- Long time Lakers owner Jerry Buss died this morning after losing a battle with cancer. The 80 year old was in relatively poor health but was not reported to be in terrible shape so the news comes as somewhat of a surprise to the sporting world.
- The Lakers enjoyed unprecedented success under Buss, as the Lakers won a total of ten NBA titles during his tenure (in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010). He managed to do so with a combination of superstar players and great coaches, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant among the all-time great players and Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, arguably the games two greatest coaches ever.
- From a financial standpoint, what Buss did may be even more impressive because when he bought the Lakers (along with the Los Angeles Kings, the Forum/Staples Center and real estate in central California in 1979 he only paid $67.5 million). Forbes magazine now estimates the Lakers alone at more than $1 billion.
Danica wins Daytona Pole
- Danica Patrick won the pole position for this year’s Daytona 500 giving her the prime starting spot in NASCAR’s first race of the year. Patrick is the first woman to win the pole in any NASCAR race, and did it in what is basically the Super Bowl of Nascar, even though is comes at the beginning of the season. Her 196.4 MPH was unmatched by any of the other 37 drivers who will be racing on Sunday.
- Patrick is additionally the first woman to lead a lap in the Indianapolis 500, and the only woman to win an Indycar race. This pole victory marks the next step in Patrick’s rise to prominence and to prove gender equality in stock car racing.
- Patrick has also been a focus of news off the track. She got divorced from her husband, and has started a relationship with fellow NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. She was also the third wheel in a very popular Super Bowl commercial.
CP3 leads West to All-Star win
- Chris Paul led a strong showing from Los Angeles's All-Stars, leading the West to a 143-138 win behind a monstrous stat line of 20 points, 15 assists and 4 steals. Kevin Durant had a huge game as well, scoring 30 points and in so doing set records as the only player to score 30+ in three straight games and for the most points scored in a player's first four All-Star games combined.
- The city of Los Angeles also got solid production out of fellow starters Dwight Howard, Blake Griffin and Kobe Bryant, although Bryant's biggest impact came in negating reigning MVP Lebron James. Lebron only scored 19 points on 7-18 shooting which is particularly bad in a defense-free game like the All-Star game.
- Some think that Kobe was motivated because it was Michael Jordan's 50th birthday and MJ had specifically mentioned that he thought Kobe was better than Lebron. Two incredible blocks late in the 4th quarter against the taller, younger and more athletic James may have cemented that view in many minds. Additionally, Bryant has won five NBA championships to James's one.
- It was the culmination of a busy weekend in the news for Bryant who also may have gotten in hot water with the NBA when he tweeted a caption with a picture of his daughter and Chris Paul's daughter playing on the court together over the weekend. "At least lil @CP3 and baby Mamba can play together NBA can't veto this one Ha!" The NBA vetoed a deal last season that would have landed Paul in Lakerland, which given his production over the past two seasons and on Sunday, may have Kobe closer to equaling Jordan with six NBA Titles.
One thing I liked about Buss he let basketball men run the Lakers. He realized like he said they knew way more about it. I think Jeanie could do better than Jim Buss at basketball decisions.
ReplyDeleteYea that's a good point. There's no reason you can't be a high-profile owner while staying out of the way of important franchise decisions. *Ahem* Jerry Jones!
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