February 18, 2013 at 9:52am 102 notes
NBAbasketballlos angeles
Longtime Laker owner Jerry Buss, who brought Showtime to the NBA and 10 championships to Los Angeles, died this morning. He was 80. From our obituary: When Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979, he wanted to build a championship team. But that wasn’t all. The new owner gave courtside seats to movie stars. He hired pretty women to dance during timeouts. He spent freely on big stars and encouraged a fast-paced, exuberant style of play. As the Lakers sprinted to one NBA title after another, Buss cut an audacious figure in the stands, an aging playboy in blue jeans, often with a younger woman by his side. “I really tried to create a Laker image, a distinct identity,” he once said. “I think we’ve been successful. I mean, the Lakers are pretty damn Hollywood.” Read the full obituary: Jerry Buss dies at 80; Lakers owner brought ‘Showtime’ success to L.A. Photo: Jerry Buss outside the Forum — the Lakers’ former home — in 1979. Credit: Dave Gatley / Los Angeles Times

Longtime Laker owner Jerry Buss, who brought Showtime to the NBA and 10 championships to Los Angeles, died this morning. He was 80.

From our obituary:

When Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979, he wanted to build a championship team. But that wasn’t all.

The new owner gave courtside seats to movie stars. He hired pretty women to dance during timeouts. He spent freely on big stars and encouraged a fast-paced, exuberant style of play.

As the Lakers sprinted to one NBA title after another, Buss cut an audacious figure in the stands, an aging playboy in blue jeans, often with a younger woman by his side.

“I really tried to create a Laker image, a distinct identity,” he once said. “I think we’ve been successful. I mean, the Lakers are pretty damn Hollywood.”

Read the full obituary: Jerry Buss dies at 80; Lakers owner brought ‘Showtime’ success to L.A.

Photo: Jerry Buss outside the Forum — the Lakers’ former home — in 1979. Credit: Dave Gatley / Los Angeles Times

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    RIP Jerry Buss.
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