Under the helm of Dr. Buss, the Lakers made it to 16 NBA Finals and won 10 NBA championships. Even Kobe seemed astonished on how much the Lakers won with Buss as the owner.
“That’s just ridiculous. That run is… that’s unprecedented. That’s unmatched in every sport.”
Kobe would go on and put it in perspective.
“It’s silly. It’s absolutely silly. Hopefully, L.A. understands what everything he’s been able to accomplish with this franchise in a very, very competitive sport with some very, very competitive teams. That’s just ridiculous.”
Jerry Buss had been the owner of the Lakers for 34 years. So 16 NBA Finals basically means the Lakers were going to the Finals every other year. I’ll agree with Kobe: that is ridiculous! We are definitely spoiled here in Los Angeles.
And then at the end of the interview, Kobe was asked what was the one thing he would take away from Dr. Buss.
“I was trying to encourage him to come down for the opening game (earlier this year). He would never come down to the court. I said, ‘Come down to the court and let these people of L.A. give you the love you deserve. Let them, just one time, give you a standing ovation for everything that you’ve done.’ And then he said, ‘Normally, I wouldn’t do that but, you know, I actually would like to do that.’ That’ll be the one thing I’ll take from him.”
Buss did not attend Opening Night and did not get the standing ovation he deserved, which was long overdue. But Kobe Bryant (as well as the rest of the Lakers fans) knows what Buss has done throughout his tenure as ownership. It was always about winning, even if he lost money, and it was always about the championships for the city of Los Angeles. Buss always had the right personnel to run the team and always had the right personnel to play the game. There will never be another owner like Jerry Buss. His legacy will live on forever.
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