Lakers' brand reached the world under Buss
BY GREG BEACHAM Associated Press
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
2/19/13 at 5:31 AM
Jerry Buss built a glittering life at the intersection of sports and Hollywood.
After growing up in poverty in Wyoming, he earned success in academia, aerospace and real estate before discovering his favorite vocation when he bought the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979.
While Buss wrote the checks and fostered partnerships with two generations of basketball greats, the Lakers won 10 NBA titles and became a glamorous worldwide brand.
"His impact is felt worldwide," said Kobe Bryant, who has spent nearly half his life working for Buss.
Buss died Monday. He was 80.
"Think about the impact that he's had on the game and the decisions he's made, and the brand of basketball he brought here with Showtime and the impact that had on the sport as a whole," Bryant said a few days ago. "Those vibrations were felt to a kid all the way in Italy who was 6 years old, before basketball was even global."
Under Buss' leadership, the Lakers became Southern California's most beloved sports franchise and a worldwide extension of Los Angeles glamour. Buss acquired, nurtured and befriended a staggering array of talented players and basketball minds during his Hall of Fame tenure, from Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard.
The Lakers made the NBA Finals 16 times during his nearly 34 years in charge, winning 10 titles between 1980 and 2010. Whatever the Lakers did under Buss' watch, they did it big - with marquee players, eye-popping style and a relentless pursuit of success.
"His incredible commitment and desire to build a championship-caliber team that could sustain success over a long period of time has been unmatched," said Jerry West, Buss' longtime general manager and now a consultant with the Golden State Warriors. "With all of his achievements, Jerry was without a doubt one of the most humble men I've ever been around. His vision was second to none; he wanted an NBA franchise brand that represented the very best and went to every extreme to accomplish his goals."
Buss died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, said Bob Steiner, his assistant and longtime friend. Buss had been hospitalized for most of the past 18 months while undergoing cancer treatment, but the immediate cause of death was kidney failure, Steiner said.
"Anybody associated with the NBA since 1980 benefited greatly from Jerry Buss' impact on the game," Steiner said. "He had a different way of looking at things than I did, and people who had been raised in basketball."
With 1,786 victories, the Lakers easily are the NBA's winningest franchise since he bought the club.
Associated Images:
Jerry Buss, shown in 2010, led the Los Angeles Lakers to 10 NBA titles after buying the team in 1979. He died on Monday in Los Angeles at age 80. AP File
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