"My dad said, 'He's never going to leave'" - Jeanie Buss recalls Dr. Jerry Buss' cocky reaction to Magic Johnson's desire to play for Pistons

Controlling owner of the LA Lakers Jeanie Buss was a guest on Dwight Howard's podcast, "Above The Rim with DH 12." Buss shared a story about his later father, Jerry Buss, who had a cocky reaction to Magic Johnson's plans. Earlier in Johnson's career, he wanted to be able to play for his hometown of Detroit.

Jeanie told Howard that Johnson was open to playing for the Lakers, but only for a short while. The team drafted the 6-foot-9 point guard out of Michigan State with the first pick in 1979. Luckily for the organization, the star guard fell in love with the city and the franchise, which made him stay for the entirety of his career in the NBA.

However, before that, Johnson had a strong desire to suit up for the Detroit Pistons. According to Buss, the Hall of Fame guard initially wanted to play for only three seasons in Los Angeles.

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"So I went, 'Oh, wait a second!' And I ran upstairs, and I'm like, 'Dad, Dad! He just said he's only going to stay three years!'" Jeanie said to her father, Jerry.

"And my dad was like combing his hair. My dad had a very slick hairstyle. He's combing his hair, and he never even looked at me. He said, 'Jeanie, don't worry. The day he puts on a Laker uniform and he walks out on the floor at The Forum, he's never going to leave. He's never leaving LA.' My dad knew it."

Jeanie's story starts at the 25:38 mark.

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Magic ended up playing 13 seasons for the organization and brought five titles. Together with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper, they reinvented NBA offenses with the Showtime Lakers.

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The former owner pushed the Lakers to draft Magic Johnson, according to Jeanie Buss

Drafting Magic Johnson was one of the best moves the Lakers did in their history. With him, the organization was able to reinvent NBA offenses and gather a new set of fans. However, it wasn't like that before he arrived in Los Angeles.

Jeanie Buss shared that the front office told her father, Jerry, to draft David Greenwood from UCLA. Many in the Lakers management thought that this older player may be a valuable asset to the squad. Buss, nevertheless, insisted that the squad draft Magic instead.

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"But my dad felt that Magic would have an immediate impact, but it was the style and the joy that he played with, that captured my dad's imagination," Buss said. "And the two of them were... it was like they were soulmates, even though they came from such different backgrounds, the age difference and everything. They just were meant to be together, and they complemented each other."

Buss shares the story of her father and Johnson at the 23:55 mark.

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Ultimately, Johnson became one of the most iconic players in Lakers history, which made Buss' decision the right one.

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