Despite Her “Bittersweet” Takeaway, Lakers Owner Unveils Father’s Genius in Bringing Magic Johnson to the Franchise Forefront

It’s not easy to manage a franchise of the magnitude of the Los Angeles Lakers. But the Buss family has been doing it for decades now. The late Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979, and the current governor of the team is his daughter, Jeanie Buss. She is now following in her dad’s footsteps as she hopes to rebuild the franchise the way Jerry Buss has shown her during his time.

In a recent interview, she shared the genius of her father by believing in a young Magic Johnson and also went on to explain how a television show brought back memories of her family.

The relationship between Magic Johnson and Jerry Buss

Jeanie Buss joined the Hoops Adjacent on The Athletic NBA Show for a special interview. She revealed the effects of Magic Johnson on the team and talked about Jerry Buss’s relationship with Magic and her experience with the television show ‘Winning Time‘.

The show highlighted the relationship between Jerry Buss and Magic Johnson. According to Jeanie, it was something we had never seen before in sports. To have someone like the great Jerry Buss, who is an icon in the industry, taking a young 20-year-old magic Johnson under his wing.

Jerry Buss appreciated the joy with which Magic Johnson played. Being the businessman and marketer Jerry Buss was, he knew that if he was inspired by Magic Johnson, then so would be the fans. He knew the fans would fill the Great Western Forum.

Even having the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn’t pull enough fans into the arena. But Jerry Buss knew that Magic Johnson transcended the sport and was an all-time attraction.

She then explains how it was like a perfect story and the two of them found each other and were like soul mates in basketball, regarding how they wanted to play the game of basketball.

Jeanie Buss liked Winning Time

The show “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” focused on showing the Lakers dynasty in the 1980s and showtime basketball. The show brought back memories for her. Winning Time was not brought back after the second season. To this, she replied, “It was like losing those memories all over again, so it was bittersweet“.

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According to Jeanie, the show got some things wrong, but some aspects of it were right. She said the timing of her grandmother’s passing was depicted wrongly in the show, but at the same time, they got everything about her dad right. From his attire to his mannerisms and his relationships with people.

She then says that for new Lakers fans, the show was a good way to show the fans how much Jerry Buss hustled to buy the team, how he built the team, and how Magic Johnson inspired him.

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