The Los Angeles Lakers have been in the news a lot lately for their ownership sale, which could include the Buss family selling their remaining 17.8% minority stake to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. Dr. Jerry Buss bought the team in 1979 and ultimately left it to his kids after his passing, but they are now in a notable dispute as five of the siblings want to sell their remaining shares while Jeanie wants to keep it so she can remain governor.
If this sale ultimately goes through, it would unquestionably be a sad day for a lot of Lakers fans, and that includes former player Robert Horry.
“That would be sad. That would be strange and very, very sad,” Horry told Lakers Nation at the 26th annual Harold & Carole Pump Foundation celebrity dinner. “You think about, I don’t think people understand what Dr. Buss brought to the NBA as far as putting entertainment and sports together, bringing Showtime here, bringing cheerleaders, the Forum Club. There’s so many things like that that he brought to basketball and all these other organizations kind of piggybacked off it. So for the Buss family not to be involved in some way would be such a bad thing.”
The Lakers have had an unprecedented level of success since Dr. Buss bought the team in 1979, winning 11 championships and making the NBA Finals 18 times.
While that success tapered off in recent years after his death, Jeanie still continued to run the organization with her dad’s philosophies and standards.
In today’s day and age though, it is hard to run an organization like the Lakers as a family business. That is why Jeanie decided to sell their majority stake to Mark Walter, who was thought to want to run the Lakers like the Dodgers, who have won three titles this decade.
Now, Nobody knows what Iger and Kushner will bring to the table as owners, but they have massive shoes to fill running one of, if not the most popular sports teams. If Jeanie cannot stay on as governor, it will further illustrate a new beginning for the Lakers and who knows if that will be for better or worse.
Byron Scott on how Dr. Jerry Buss would feel about Lakers
The Lakers are in an unfamiliar position lacking stability after two ownership changes in the last year. With that being the case, former Lakers guard and head coach Byron Scott doesn’t believe Dr. Buss would be happy with the current state of the team.
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