“We were making a nice home at the bottom” Jeanie Buss reveals her seriousness after her own brother had underperformed
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Jeanie Buss and Jim Buss
Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the most successful franchises in the league. They had a good run from the start and also had some consecutive title wins to assert their dominance in the league. Interestingly since Jerry Buss bought the team, the Lakers have won a jaw-dropping 11 NBA titles. They nearly delivered at least 1 title in a given decade. However, that does not mean that they were sailing smoothly throughout their league stay. Current Owner Jeanie Buss reacted to the tough times the Lakers faced and tough decisions to overcome those phases.
60-year-old Jeanie Buss who has been with the franchise from a very young age has seen many phases in the franchise’s history. Going through up-and-down was nothing new for her, but the Lakers’ recent performances were denting their Brand Value and she made the difficult decision to fire her brother Jim in 2017.
Prior to his firing, Jim Buss was the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations. However, after multiple losing seasons, Jeanie Buss had to make the decision to let him go.
Jeanie Buss recalled tough times and decisions for the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers won 17 NBA Titles and played some beautiful games entertaining their fans. They attracted some of the big names of the sport, with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaq, and LeBron James to name a few of them. There is a total of 36 Lakers inducted into the NBA Hall of fame, highlighting the rich history of the franchise.
So when Los Angeles Lakers faithful were used to having some quality performances from their players and beloved team. But after the 2010 loss, the Lakers didn’t look like a fearsome team or contender team, and even sadly the situation got worst post-Jerry Buss’s death Jim Buss was operating the franchise and during the 2014 season, pledged to his siblings that he would step down if the Lakers were not contending for the Western Conference championship in three to four years.
Sadly Lakers didn’t fare well in later seasons and even lost the trust of their superstar Kobe Bryant, who was nearing his retirement. Later the dispute with Jeanie over the franchise ownership led him out of the franchise’s decision-making.
Jeanie Buss told Scooby Axson of USA TODAY in an interview, “The way he was operating the team, we were making a nice home at the bottom of the standings year after year. That wasn’t the brand that Dr. (Jerry) Buss created. No one has the formula to win a championship, but you always be relevant and be part of the conversation and give yourself a chance to win.”
There’s no doubt that the period preceding Jim Buss’ firing was one of the worst stretches in Lakers’ history. The brutal stretch began in the 2013-14 season when the Lakers won just 27 games. The next season, they won just 21, then 17 the following season. Jim Buss was fired amid another poor campaign in the 2016-17 season.
The Lakers managed just 3 titles in nearly 12 seasons, which was shocking for a franchise of that magnitude. In 2020 Lakers did win a record 17th title and but again injuries and chemistry issues handed them nothing but disappointments in later seasons.
Now, Jeanie Buss and company will look to crawl out of that hole and once again challenge for a title. Of course, another championship would be an incredible comeback from the Lakers this season, and they are working hard to make suitable adjustments around their star players – LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Also Read: Top 5 Wealthiest NBA Franchises 2022: How much are they worth
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