When it comes to the best franchises in all of sports around the world, it tends to start with the Los Angeles Lakers. They are among the teams that continually find themselves in championship contention and usually have an excellent owner leading the way.
Of course for the Lakers that is none other than Jeanie Buss. Her father, the late, great Dr. Jerry Buss, is considered by many to be the greatest owner in the history of sports, so following in his footsteps was anything but easy.
But Jeanie weathered tough times to help return the Lakers back to the glory they experienced under her father and she remains one of the most well-respected owners in the NBA today. Commissioner Adam Silver went even further in his praise for Buss, via Katherine Rosman of The New York Times:
“Her views carry enormous weight, both with the other owners and the players,” said Adam Silver, the league’s commissioner. “She is N.B.A. royalty.”
The NBA owners meetings cover a number of different topics that affect the league as a whole. Female owners are not a regularity in sports and it would be easy for them to be pushed to the background and ignored, but Jeanie has proven her intelligence and worth over a number of years.
The fact that her word does carry so much weight amongst male-dominated group shows just how respected she is. And that trickles down within her organization from vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the rest of the Lakers players.
Whether it is about basketball or off-court issues that have been so prevalent in the world recently, Buss has proven herself to be unafraid to back her players in every way. Additionally, the franchise has been at the forefront of the fight for social justice that players hold so dearly.
Jeanie ‘dreams’ of joint championship parade with Dodgers
Of course all of Jeanie’s hard work culminated with the Lakers winning the 2020 NBA championship making her the first controlling female owner to win a title in American sports history. But unfortunately due to the ongoing pandemic, the franchise has been unable to celebrate in the traditional way.
The Lakers were joined as champions by the L.A. Dodgers, who defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series. Buss had been hoping for the two franchise to come together for a joint championship parade for the city, but the more time that passes it appears unlikely to happen.
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