Jerry Buss, the legendary owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, passed away Monday morning. The 80-year-old Buss ranks among the most prominent owners in sports history.
Under his guidance, the Lakers won 10 NBA championships, the most of any franchise in any sport in that era. All-time NBA greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant all played for Buss.
While Buss had passed day-to-day operations over to his children Jim and Jeanie, the long-time girlfriend of Phil Jackson, he remained involved in the major moves and decisions of the franchise.
The Los Angeles Lakers are worth an estimated one billion dollars according to Forbes, second only to the New York Knicks among NBA franchises.
Buss bought the franchise in 1979 when the city belonged to the Dodgers, the baseball team. Buss promptly ushered in the “Showtime” era, saying his goal “was to make the Lakers synonymous with Los Angeles.”
Buss reportedly passed away due to kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Stay tuned to Breitbart Sports for more coverage.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.