Today, is a somber day in the NBA universe as a beloved owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dr. Jerry Buss has passed away at the age of 80 from cancer. He was born in 1933 at a time when the most of the country was out of work following a traumatic time in U.S. History: The Great Depression.
Imagine a boy who at 4 years old, had to grow up really fast. He had to work various jobs such as a shoe shiner at a hotel, working in a Union Pacific Railroad Station, and helping his father who was a plumber lay down pipes as well as dig ditches. He even went to get food (going to bread lines) and heating (using old phone books to help heat the house) before even going to school for the day. He lived a hard and dirt poor life that very few of us can today comprehend nor bear to endure.
Yet, he found a way out of this, through his intelligence, resourcefulness and a heart of absolute Gold. Mr. Buss graduated from Wyoming and got his Doctorate at USC as a chemist who seemed like a guy you'd least suspect would become the one of the biggest figures in the NBA Renaissance. He turned a thousand dollar investment on an Apartment complex into a Real Estate Empire that stretched three states (CA, AZ and NV).
Setting the stage, for his biggest deal: the Los Angeles Lakers. He bought the team for a then record sum of 67.5 million dollars. People thought he was insane with his ideas kinda like a renegade who played by his own rules. But those ideas (Courtside seats, Cheerleaders, lighting, naming rights, and many more) would revolutionize not just the NBA but the relationship that forever intertwines Sports and Entertainment. He brought glitz (Jack Nicholson, Sylvester Stallone, Denzel Washington) as well as glamor (Dyan Cannon, Leonardo DiCaprio, among others) not just on the seats but also on the court as well in the form of Showtime led by the Pied Piper himself, Earvin Magic Johnson.
As owner, he made his first and best decision when running the Lakers by allowing Jerry West aka The Logo and basketball people make the tough management decisions. Since then, 10 NBA Championships, 16 NBA Finals Appearances and a who's who of Superstars. (Magic, Worthy, Kareem, Shaq, Kobe, Jamal Wilkes, Bob McAdoo).
As great as Buss was as an owner, his most important trait was his humility. Wherever Jerry walked, he treated everyone with respect, class and dignity. No matter if it was the janitor at Staples or a rival owner such as Mark Cuban. He treated others the same way, he wanted to be treated. It has became the Lakers way of doing business that made them not just the Gold Standard on the court but also as an NBA Franchise, .
Even as we mourn the late Dr. Buss, he lived his life to the fullest and did it, His way.
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