The influence of Jeanie Buss’s parents, Jerry and JoAnn Buss, helped her become a trailblazing sports executive.
Highlights
- Jeanie Buss’s rise to becoming the first female controlling owner to win an NBA championship was shaped by her early business education from her father, Jerry Buss, beginning when she managed the Los Angeles Strings tennis team at just 19 years old.
- The divorce of Jerry and JoAnn Buss in 1972 significantly impacted Jeanie emotionally, but her subsequent move to live with her father at age 17 cemented their business relationship and positioned her to eventually take control of the Lakers.
- The Buss family has experienced considerable internal conflict, particularly after Jerry’s death, with Jeanie engaging in legal battles with her brothers over control of the Lakers while maintaining a strong alliance with her sister Janie.
Jeanie Marie Buss stands as one of the most influential figures in professional sports today.
Born on September 26, 1961, she has forged an impressive path as the controlling owner and president of the LA Lakers, one of the NBA’s most storied franchises.
Her journey to the top of the sports business world began at 19 when her father appointed her as general manager of the Los Angeles Strings professional tennis team while she was still studying business at the University of Southern California.
Buss’s early career showcased her business acumen across multiple sports ventures.
After the Strings folded in 1993, she brought professional roller hockey to Los Angeles as the Los Angeles Blades owner, earning Executive of the Year honors from Roller Hockey International.
Her involvement with the Lakers deepened when she served as president of the Great Western Forum, the team’s former home arena, before becoming executive vice president of business operations in 1999.
Following her father’s death in 2013, Buss emerged as the controlling owner of the Lakers when Jerry Buss’s 66% ownership stake passed to his six children via a family trust.
Her leadership faced immediate challenges, particularly in her complicated professional relationship with her brother Jim, who initially oversaw basketball operations.
The power struggle reached a head in 2017 when Jeanie removed Jim from his position and appointed Magic Johnson President of Basketball Operations.
Her business savvy and determination paid off in 2020 when she became the first female controlling owner to guide her team to an NBA championship, adding a sixth title to her collection as an owner and executive.
Beyond the Lakers, Buss continues to expand her sports empire as co-owner and promoter of Women of Wrestling (WOW), which secured a major distribution deal with ViacomCBS in 2021, marking the largest media platform for women’s wrestling in U.S. history.
The Influential Parents Behind Jeanie Buss’s Success
Jerry and JoAnn Buss played pivotal roles in shaping the woman who would eventually lead one of sports’ most valuable franchises.
Their relationship began at the University of Wyoming, where JoAnn Mueller, born in Boise, Idaho, met sophomore Jerry Buss at a dance.
As Jeanie later recounted in her book “Laker Girl,” her mother told her roommates that very night,
“I just met my future husband.”
LA Times
The couple married in 1952 and moved to Los Angeles together the following year.
Their union produced four children: Johnny, Jimmy (Jim), Jeanie, and Janie.
However, the marriage ended in divorce in 1972, a split that profoundly affected 11-year-old Jeanie, who later described feeling “emotionally abandoned” by the separation.
After the divorce, Jerry had two more children, Joey and Jesse, with his girlfriend Karen Demel. He also became a father figure to Demel’s son Sean, who adopted Buss’s surname.
Jerry Buss, who passed away in February 2013 at age 80 after battling cancer, transformed the Lakers into a global sports brand after purchasing the team in 1979.
His innovative approach to sports entertainment created what became known as “Showtime,” featuring courtside celebrities, the Laker Girls dance team, and a distinctive blend of sports and entertainment.
Beyond his business genius, Jerry maintained a special relationship with Jeanie, who moved in with him at Pickfair, his 42-room Beverly Hills mansion, when she was 17. Jeanie told the New York Times,
“I didn’t get enough time with him when I was growing up, he was working a lot, that was his focus, building his empire, building his wealth through real estate. But when I got out of high school, I learned there was more we could do together around sports.”
Heavy
This connection through sports business became the foundation of their relationship, with Jerry mentoring Jeanie in the sports industry and eventually positioning her to take control of his beloved Lakers.
JoAnn Buss remained an important presence in Jeanie’s life despite their relationship not being as publicly documented as her bond with her father.
When JoAnn passed away in December 2019 at age 86, Jeanie expressed her profound grief on social media:
“It is impossible to say goodbye to the most important woman in my life. I love you mom.”
Heavy
She remembered her mother as someone who attended Lakers games during the Showtime era, often walking around the concession stands to work off anxiety while watching the intense games. Jeanie wrote,
“She was quirky and charming all at the same time… She shined like the sun. We all loved her.”
Heavy
Jeanie’s relationship with her father taught her crucial business lessons that continue to guide her leadership today.
She often shares three key principles she learned from Jerry: trust your instincts, persevere despite obstacles, and incorporate your heart into business decisions.
Jerry showed these lessons through his bold decision to draft Magic Johnson first overall in 1979, despite advice to choose a more established player.
He also supported Jeanie’s unconventional promotions at the Forum and was understanding of her relationship with former Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
The complex family dynamics among the Buss siblings became public after Jerry’s death when control of the Lakers triggered legal battles.
While Jeanie’s relationships with her brothers, Johnny and Jim, have been strained, her younger sister, Janie, has remained her steadfast ally.
During the 2017 ownership dispute, Janie publicly declared,
“My vote is behind Jeanie. I’ve always had her back. There was a reason why my dad chose Jeanie.”
Heavy
She added that Jerry
“would be sickened if he saw what was going on with my older brothers.”
Heavy
These family relationships continue to evolve. In a surprising development, Jeanie discovered in 2018 that she had another sibling named Lee, Jerry and JoAnn’s first child, who had been given up for adoption.
Jeanie arranged for Lee to connect with the family, further expanding the complicated Buss family tree.
Today, Jeanie Buss carries forward her parents’ legacy in distinctive ways—combining her father’s business instincts and sports innovation with qualities she attributes to her mother: kindness and a memorable laugh.
As the controlling owner of the Lakers, she has proven herself as a formidable sports executive in her own right while honoring the family foundation that shaped her remarkable career.
Additional Information
- Before her career as a sports executive, Buss became so familiar with her father’s Pickfair estate that she actually conducted guided tours of the property for visitors.
- In 1995, Buss made headlines outside the sports world when she appeared in a nude photoshoot for Playboy magazine.
- Though now married to comedian Jay Mohr since September 2023, Buss maintains an unconventional living arrangement where she occupies the third floor of their apartment building while Mohr lives on the first floor.
