Jeanie Buss Biography
Jeanie Buss (Jeanie Marie Buss) is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
She is the daughter of Jerry Buss, a real estate investor who later owned the Lakers and other sports businesses.
Buss started in the family business as general manager of the Los Angeles Strings professional tennis team at age 19. Later, she became the owner of the Los Angeles Blades professional roller hockey team.
Likewise, Buss was also president of the Great Western Forum before becoming vice president of the Lakers.
After her father died in 2013, his controlling ownership of the Lakers was passed to his six children via a family trust.
Where each sibling was receiving an equal vote. Although, Jeanie Buss took over as team president and represents the Lakers on the NBA Board of Governors.
Age
Buss was born on September 26, 1961, in Santa Monica, California, United States. She is 61 years old as of 2022.
Education
Buss attended college at the University of Southern California (USC), where she majored in business and graduated with honors.
Jeanie Buss Career
Jean Buss photo
World TeamTennis was folded in 1978 and was revived in 1981 as TeamTennis. Jerry once again owned the second incarnation of the Strings.
Thus, he appointed the 19-year-old Buss as the general manager while she was studying at USC. “Basically, my dad bought me the team,” said Buss.
After the Strings folded in 1993, Jeanie Buss brought professional roller hockey to Los Angeles as the owner of the Los Angeles Blades in Roller Hockey International. Respectively, the league named her Executive of the Year.
President of the Great Western Forum.
Additionally, Jean served for four years as president of the Great Western Forum, then the home arena of the Lakers.
Throughout her stint with the Forum, Buss’s role with the Lakers increased. Accordingly, she served as the Alternate Governor on the NBA Board of Governors since 1995.
Buss was named executive vice president of business operations for the Lakers in 1999. Later in 2005, her brother Jim was promoted to vice president of player personnel.
Moreover, their father’s plan was to have Buss handle the business decisions of the team, while Jim handled the basketball side of the Lakers.
In the same vein, Buss was named as one of the Top 20 Most Influential Women in Sports in 2005 by Sporting News.
Forbes named Buss as one of the few powerful women in sports management in 2011. Similarly, ESPN said Buss is “one of the most powerful women in the NBA”.
Buss’s father 66% controlling ownership of the Lakers was passed to his six children via a trust after her father died in 2013.
Where each child was receiving an equal vote. Further, his succession plan had Buss assume his previous title as the Lakers’ governor as well as its team representative at NBA Board of Governors meetings.
That summer, Jeanie Buss commented that “I would be more comfortable if I understood what the decision process [on the Lakers’ basketball side] was, and I’m not always involved in it.”
Lakers President.
Buss became president of the Lakers in 2013. Therefore She continued to lead the team’s business operations. However, Brother Jim continued as executive VP of basketball operations. In addition to this, they were working together thus overseeing its basketball operations.
Jeanie Buss terminated Mitch Kupchak as General Manager and accepted the resignation of her brother Jim as VP of Basketball Operations on February 21, 2017, installing Magic Johnson as President of Basketball Operations.
Johnson, who played for the Lakers from 1979–91 and in 1996, had also served as VP, coach, and part-owner of the organization. Therefore, She would then hire sports agent Rob Pelinka to be the new general manager.
Family
Buss was the third of four children to Jerry Buss and JoAnn Mueller. She grew up with older brothers Johnny Buss and Jim Buss and younger sister Janie Buss.
However, their parents divorced in 1972, leaving her feeling emotionally abandoned.
At age 14, Buss attended World Team Tennis meetings with her dad, who owned the Los Angeles Strings. When she was 17, she moved in with her dad at Pickfair. As a result, Buss became so familiar with the estate that she led guided tours.
Jeanie Buss Husband
Buss was married to volleyball player Steve Timmons in 1990 but divorced after three years. According to Buss, “I never put my marriage first … It was always business which attracted me.” She posed nude in the May 1995 issue of Playboy.
Phil Jackson
Buss was engaged to former Lakers coach and former New York Knicks President Phil Jackson, whom she began dating in December 1999. Afterward, on December 27, 2016, Phil Jackson released a statement announcing the termination of their engagement.
Jeanie Buss Net Worth
Being the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers, Buss has an estimated net worth of $500 million as of 2023.
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