatest players in NBA history. Those players sweated for Jerry Buss. Those players bled for Jerry Buss. Those players went to battle for Jerry Buss. Why? Buss had a vision, and every player believed in it. That vision led to 10 championships and some of the greatest basketball the NBA has ever seen. Magic had everyone single person in the room stand up, make an L with their hand and hold it up to the sky. “See, he didn’t like it sad, he didn’t like it down. You know, if anybody knew Dr. Buss, it had to be fun for him,” exclaimed Johnson while encouraging the crowd to clap and cheer for Dr. Buss as this was a celebration of his life, not a mourning of his death.
The NBA lost a great owner and innovator, but they lost an even greater person. Buss cared not only about his profit, but about his team and his fans. He cared about the people of Los Angeles and about improving the city. He always wanted to work hard, but he had fun while doing it. While he is gone, he is not forgotten. For as long as there is basketball, we will always feel the impact of Dr. Jerry Buss.
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Life is good, life is sweet . I am blessed with a wonderful family, who have helped me every step of the way. This support is the best anybody could ever have." Dr. Jerry Buss
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