Thursday, 21 November 2024

Jerry Buss

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Contributors 2024
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Basketball Owner
Statistics: 10 NBA Championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 & 2010)
2 WNBA Championships (2001 & 2002)
Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
In 1979, Jerry Buss bought Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Kings, and The Forum from Jack Kent Cooke. Under Buss, the Lakers would become the biggest names in basketball. Buss only held on to the Kings until 1988, but it was the Lakers who became not only his crown jewel but that of the NBA.

Los Angeles won five NBA Championships in the 1980s with a team built around Magic Johnson. A second dynasty came with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, and his Lakers won five more titles from 2000 to 2010.

Buss was also the owner of the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, which won two titles under his ownership. He passed away in 2013.

We are proud to nominate Jerry Buss for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.