LA Lakers owner Jerry Buss passes away, but leaves lasting legacy behind

The all star weekend is a time of festivities in the NBA. The festivities have been tempered with mixed feelings this year. The NBA is now bereft of two very influential men. Both departed in separate manner and both have left separate feelings in their wake. One departs from this realm amidst grief, and the other is ousted. Yet, there is one constant between the both. They have both left their imprints on the league. While they won’t be associated with the league, the changes they wrought will endure. On one hand, Billy Hunter was fired by the NBA players’ association. That wasn’t news to be greeted with grief by the players. Tragically, it just came to light that Jerry Buss, the owner of the LA Lakers had passed away because of cancer. While Jerry Buss is no more amongst us, his legacy will continue with the Lakers for a very long time to come. It’s safe to say that without Buss, the Lakers wouldn’t be the franchise that they are today.

“The brand of basketball he implemented in Showtime carried the league when you think about the rivalry that placed between the Lakers and (Boston) Celtics and what that did for the global outreach of the game. It reached me in Italy, and I was only 6 years old.” said Kobe Bryant. “He means everything to me. He took a chance on a 17-year-old kid coming out of Philadelphia when nobody really saw that potential. He believed in me the entire way.”

The entire way is right. Even when Kobe and Shaq were breaking apart and it was clear that one had to go, it was Shaq who packed his bags. Not too long after that, Shaq grew even more overweight and retired. And Kobe is still balling.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find another owner who has had that kind of success. He’s been able to construct championship teams, regroup, re-construct them again, regroup, reconstruct them again and build them in a very, very quick order. That’s tough to find,” Kobe added. The LA Lakers, along with the Boston Celtics, are two of the most storied franchises in the NBA. The Lakers have won 17 championships, and 10 of those have been under Buss. He brought the Lakers back in 1979, and was never shy about paying luxury tax if it meant another shot at a title.

“Some people own sports franchises more as a business, a steppingstone to fame. But I own it mainly because I love it. It’s a corny line, but they say, ‘When you bleed, you bleed for blue and gold.’ I was a Laker fan a long time before I was fortunate enough to own them,” said Jerry Buss.

Marc Cuban does come to mind. He broke up the core of his championship winning team and let Chandler, Kidd and Barea walk away so he could better equip his team for the future. Something Buss would never dream of doing.

Said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: “RIP Jerry Buss. Your encouragement and support along with your stories of staying true to yourself had an enormous impact on me.”

Buss was true to his vision of winning, regardless of the costs. Jerry Buss led the Lakers to 31 playoff appearances in 33 seasons, 16 western conference titles and 10 NBA championships. The first title the Lakers won was in 1980, a year after Buss took over.

“When it comes down to it, Dr. Buss is a competitor,” said Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, after the Dwight Howard trade. “And when it comes down to a decision about making a couple of dollars or a million dollars or $10 million or putting another banner up, he can’t help himself. He chooses to go for the banner.”

Buss was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2010 for his accomplishments. It wasn’t just the banners and titles that he brought to LA. He brought showtime in its off-court sense to his team. He made the Lakers prime time entertainment even besides the on court product.

“Jerry Buss helped set the league on the course it is on today,” NBA Commissioner David Stern said. “Remember, he showed us it was about ‘Showtime,’ the notion that an arena can become the focal point for not just basketball, but entertainment. He made it the place to see and be seen.”

Think about how famous people see it as a status symbol to be seen as a Lakers game. That wasn’t associated with basketball to such a degree as it was with operas, and plays, and sports like golf. Buss helped usher basketball in that light.

Buss will be succeeded at the Lakers by his son Jim (in charge of basketball operations) and daughter Jeanie (in charge of the business side of the team). Jeanie Buss is engaged to Phil Jackson, and there’s a chance still that Phil comes back in some capacity to the Lakers. But no one will be able to fill the void that Buss left on the Lakers, and by extension, on the league. A culture of winning which led to define the Lakers as a team, and a culture of showtime which helped define the status of the Lakers brand.

RIP Jerry Buss. You will be missed.