
via Imago
Image Credits: IMAGN

via Imago
Image Credits: IMAGN
Running an NBA team isn’t easy. And when you are the owner of arguably the most historic basketball franchise, it surely is one of the hardest jobs in the world. However, Jeanie Buss has embraced that role brilliantly with the Lakers ever since her father, Jerry Buss, passed away twelve years ago. A story so inspiring that Netflix even made a show about it – Running Point.
Although a fictionalized version, the series is loosely based on Jeanie’s life as an NBA owner. The protagonist, Isla Gordon, played by Kate Hudson depicts her journey with a comedic touch. And turns out, it was Jeanie’s idea to make it a comedy instead of drama. During a recent Netflix interview, show’s star Brenda Song made the shocking revelation, “Jeanie Buss was actually the one that approached Mindy Kaling about five years ago cause she was the fan of The Office and she wanted to share her side of it.”
Yes, Buss had a private meeting with show’s creator Mindy Kaling to discuss the idea of a story based on her life. Song continued, “The beautiful thing about Jeanie is she has such an incredible sense of humor that people don’t realize that she didn’t want to make a crazy drama. She wanted to make a comedy because she’s like her life is so outrageous, you can’t write it. And Mindy was like ‘I think we can.’”
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Obviously, the idea worked as the first season of Running Point was a massive hit, with a 7.5 rating on IMDb and 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. Moreover, Brenda also revealed that her character is loosely based on Lakers’ executive, Linda Rambis, “She is truly one of my heroes.” While the show highlights the multiple hardships and uncertainties the owner has faced, Buss is currently dealing with one such situation in real life. The Luka Doncic trade!
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Jeanie Buss surprised by “Global Impact” of Luka Doncic Trade, claims giving up Anthony Davis was “Hard”
Until it happened, no one could even have imagined that one day Doncic would wear a Lakers uniform. But Jeanie Buss made it happen, obviously with major help from Nico Harrison. Even she was taken aback by the aftermath of the blockbuster trade, as she confessed in a recent interview, “I didn’t anticipate the global impact it would have. I mean, I knew it was going to be a big story in the NBA, but he really is a global superstar.”

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Mar 2, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a play during the third quarter against the LA Clippers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Of course, the trade was done in the shadows and even the involved players had no idea about it until the deal was finalized. As a result, it completely shook the sports world, and garnered the kind of attention even Jeanie failed to anticipate. However, she is excited to be on the positive side of this trade, “It’s gonna be a lot of fun. Our fans are already ecstatic.”
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Moreover, she hinted that Luka might remain a Laker for a very long time, “I love that he wears 77 cause we’ve never had [a player wear that number]. Like, if he was wearing 24, it’s like, sorry, you can’t wear 24, it’s retired. But 77, we’ve never had a 77.” Yes, Jeanie loves Luka’s uniqueness in terms of talent and hopefully, one day his one-of-a-kind number will hang in the rafters alongside other Lakers greats.
What’s your perspective on:
Trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic—was it a genius move or a risky gamble by Jeanie Buss?
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But acquiring a generational talent like Luka comes at a price, and Buss had to pay it by giving up Anthony Davis. She addressed it in the interview, “Look what we had to give up though. Do you know how hard that was? We were not looking to trade Anthony Davis – Dallas contacted us. It was a deal that both sides wanted to make.” Well, a move of this magnitude does not come often in an owner’s career and maybe, the world will see a version of it in the next season of Running Point. What are your thoughts?
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Debate
Trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic—was it a genius move or a risky gamble by Jeanie Buss?