A PERSONAL FAREWELL TO DR. JERRY BUSS

There will be hundreds of eulogies and tributes to Lakers Owner Dr. Jerry Buss now that he has died.  He deserves all the accolades and praise and then some. We will read about the accomplishments-- 16 NBA finals, 10 championships, “Showtime” , “ Shaq time” , “Kobe time” , and a legacy for all time.

I feel compelled to add my own thoughts about this man, since I was privileged to work with the Lakers organization for nearly two decades. First,  at  the country’s first regional network , Prime Ticket, of which he was part owner and founder, until my days at KCAL-TV as host of Lakers Television for 10 years.

Dr. Jerry was very humble.  He was not a flamboyant owner.  But he did guide the most flamboyant franchise in the history of sports. After all, this is Hollywood, and Hollywood loves its stars and most importantly, winners. He was a very cool guy.  Buss personified Hollywood cool.

He did very few interviews.  And when he did them during my tenure at KCAL-TV, I was the one who was given the assignment. What I found in those interviews was he had a very simple philosophy.  Whatever it took to win, he was willing to do it.  And Los Angeles loves him for it. 

Once, back in the 90s, I was boarding a Southwest Airlines flight to Las Vegas where I was calling a championship fight one weekend.  There sat Dr. Buss.  I said, “No private plane?” He chuckled and said, “Why? That’s expensive.”  This tells you a little bit about his “everyman” persona.

A few times, when I could afford the stakes, I would sit down with him at a blackjack table in Las Vegas, just to enjoy his company.  We didn’t talk much, but he was so gracious it was just fun to be in his presence while throwing away a few black chips.

Two years ago, I invited him to a boxing show I was doing at a small theater up in Hollywood.  He loved boxing.  And we gave him a special booth for his group to sit in.  He told me next time, he would like a seat right at ringside. In other words, he didn’t need that special booth.  He would have rather had a seat right down there with the folks.  But he had a great time none-the-less.

A few weeks later, I got an invite to sit in his sky box at a Lakers playoff game. He told me that I was part of the Lakers family and will always be part of the Lakers family.  That is one of my proudest accomplishments.

 Thank you Dr. Buss, for what you meant to me and millions of fans around the world.  You set a standard of ownership that will never be topped. You are the definition of a “winner.”