Behind the throne

NEW YORK CITY — Does Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss still call the shots for his National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise?

Buss,70, bought the Lakers from the late Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 for $67.5Million.. Today, the club is often referred to as the NBA’s most valuable franchise with an estimated worth of a half billion dollars, according to writer Elizabeth Kaye in the magazine Worth(Nov. 2002).

Buss worked hard to earn his fortune. He was born in a small Wyoming town with a population of only 3,000 and was abandoned by his father as a baby. At least, Buss inherited his father’s brains. His father was a brilliant mathematician who taught statistics at the University of California in Berkeley. His mother raised him on her small income as a waitress.

Buss lined up for food when he was four and his stepfather Stub Brown, his mother’s second husband, made him dig ditches when he was 13. Brown wanted Buss to quit school so he left home. Buss knew a good education would be his ticket to a better life. With his intelligence shining through, Buss eventually earned a doctorate in physical chemistry at the University of Southern California when he was 24.

Buss made his fortune in real estate, initially investing in an apartment building in West Los Angeles and later accumulating more property that was valued at $750 Million in the late 1970s.

Buss’ oldest child Jeanie, now 41, was just like him–smart, articulate, and independent-minded. She is now the Lakers executive vice president for business operations and manages the team’s finances. Buss has taken a step back in handling the club’s affairs, preferring to enjoy his old age away from the pressures of the board room. But his imprint on the Lakers remains. It was Buss who introduced the concept of "showtime" basketball and brought in those sexy Laker Girls to spice up the lulls in a game.

Jerry West was Buss’ chief architect during the "Showtime" era. But when Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and their cohorts retired, Buss looked to another architect. Phil Jackson was the choice and West was jettisoned into retirement, later to reemerge at Memphis.

Jackson,54, has led the Lakers to the last three NBA titles and if he succeeds in a four-peat this season, will become the winningest coach ever in terms of championships.

What has made the Lakers latest version of a dynasty more intriguing is the partnership between Jackson–who is in charge of basketball operations–and Jeanie. Jackson ended his 25-yearmarriage to his second wife June and now lives with two of his five children. It’s not clear if Jeanie and Jackson live together but it’s certain they spend a lot of time together, at home.

Apparently, Buss approves of the alliance, reportedly telling his daughter "I’ve always though you should be with an older man." You can’t fight success.

Jeanie said she never hired Jackson so she wouldn’t be the one to fire him–otherwise, it would be "sexual harassment." Kaye said "it was an alliance welcomed by sports reporters grateful for a story whose subcurrents of sex and power were of the genre that elevated Washington journalists into TV stars during the Clinton presidency."

Jeanie, quoted by Kaye, said, "If I get the blame when they lose, can I have the credit when they win?"

Because of Jackson’s unconventional coaching practices and adherence to Zen, he’s not widely accepted as a coaching guru in the Red Auerbach mold. Detractors insist he’s just been lucky inheriting franchise players like Jordan in Chicago and Shaquille O’Neal in L.A. They point to the fact that this year, the Lakers were 3-9 before O’Neal made his season debut against Chicago last Friday. Critics wonder if Jackson would be as successful without O’Neal.

Jackson, of course, couldn’t care less what the skeptics say. He’s counting the championship rings in his fingers and he’s one short of filling up his two hands. There’s a $2 Million bonus in the balance for Jackson whenever the Lakers win a title. So even if he’s not the league’s highest-salaried coach, Jackson isn’t complaining.

The personal relationship between a coach and in effect, his boss is unprecedented in NBA history. Jeanie, of course, denies being Jackson’s boss but let’s face it, with her father no longer involved in running the Lakers front office, she holds the team’s purse strings and therefore, pays the coach’s salary.

For as long as the Lakers continue winning, there’s little anyone can say against Jackson’s liaison in his own backyard. But once the bubble bursts–and it will, sooner or later, expect the hounds to bark loud in denouncing the Jackson-Jeanie relationship as far from made in heaven.