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Longtime Los Angeles Lakers’ owner Jerry Buss died Monday at the age of 80. He had been at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in recent days with an undisclosed type of cancer. The news was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Buss made a fortune on Southern California real estate in the 1960s and 1970s. He then led a partnership in 1979 that bought the Lakers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, The Forum (the arena which housed both teams) and a 13,000-acre ranch in the California Central Valley from Jack Kent Cooke, who achieved fame through his ownership of the Washington Redskins. The Lakers’ piece was valued at $20 million. Last month the team was valued at $1 billion in Forbes annual look at the business of basketball.
While $20 million...
When Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979, he wanted to build a championship team. But that wasn't all. The new owner gave courtside seats to movie stars. He hired pretty women to dance during timeouts. He spent freely on big... more »
My first encounter with Jerry Buss occurred in his private box high atop the Fabulous Forum during a Lakers game in 1983. I was a high school senior at the time, and somehow, someway I'd convinced then-Lakers public relations... more »
Jerry Buss navigated his way through life and business much as Magic Johnson navigated through a tight NBA defense. He had moves, a quick learning curve and a confidence. In the wake of Buss' death Monday, all sides of... more »
Jerry Buss was one of the greatest owners in the history of professional sports, the creator of the most entertaining championship teams ever, a fearless pioneer who bonded a giant and disparate city under a brilliant blanket ... more »
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