This might be the era of women’s empowerment, but our Boss Lady in the NBA has been living that mission long before it became a trend. Standing tall in a male-driven sports world, she slipped into her father’s big shoes, took the reins, and carved out her path to success. By now, you’ve probably guessed it’s Jeanie Buss. After mastering the strategy of the hardwood, the Lakers owner is now stepping into the spotlight of the glamor world. Not literally, though. The new Netflix series Running Point is based on her story. But did you know this wasn’t her first attempt at breaking into the industry?

So the conversation came up on The Rich Eisen Show as the host asked when Jeanie was first approached for the venture. That’s when the Lakers’ governor casually revealed someone made a similar offer two decades ago. What else do you expect when you’re a big personality in LA? “20 years ago, a producer pitched to me the idea of a scripted show based on a character like me,” she said. Why her? “Because most of the women in power that you see on television are either a cop or a doctor. And this was something different and it would be appealing to men who like sports because it would be sports, but women would relate to it because a woman’s in charge,” Jeanie explained.

Despite gaining traction, the plan didn’t work out. But why? The reason was simple: The release of the popular show Desperate Housewives shifted the audience’s focus. “Everyone wanted something more like soapy or something like instead of that and so we dropped it,” she added. But the idea had stuck with her. The franchise’s executives, Linda Rambis and Jeanie, always felt there was a comedic angle to her story. So, with that in mind, she reached out to The Office actor. “We just continued to talk to people and we connected with Mindy (Kaling) and pitched her the idea,” the 63-year-old said.

Five years ago, the Netflix creators decided to give Jeanie’s story a breakthrough, or should we say, she got a second chance at telling her story. The show revolves around the duties of the Lakers being passed on to her after her father Jerry Buss’ demise, with some family drama and, of course, plenty of basketball. But there was something the host couldn’t help but notice. Guess what?

Jeanie Buss sheds light on poster details and “messy” family drama

It didn’t take long for Rich Eisen to observe that the cover picture for the show looked the same as Jeanie Buss’ book ‘Laker Girl’s cover. Actress Kate Hudson seemed to have borrowed the same pose, but the 63-year-old was quick to point out one key difference. She said, “The creative people at Netflix, they put together the art, but I appreciate the homage to my book ‘Laker Girl.’ But what I love is the little details, and, the deflated basketball.”

Further explaining the need for that detail, Jeanie added, “Obviously, when I’ve got the ball, it’s there, but the deflated ball just showing, like, hey, you know, it’s not perfect, it’s messy.” That reflected the ups and downs that the course of the business brought to the family. “This is a family business, stuff happens. And I think, you know, I’ve learned that most of the businesses in this country are family-owned businesses, so people will relate to the situations that happen with her family, them trying to run a business. But at the end of the day, it’s a family that comes together because they want the team to win, and things go better when they all get along and work together.”

As the controlling owner of the Purple and Gold, Jeanie made several difficult decisions over the years; for example, in 2017, she fired her brother for being unsuitable as vice president. Truly a lady with integrity. She put the team’s needs above her emotional connections, which is a big part of what makes her the successful woman she is today.

Despite the bumps in the relationship, everything worked out in the end. After all, it’s a family business that requires the family to be together to run it smoothly. There’s a lot more family drama that wouldn’t fit into one article, but you can binge-watch the sports series to know more. It’s packed with enough entertainment for everyone. So, what are you waiting for?