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RKel10
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 Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:38 am Post subject: Lakers owner Jerry Buss dies at 80 (Tribute Thread) |
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32
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Joined: 04 Nov 2009
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:38 am Post subject: BREAKING NEWS: Lakers owner Jerry Buss dies at 80 |
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RIP Dr. Buss. You will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with the Buss family.
| Quote: | Lakers owner Jerry Buss dies at 80
Jerry Buss, the longtime owner of the Lakers whose penchant for showmanship helped turn the game of basketball into “Showtime” and who led the team to 10 NBA championships, died Monday. He was 80.
A self-made millionaire who built his fortune in real estate, Buss bought the Lakers in 1979. He charted his successful course with marquee players Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, Hall of Fame coaches Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, celebrities sitting courtside and Laker Girls dancing during timeouts.
"I really tried to create a Laker image, a distinct identity," Buss said. "I mean, the Lakers are pretty damn Hollywood."
It was a remarkable winning streak for a man who dug his way out of a hardscrabble youth.
A Depression-era baby, Jerry Hatten Buss was born Jan. 27, 1934, in Salt Lake City (other sources say 1933). His parents divorced when he was an infant.
His mother struggled to make ends meet as a waitress in tiny Evanston, Wyo., and Buss remembered standing in food lines in the bitter cold.
Later, Buss earned a science scholarship to the University of Wyoming. At 19 he married a coed named JoAnn Mueller, and they would eventually have four children: John, Jim, Jeanie and Janie.
By the mid-1950s, the couple had moved to Southern California, where Buss earned a doctorate in chemistry at USC. He worked briefly in the aerospace industry, and in the late 1950s, he and a colleague, Frank Mariani, tried their hand at real estate.
They scraped together a few thousand dollars to buy a 14-unit apartment house in West Los Angeles and, to save money, did all the repairs themselves. Their real estate company kept growing as they invested in residential properties, hotels and office buildings.
In 1979, Buss and his partners bought the Lakers (along with the Forum in Inglewood), the NHL’s Kings and a 13,000-acre ranch in Kern County for $67 million from Jack Kent Cooke.
At the time, the NBA had fallen by the wayside and several teams stood on the brink of bankruptcy.
But to Buss, the Lakers looked like a gem in the coal bin. They had a dominant center in Abdul-Jabbar, and the team picked the effervescent Johnson out of Michigan State in the 1979 NBA draft.
Success came quickly. With former Lakers star Jerry West maturing into one of the most gifted general managers in the league, the team won an NBA championship in Buss’ first season. Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper guided the Lakers to five titles.
The Lakers' next title era came with O’Neal; the precocious Bryant, whom they traded for after he was drafted out of high school; and Jackson as coach. The Lakers won three consecutive championships from 2000 through 2002.
The team then flamed out in the 2004 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons and traded O’Neal to the Miami Heat. At the same time, Jackson walked away.
After a few more disappointing seasons, Bryant demanded a trade, but Buss stood firm.
The Lakers, with Jackson back as coach and with Pau Gasol added to the team, defeated Orlando for the 2008-09 title. The following season, they beat Boston for another championship. It was their 10th and final title under Buss.
"Jerry Buss helped set the league on the course it is on today," NBA Commissioner David Stern said. "Remember, he showed us it was about 'Showtime,' the notion that an arena can become the focal point for not just basketball, but entertainment. He made it the place to see and be seen." |
LA TIMES
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Last edited by 32 on Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:02 am; edited 5 times in total |
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Francesco81
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:38 am Post subject: |
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| RIP |
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K28
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Joined: 29 Nov 2012
Posts: 10038
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:38 am Post subject: |
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The Shadow King
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Joined: 02 Apr 2011
Posts: 4363
Location: Dallas, Texas
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:39 am Post subject: |
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_________________
Lakers, today. Lakers, tomorrow. Lakers, forever. |
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Potato-Mania
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Joined: 07 Nov 2012
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:41 am Post subject: |
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BigJosh951
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:41 am Post subject: |
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| RIP |
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ForrestHump
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Joined: 05 Mar 2012
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:41 am Post subject: |
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(bleep) it..
RIP
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The Shadow King
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Location: Dallas, Texas
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:42 am Post subject: |
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I don't have the words...
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Lakers, today. Lakers, tomorrow. Lakers, forever. |
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doughboy90650
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:42 am Post subject: |
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damn .........
RIP |
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legend825
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Joined: 12 Jun 2012
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:42 am Post subject: |
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| May he rest in eternal peace and condolences to the family!!! A really sad day but he brought us basketball, specifically Lakers fans a lot of happiness and smiles |
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Marty
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:42 am Post subject: |
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RIP, Dr. Buss, and thanks for everything!  |
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Free_Kobe
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Joined: 02 Sep 2005
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Location: @ the beach
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:42 am Post subject: |
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speechless.
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So hit me with music! ♪ ♫ |
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Dladi Vidac
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Location: Meeting the man who met Andy Griffith.
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:43 am Post subject: |
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What an awesome life he lived. He will be missed greatly. Like Chick, Dr. Buss was that pleasing warm ray of sunshine that shined over the Lakers.
He was always such a warm positive person. Thank you so much!
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"The best there is. The best there was. The best there ever will be.", said Bret Hart regarding the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last edited by Dladi Vidac on Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:46 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mamba3301
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:43 am Post subject: |
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| Terrible news. RIP Dr. Buss. |
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yinoma2001
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Joined: 19 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:43 am Post subject: |
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DAMN. Condolences to the family. Great owner.
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NoMoreFisher
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Joined: 31 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:43 am Post subject: |
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| I didn't want to believe it... |
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K28
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Joined: 29 Nov 2012
Posts: 10038
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:44 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, I have nothing meaningful to say other than: Thank you ODB. |
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Wagyu Kobe
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| RIP |
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JamezAmp
Star Player
Joined: 25 Jun 2005
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Location: Scottsdale, AZ
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:45 am Post subject: |
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There goes the greatest owner ever in all of American sports. Thanks for everything Dr. Buss.
RIP
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PayasoLoco
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Joined: 07 Jul 2001
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| Greatest owner in all sports. Gave us championships and memories without worrying about cost. SAD SAD SAD day wish he went out with us on top and not dwellers, may he rest in peace |
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SemperMalum
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Joined: 15 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| Crap, man. RIP Dr. Buss. |
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SmokeAndAshes
Star Player
Joined: 02 Apr 2012
Posts: 1504
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:46 am Post subject: |
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| Marty wrote: | | RIP, Dr. Buss, and thanks for everything! |
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ssiknick833
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Joined: 02 Jul 2009
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:46 am Post subject: |
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| akola wrote: | KILL BILL Artest.
R.I.P. wheelchair |
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SteveMachine
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Location: Melbourne, Australia
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| Posted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 7:47 am Post subject: |
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| R.I.P. the greatest owner of all time |
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