"Somebody grabs my a**" - Jeanie Buss shockingly claims NBA owner allegedly harassed her in 1995
Jeanie Buss is part of the legendary Buss family that has owned the LA Lakers for some time. During a recent interview, she opened up on being inappropriately touched during her early days as an owner.
While appearing on the "In Depth With Graham Besinger" show, Jeanie Buss detailed an incident that happened nearly 30 years ago. It was during the first time she sat in on an NBA board of governors meeting as an owner. When she was leaving the table, somebody allegedly walked by and grabbed her butt.
“As we were waiting, taking a break from the meeting and everybody’s in line for the buffet for lunch during the lunch break, somebody grabs my ass,” Buss said. “I turn around and I was so shocked."
Jeanie had a small role with the LA Lakers leading up to this, but her father gave her a bigger role in 1995. From there, she served as the Alternate Governor for the team.
How long has Jeanie Buss been owner of the LA Lakers?
While her father was still alive, Jeanie Buss was one of the higher-ups for the LA Lakers. Jerry Buss' vision was to keep the team within his family. Jeanie was going to focus on business, while his son Jim handled everything related to basketball.
From 1999 to Jerry's passing in 2013, Jeanie was the Lakers' vice president of basketball opertations. After his death, she was named the team's governor despite all of the children holding equal stake in the team. From there, she slowly worked her way more into the basketball side of things.
Jim eventually left the organization in 2017, leaving Jeanie to make multiple major decisions. She parted ways with the current GM and replaced him with Rob Pelinka. On top of that, LA legend Magic Johnson was brought in to be the new president of basketball operations.
During her time as owner, Jeanie has led the Lakers through good and bad times. Her greatest achievement came in 2020, when LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the team to a title. That championship marked the sixth of her career as an executive or owner.
The Lakers are once again back on track after things got dicy following their title win in the bubble. Still led by LeBron and AD, the team hopes to be a legitimate contender in the Western Conference this season.