The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most prolific and successful franchises in all of professional sports. Very few teams can match the championship legacy and overall consistency that the franchise has accomplished, especially after they were purchased by the late, great Dr. Jerry Buss and have since been passed on to daughter Jeanie Buss.
The Lakers have won 11 NBA Championships since the Buss family took over the franchise and have seen a number of legendary superstars don the purple and gold, including the likes of Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and most recently LeBron James. And now sitting at the top of the NBA mountaintop in terms of total championships with 17, Jeanie insists they aren’t done.
Speaking with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Jeanie spoke about her father’s desire to compete with the Boston Celtics when he first acquired the Lakers and added that even though they are now tied, that quest will continue:
“When he started, he wanted to take on the Boston Celtics and all the winning they had done,” Buss told Yahoo Sports. “Now, with ring No. 17, we’re tied with the Celtics in terms of winning [championships]. That’s what he set out to do. And certainly the work is not done yet. We have to continue that quest, and we’ll do so.”
The rivalry between the Lakers and Celtics has continued on and even when one or both teams aren’t at their best, the games between the two always have a different feel and energy. The Celtics nearly broke the tie last season but came up short in the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
While the Lakers still have LeBron James as the face of the franchise and Anthony Davis waiting in the wings, it looks as if there will be a new era of Lakers basketball coming soon. And Buss knows that regardless of who else is part of the franchise, more Lakers history will be written:
“There is a lot more Lakers history to be written, and it’s going to be written by new players and new coaches,” Buss told Yahoo Sports.
The Lakers have a history of superstars and that will continue even beyond James and Davis and if there is anything for certain about the Lakers, they will find a way to get back to the top of the NBA landscape and bring home more championships.
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