Having won 17 NBA championships, the Los Angeles Lakers are known to be one of the most competitive and successful franchises in sports.
The Lakers have been a force to reckon with since the NBA’s early days, winning five of the first six titles after the league’s launch as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1948. But the franchise truly became synonymous with success after Dr. Jerry Buss’ takeover in 1979, which brought the dawn of the “Showtime” era.
The Purple and Gold won 10 titles before Dr. Buss died in 2013, missing the playoffs only twice in his almost 33-year reign. His daughter and L.A.’s current president, Jeanie, talked to Eddie Johnson and Amin Elhassan on SiriusXM about how her father instilled the winning mentality in the franchise, pointing out he never wanted the team to tank out of respect for the Lakers faithful, and she plans to do the same:
Nobody has the exact formula, but I know you can’t win a championship if you’re not in the playoffs. You can provide enough resources to make sure you have a competitive team, year in and year out. Some people may debate the idea of tanking for several years. My dad never did that in 32 years, it’s just not the way he would have seen the Lakers brand—to be at the bottom of the standings year after year. He always felt that the fans invested their time and their money in your team, and you have to perform for them. If you don’t, they are going to move on and find something else to spend their time and money on. They deserve to have a quality product. And nobody can promise a championship every year, but again, unless you’re in the playoffs, you’re not going to have a chance to win. So I like to have the team be in a position to compete for championships, year in, year out.
The Lakers reached the NBA Finals in half of the seasons under Dr. Buss. However, the Purple and Gold haven’t been as successful since his death with the team rarely making the playoffs while enduring a power struggle between the late owner’s siblings in the 2010s.
But the Lakers tasted victory following Jeanie’s takeover, claiming the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the extraordinary 2019-20 season. Considering the success, L.A.’s governor maintains she is the right person to run the franchise — even if two disappointing campaigns came after the 2020 NBA championship.
Jeanie Buss thinks LeBron James’ contract extension gives Lakers ‘opportunity to contend’
The Lakers have been navigating a tricky offseason, trying to trade Russell Westbrook while having to negotiate a contract extension with LeBron James. The 37-year-old finally put pen to paper, committing to L.A. for at least another two years.
And Jeanie thinks James’ extension will give the Lakers ‘an opportunity to contend’ again.
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