Jerry Buss had been the owner of the Lakers for 34 years since 1979 and during his ownership, the Lakers made it to 16 NBA Finals and won 10 NBA championships. That essentially works out to going to the NBA finals every other year. Remarkable. He’s considered one of the most successful owners in sports.
Kobe Bryant has been struggling with the decline of the beloved Lakers owner. When asked what the one thing he would take away from Dr. Buss was, Bryant responded:
“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.”
If the current team takes anything away from this loss, it is to look at the rest of the season with the same vision Buss had for the franchise for so many years. Jerry should serve as an immediate inspiration to the team. Without motivation, the Lakers’ championship prospects look bleak and in reality, the players owe Buss better than this.
Lakers Nation News
Kobe Bryant Talks About The Passing Of Lakers Owner Jerry Buss
Stu Lantz Calls Dr. Jerry Buss A ‘Self-Made Man’ With ‘Vision’
Jerry Buss: Remembering The Greatest Owner In Sports History
Lakers Release Statement On Passing Of Owner Jerry Buss
Jerry Buss NBA Photo Gallery: Through The Years
TNT’s Kenny Smith Discuss Lakers’ “Lack Of Trust” With Each Other
Kobe Bryant NBA Photo Gallery: All-Star Game 2013
VIDEO: Kobe Rejects LeBron James Twice In All-Star Game
NBA Power Rankings Week 17: Spurs, Heat Continue To Dominate At Break
Lakers News: Kobe Guarantees He’ll Be Back In All-Star Game
Lakers News: Team Owner Jerry Buss Passes Away Monday Morning
Lakers News
Dr. Buss Should Be Celebrated, Not Mourned [Silver Screen and Roll]
A Personal Reflection on the Loss of Dr. Jerry Buss [Silver Screen and Roll]
Dr. Jerry Buss Has Passed Away [Silver Screen and Roll]
West Triumph Over East in All-Star Game; Final Score: 143-138 [Silver Screen and Roll]
Kobe Bryant Agrees with Michael Jordan: Titles Are the True Measure [Lakers Now]
Remembering Jerry Buss [Forum Blue and Gold]
Kobe Bryant Gets the Best of LeBron James, Maybe for the Last Time [CBSSports.com]
Jerry Buss A True Sports Visionary [ESPN]
Lakers Owner Jerry Buss Changed the Very Image of NBA [ProBasketballTalk]
Kobe Bryant Focuses on Present, Not Dwight Howard’s Lakers Future [L.A. Times]
From Bread Line to Lakers Owner, Jerry Buss Left a Lasting Impact on the NBA [Yahoo Sports]
Jerry Buss Passes Away at 80 [NBA.com]
TNT Analyst Kenny Smith Faults Lakers’ Woes on Players [Inside the Lakers]
Current Lakers Owe Better Than This to Brilliant Owner Jerry Buss [L.A. Times]
Lakers Owner Jerry Buss Dies [OC Register]
Jerry Buss: It was cool to have known the man and producer of ‘Showtime’ [ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION]
Kobe Bryant’s Stuffing of LeBron James Gives Rare All-Star Game Heat [Yahoo! Sports]
Jerry Buss: I Love Winning [ESPN]
To Magic Johnson, Jerry Buss was Friend, Mentor and ‘Second Father’ [LA Times]
For Kobe, It’s Game On [ESPN]
NBA All-Star Saturday Night Live Running Diary [Forum Blue And Gold]
Chris Paul Stands Tall While Dwight Howard Plays The All-Star Fool [CBSSports.com]
Jerry Buss: The Ringmaker [GQ]
Lakers Expected to Remain a Buss Family-Owned Team [LA Times]
NBA News
LeBron James: I Am Not Michael Jordan [CNN]
NBA All Star Warm Up Merit Badges [Clips Nation]
Chris Paul Doesn’t Need Dwight Howard Now – or In The Future [Yahoo! Sports]
2013 NBA All-Star Game Scorecard — West All-Stars [ESPN]
2013 NBA All-Star Game Scorecard — East All-Stars [ESPN]
2013 NBA All-Star Game Scorecard — Skills Challenge [ESPN]
2013 NBA All-Star Game Scorecard — 3-Point Shootout [ESPN]
2013 NBA All-Star Game Scorecard — Slam Dunk Contest [ESPN]
2013 NBA All-Star Game Scorecard — Team Chuck Rising Stars Challenge [ESPN]
2013 NBA All-Star Game Scorecard — Team Shaq Rising Stars Challenge [ESPN]
Clipper’s Paul is Key in West’s All-Star Triumph [OC Register]
Paul is First Clippers Player to Win All-Star MVP [Yahoo! Sports]
Rockets Owner Says He’ll Extend GM Daryl Morey’s Contract [PBT]
Chris Paul Wins NBA All Star MVP as West Wins 143-138 [Clips Nation]