When thinking about the success of the Los Angeles Lakers, the immediate association is with the Buss family, specifically Dr. Jerry Buss. He bought the Lakers in 1979 and turned the team into a powerhouse, which began with the Showtime era.
The NBA propelled into immense popularity during the 1980s with a historic rivalry between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics. As L.A. continues to immortalize historic figures that have stepped through the organization, Magic Johnson believes Dr. Buss deserves a statue of his own in the near future:
“He’s not only the greatest owner in NBA history but he also has a strong argument for the greatest franchise owner in sports history.”
Words from Khobi Price in his latest article in the @nypost – and he’s exactly right! I 100% agree that Dr. Jerry Buss is the greatest…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) September 10, 2026
With Phil Jackson revealed as the next statue unveiling, the Lakers have paid respect to two of their winningest head coaches, with Pat Riley’s statue going up last year. Johnson mentions a valid point about Dr. Buss earning the title of one of the best sports owners ever and he took a risk buying the Lakers.
Basketball was not nearly as popular as it is today and Dr. Buss pioneered a way to make the NBA a profitable league. His success paved the way to turn Los Angeles into a family business, wanting to leave it to his children to carry on his legacy.
Unfortunately, the vision of his children operating the Lakers for the foreseeable future did not pan out due to internal fighting and multiple sales. But the Buss’ will forever be associated with the purple and gold because they are responsible for creating one of the most iconic brands in all of professional sports, winning a league-best 11 titles since Dr. Buss bought the team.
Byron Scott doesn’t believe Dr. Jerry Buss would be happy with current state of Lakers
After Mark Walter bought the Buss family’s majority sale last year, many did not believe they would sell the Lakers this soon. But writing appeared to be on the wall as Joey and Jesse Buss were fired from their scouting positions shortly after Walter acquired L.A.
Fast forward and the well-known Dodgers owner seemingly flipped the Lakers for a $2.5 billion profit to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. Then, the Buss siblings used their voting power to oust Jeanie Buss from her governor position.
With all this drama surrounding the franchise currently, Lakers legend Byron Scott believes that Dr. Jerry Buss would not be happy with the current state of the organization.
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