It takes a powerful voice to lead an army. Throughout the Lakers’ history, they possessed one of the most powerful voices in owner Dr. Jerry Buss. 10 of the Lakers’ 17 championships came with Dr. Buss at the helm. His decision to entrust the Lakers to his daughter angered her brothers, even tarnishing their relationship. However, Jeanie Buss believes her gaining control of the organization was the best possible thing to happen.
Advertisement
She became president of the Lakers after her father died in 2013. Her older brother Jim worked alongside her, responsible for basketball operations. Despite their relationship as siblings, their differences as business owners didn’t stop boiling over.
In 2017, Jeanie made the difficult decision to fire Jim. He wasn’t the biggest supporter of her choice. Jim got the help of their eldest brother, Johnny, to try to overthrow Jeanie from her position as owner. Clearly, their efforts fell short as Jeanie continues to thrive in an ownership role.
According to Jeanie, her ability to overcome the situation proves that her father made the right choice in choosing her as his successor. In a recent interview with NPR, Jeanie believes the Lakers would’ve fallen into chaos if she had lost control of the team.
“If they had won and were able to take me out of my position, it would have put the Lakers in chaos,” Buss said. “We probably would have been forced to sell the team because we would have been completely dysfunctional without having a controlling voice in all ownership matters.”
Jeanie firmly believes that her brothers would’ve ruined the Lakers. Jim already had shown through his actions as overseer of basketball operations that he wasn’t the best decision-maker.
The siblings have since rekindled their relationship and are on much better terms. However, Jim no longer has any say in the Lakers organization or holds any ownership stake in the team. Jeanie’s authoritative attitude has elevated the Lakers back to relevancy.
In 2020, LA won its first title since Kobe Bryant’s triumph in 2010. It was also Jeanie’s first championship as the majority owner of the team. She continues to be heavily involved in the team’s basketball decisions, including their massive trade to acquire Luka Doncic.
Jeanie Buss has handled adversity with the utmost professionalism. She is a true disciple of her father, and looks to enter a new stage of prominence with Doncic as the team’s next franchise superstar.
