I can't say that I grew up saying, 'Someday I want to be vice president of the Lakers,' because that's not how it happened. I work for our family business, and that happens to be the Lakers.
Jeanie Buss
For me, the burning desire has always been about building what my family had.
Who wouldn't want to own the Lakers?
There's the gold standard, and then there's the purple-and-gold standard.
I don't want to see Kobe Bryant ever leave. If he was 100 years old and still playing, I'd be happy.
That's what people don't understand, that in the NBA these are the best 450 players in the world, in the game of basketball, are in the NBA.
There certainly was a time when I started when people looked at me as the secretary to Dr. Buss. Being the boss' daughter amongst your peers, you gotta show up every day.
From the time I was in elementary school, I wanted to work in the family business.
Phil is of a generation that probably would have been happier never getting married. He just doesn't want to get married again; it's not that he doesn't want to marry me. It took me a while to understand that, and I'm fine with it now. We've been together for over 10 years. This relationship has been my longest and most successful.
We could not be more proud to have LeBron James as part of our Lakers family. He is an incredibly thoughtful and intelligent leader and clearly appreciates the power sports has to unite communities and inspire the world to be a better place.
The team will always be bigger than any one owner, or any one player, or one coach. The team is always first.
Any free agent that would be afraid to play with Kobe Bryant is probably a loser, and I'm glad they wouldn't come to the team.
Did you know I once tweeted at Red Bull, 'Would you ever consider making a sugar-free, caffeine-free Red Bull?'
People didn't even know where the Lakers' training center was, because we didn't have a flagpole to say, 'This is our home.' We were kind of hidden in the back of the L.A. Kings' practice facility.
I'm at the top of the food chain.
Being able to make people laugh is a powerful tool.
My dad empowered me and made me believe I could accomplish whatever I set my mind to.
I always tell Phil we're like the party poopers. If we ever get invited to a player party, between the two of us, we're like the downers. Like, 'Put down that beer!' Or, 'Should you really be eating those nachos?'
I think you can tell by the people who surround me the type of person that I am, and the people I rely on in my close circle are trusted, respected, experienced.
One thing Dr. Buss asked me to do was to make sure the team continues to evolve and to put a new light on the team, and we've certainly tried to embrace that vision of his, evolving the brand while paying tribute to the past. That's what Laker fans expect and what we try to deliver.
Even before my dad passed away, people tried to buy the Lakers. Sony tried in the 1980s. People have always wanted to buy the Lakers. They're not for sale.
Yes, I was given a privileged position at a young age. But if I had not been willing to work hard and prepare myself for all the challenges I would face, I would not have held on to my position all these years, regardless of my family ties.
The NBA requires that one person is the acting owner, the one person they can get on the phone and is accountable for anything that happens. That's why my dad started taking me to NBA board of governors meetings in 1995; you have to be approved as the owner.
I can't tell you how many letters I get from grandmothers who say, 'It's the only thing I can talk to my 15-year-old grandson about.' The Lakers are more than just a basketball team to this city. They're part of this community.
The teams that use tanking as a strategy are doing damage. If you're in tanking mode, that means you've got young players who you're teaching bad habits to. I think that's unforgivable.
The Lakers have been part of the process of revitalizing downtown L.A. That's what my dad's passion was. He loved to win, but he loved this city. He wanted this city to be proud of its team.
In my position, I can make changes. I can make changes across the entire organization. If John Ireland doesn't do his job, in his radio broadcast play-by-play, then we would make that change. If the Laker Girls drop down in caliber and couldn't do a dance number, then we'd make changes there.
When it comes to major decisions in any area of the organization, I like to get the blessings of the shareholders - of which my siblings are the majority - and build a consensus even if it isn't something that all of them agree on.
I think the Lakers are a legacy franchise. Players know when they come here, this is the ultimate platform.
But I don't look forward to the day that Kobe Bryant's not in purple and gold.
We understand the realities of the sports world. Take Shaq for example, he was traded from here and went on to several other teams after that. But once he was retired, he asked us to retire his jersey. He wanted to be remembered as a Laker.
There's no crying in basketball!
I'm a 55-year-old woman; I'm not, like, one of the Kardashians. I'm not that interesting.
The Lakers have figured out how to win in every era.
I think it's impossible to tell your coach and tell your players, 'Try not to win.' That goes against everything an organization is about.
It's nice to be able to go back and reflect and see how much my dad meant to people.
I have a great relationship with all my brothers. I've got three other ones. There's four boys and two girls. It's a family business.
The way my dad set things up was for me to oversee the business side and for my brother to oversee the basketball side. I know my dad felt that was a good system, and that's the system we're trying to make work.
I had a tough year, losing my dad. And I really needed to have some quiet time, and not be engaged the way I normally would be with the Lakers.
A relationship isn't just about space; it's about emotion and heart and all those good things.
I have a lot of role models.
I wanted to get married. That's who I am.
I just like working with my family; I like building something together.
I took a stand-up comedy class because I'd always wanted to.
I really wasn't expecting to fall so hard for Phil. As a matter of fact, when my dad said he was talking to Phil Jackson about him coming to L.A. to coach the Lakers, I tried to argue against it.
I am here to say that there is no drawback to being a woman in business. But if you think it's a drawback, then it probably does work against you. It's like playing poker. People will look for your weak spot, and your weak spot is only what you allow it to be.
What I love about our league is that players have an opportunity in their career to be a free agent and decide where they want to invest their time and their talent, in whatever team and whatever system. They deserve that right. They've earned that right.
Kobe is worth every penny, and I'd never had any doubt that he'd contribute to this team.
I think that when Magic decided that he didn't want to be with the organization any longer in an official capacity that took me off guard.
Dr. Buss set the bar high for the Lakers.
