LA Lakers Owner Jerry Buss Spoke About his Relationship With Kobe Bryant
Dr. Jerry Buss is arguably the most famous team owner in NBA history. “The owner who made the NBA great again” He owned Jack Kent Cooke’s Los Angeles Lakers in 1979 and devoted himself to the institution for the rest of his life. The two main things that helped him do that were drafting Magic Johnson his first year and trading for Kobe Bryant in 1996.
After recruiting the Magic and setting the franchise up for early success, the Lakers had settled into mediocrity in the 1990s. Despite signing Shaquille O’Neal as a free agent, the team was not yet ready to compete.
And then came the 1996 NBA draft, the night the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Kobe. Getting Kobe was not a guaranteed path to success. But Buss trusted Jerry West’s advice and gave the green light to recruit the young teenager from Lower Merrion High School in the lottery.
The kid went on to be the poster boy for the NBA and a legend of a team in purple and gold. This definitely instilled a lot of pride in the owner responsible for selecting it and created a great bond between player and owner.
Buss, a father of six children, even came to consider Kobe as one of his own.
Jerry Buss considered Kobe Bryant his son
Bryant, being a local talent, was the blue-eyed kid of the Lakers franchise for two whole decades. Naturally, the owner was a fan. After all, Bryant was drawing fans to the trucking Los Angeles franchise.
5 of the rings in the franchise under the ownership of Buss had the Mamba markings all over them. Bryant retired as arguably the greatest Laker of all time and was the main attraction in Los Angeles throughout his career. And it seems that it was not a surprise for Jerry Buss.
“Kobe Bryant, well, Kobe Bryant was special. Buss referred to him as “my son”, insisting that he would never trade the Laker for life. “Kobe,” he said, “will probably end up at a level that maybe only two or three players have reached. And I want to be around to see him when he peaks from him, which is still many years away.” said Buss from his young star early in Bryant’s career.
The talent West endorsed was clearly on display, even early in Kobe’s career. But before becoming “The Guy” as well, he seems like he had the backing of his owner.
Buss was also true to his word when it came to a time when a decision had to be made regarding Bryant. That’s when Shaq and Kobe had a break in their relationship and decided not to co-exist.
The Mamba was not to be traded under any circumstances. And clearly, even a problem the size of Shaq wasn’t tempting enough.
Why did the Lakers have to choose between Kobe and Shaq?
In 2004, after a humiliating loss to the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers decided they had enough. Bryant and Shaq didn’t get along, but success kept them together. Apparently, a 4-1 loss to Detroit marked the breaking point for management.
And then the great enigma arose. Which generational superstar of their star pairing to build on? But there was really no doubt in the management as to the choice of her for the future. It was always going to be Kobe.
While the decision seemed murky from the start, when Shaq added another ring to his cabinet, the tide turned. Bryant won the championship two more times and cemented himself as a Lakers legend. Buss was validated and was able to keep his word, a win-win deal if there ever was one.
