Jeanie Buss Visits Childhood Home For Comfort During COVID-19 Pandemic
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss recently visited her childhood home after learning that it was for sale.
It provided her with some comfort during what's been a difficult few months with Kobe Bryant's death and the NBA season being suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m just like everyone else who is trying to find some solid ground when it seems our world has turned upside down,” Buss wrote on Instagram. “I was looking for a positive message somewhere in this chaos.”
Buss lived in the Bel Air home from 1979-81 with her father, former Laker owner Jerry Buss. She went to the open house and wrote that it hadn’t changed much in the last 40 years.
She posted a picture of her standing by the front door, where she first met Magic Johnson.
“The first time I met @magicjohnson was when I answered the doorbell and was greeted by a smile brighter than the sun,” Buss wrote on Instagram. “Lakers General [Manager] Bill Sharman brought our number 1 draft pick by to meet Dr. Buss. My dad was busy upstairs and asked me to entertain our guests until he was free.
“I made small talk and when the subject turned to basketball, Magic said he was so happy he was drafted by the Lakers but that he was going to only stay for 3 seasons because he wanted to play for his hometown team, the Detroit Pistons. I heard that and excused myself and ran upstairs to share the news with my dad. Well, my dad didn’t flinch. He thanked me for the information and told me not to worry, that once Magic puts on a Lakers uniform and steps on the Forum floor, he is never gonna leave. My dad knew before any of us that a lifetime love affair between Lakers fans and Magic Johnson was about to begin.”
Buss has been surrounded by the business of basketball from the time she was a little girl. By age 19, she became general manager of the Los Angeles Strings, a professional tennis team in L.A., learning the ins and outs of running a franchise.
Buss shared the post in hopes that “connecting to a favorite memory can help you too,” she wrote on Instagram.
She urged people to stay safe and reminded fans that new Lakers memories will be made again soon.
