Who owned the Los Angeles Lakers before Jerry Buss?

The Los Angeles Lakers created their empire with the legendary Jerry Buss as the owner. Buss took over the franchise in 1979, and the Lakers won 10 championships in the 34 years he was in charge (1979-2013). They reached the playoffs in 32 out of those 34 years and appeared in the NBA Finals 16 times.

Under Buss, the Lakers became a powerhouse in the NBA. His daughter, Jeanie, wants to continue that legacy and lead LA to a record 18th NBA championship.

Before Buss purchased the Lakers in 1979, the team was owned by Jack Kent Cooke, a Canadian businessman who owned broadcasting networks and sports teams.

Cooke became the owner of radio and TV stations in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, which helped him build an empire in the media industry.

In the sports world, Cooke owned the Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders) of the NFL, becoming a Super Bowl champion three times. He was also the owner of the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and the soccer team Los Angeles Wolves.

Concerning LA, Cooke took over the team in 1965. In his 14 years of charge, Cooke purchased NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain to pair him with fellow legend Jerry West. The franchise played in the NBA Finals seven times and won the championship only once, in 1972.

In 1979, Buss paid Cooke a then-record $67.5 million to buy the LA Lakers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, The Forum, and a 13,000-acre ranch in the Sierra Nevada and created a dynasty in the 1980s.

Jerry Buss refused to sell the Los Angeles Lakers for $1 billion back in the early 00s

After the LA Lakers won three championships consecutively, Jerry Buss got a very lucrative offer worth $1 billion to sell the franchise but refused.

Moving forward, his team claimed two more championships in the late '00s, with the late Kobe Bryant leading the way.

"I remember the first time he was offered a billion dollars for the Lakers," current owner Jeanie Buss recalled during an appearance on The Athletic NBA Show via Silver Screen and Roll, "and that was maybe 2003 or 2004, after the 3-peat that we had. He just was so shocked by that and couldn’t even imagine the team being worth that much."

"But he said ‘You know, Jeanie, the problem with that is that’s so much money. I would get the money and people would say what are you going to do with all that money? The first thing I’d want to do is buy the Lakers.'"

LA wants a record 18th NBA championship and hopes to claim it this year. So far, the Lakers are fourth in the West standings with 13 wins and nine losses.