Friday, March 8 marks International Women’s Day across the world and the Los Angeles Lakers have one of the most inspiring women at the top of the franchise in owner Jeanie Buss. She is the first ever female owner and Governor of an NBA franchise and also the first to win an NBA Championship, which she did when the Lakers took home the 2020 NBA Championship.
Of course she is also extremely close with Lakers legend Magic Johnson as the two basically grew up together after the Lakers drafted Magic back in 1979. Both consider the other to be basically siblings and on a day dedicated to women, Magic made sure to pay a special tribute to Buss.
The legend and former Lakers President of Basketball Operations took to social media for a length post in which Magic praised Buss not only for all that she has accomplished in the world of sports, but also who she is as a person and all that she does to help people:
@JeanieBuss – since we were young, I knew you were destined for greatness! Your drive, determination, and winning mindset have equipped you to grow to one of the most powerful women in sports as the NBA’s first woman president and owner of the Los Angeles Lakers!
After becoming… pic.twitter.com/OPPwHP02gP
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 8, 2024
Because Buss has been part of the Lakers for so long, it can be easy to forget just how much of a trailblazer she truly is. The late, great Dr. Jerry Buss groomed Jeanie for this role since the 1980s as she had an executive role with his purchases of teams in both Team Tennis and Roller Hockey International.
Jeanie was mainly on the business side of the Lakers, being named executive vice president of business operations back in 1999. The removal of her brother Jim Buss in 2017 as executive VP of basketball operations and installation of Magic as president of basketball operations as well as Rob Pelinka as the new general manager represented a massive shift in the franchise and showed she was capable of making the tough moves when necessary.
On a day celebrating women, Jeanie Buss truly stands out as one of the most powerful in all of sports and is deserving of all of the praise and more that she is receiving.
Darvin Ham: Lakers ‘swinging for the fences’ in final 18 games of the season
Unfortunately for Jeanie Buss and the rest of the Lakers franchise, this season hasn’t gone quite the way anyone had hoped. But head coach Darvin Ham insists the Lakers will continue to do everything possible to get things right down the stretch of the season.
“We’re swinging for the fences, but if we land on a triple, we’ll be OK too as long as we secure our spot,” Ham said. “But we’re constantly seeing ways that we can swing for the fences. Every game that’s in front of us, we’re trying to win.
“We’re not just saying OK, we can drop one here or drop two there. Every time we step into our lab, we get better, and fast forward to the game, we’re trying to be as successful as possible.”
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