Jeanie Buss, USA
Controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers
It was the type of falling out you’ve seen in the media plenty of times. Rich parent passes away, siblings squabble over the bequeathed assets. Jerry Buss wasn’t just any old member of the landed gentry, though – he owned a controlling stake in one of the richest sports franchises in the world. The succession sounded ideal; his son Jim would run the basketball side of the operation and his daughter Jeanie would continue to be the brains behind the business. It all proved pie in the sky and after a four-year wrangle for power in 2017, in which time the Lakers had slumped beyond recognition, Jeanie seized power and showed her brother the door. “The message is clear here: Do not underestimate Jeanie Buss,” was her attorney Adam Streisand’s triumphant message when Jim and another brother in Johnny agreed to back out of their challenge to Jeanie’s status as controlling owner. The undisputed ruler’s life has not got much simpler since. Buss, 57, has made a couple of huge power plays in recruiting Lakers legend Magic Johnson as her president of basketball operations as well as luring the man who many consider to be the greatest player of all time to La-La Land. The Lakers have not turned into LeBron land yet, with failed pursuits of complementary players and constant buzz around the future of coach Luke Walton high on the list of Buss’ headaches. Despite LeBron’s reported frustration with Walton, Buss has moved to keep her coach around for at least the rest of the 2018/19 season. The ship has not yet been turned around but make no mistake – it’s Jeanie’s ship to steer.
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– Buss had her first taste of business management while a 19-year-old student after being appointed by her father as the general manager of now-defunct tennis team the Los Angeles Strings.
– The California native also owns a professional wrestling promotion ‘Women of Wrestling’, or WOW, which has recently returned to network television in the US.
– Buss has recently stated that there is no reason for her family to ever sell up with the Lakers. The franchise was worth $3.3 billion as of 2018.
– According to therichest.com, Buss’ net worth stands at approximately $20 million.
– She was engaged to former Lakers coach and New York Knicks president Phil Jackson until 2016.
Did you know…
A 17-year-old Buss first met Magic Johnson on her family’s doorstep soon after he was drafted in 1979. Then just 19, Johnson told Buss that, while happy to be selected by the Lakers, he intended to go back home and play for the Detroit Pistons within three years. Buss immediately passed on those comments to her father, who assured her that the first time he steps out for the Lakers, he’d never want to play anywhere else. He has barely left Los Angeles since.
“Clearly my dad would not want it [to end like this] at all. He wanted us all to meet together and build this team together. But when it comes to the Lakers, I’m like a mama bear. It’s not about Jeanie, it’s about what’s best for the Lakers. That’s the baby.” – Jeanie Buss
Twitter: @JeanieBuss
Instagram: jeaniebuss
