The Los Angeles Lakers were earlier today mourning the loss of owner Jerry Buss before they went to practice.
Buss, who passed away on Monday at the age of 80, was still firmly on the minds of each player that walked into the Lakers training facility on Tuesday, following the All Star break. Kobe Bryant had fond memories of the legendary hall of famer.
“To me personally, he obviously believed in me from Day 1, being a 17-year old kid to where I am now,” Bryant told ESPNLA.com.
“His competitive spirit, his vision of what this organization should be and how it should go beyond basketball, the global outreach that he had in his mind, we talked quite a bit about that. We talked about the old times and he’s obviously had a profound impact on my career to say the least.”
Bryant added that he had “100 percent confidence” in the Buss family to continue the great tradition that Buss had built in Los Angeles. Jerry’s son Jim is the vice president of player personnel and daughter Jeanie is vice president of business operations.
Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who Buss brought in as a player 32 years ago reminisced about the great man who kept Kupchak employed after his playing career.
“Yesterday was an empty day,” he said. “I couldn’t seem to find a place where I was comfortable – a room, a place, a car, a house. A major loss, personally, for obvious reasons.”
Kupchak echoed Bryant’s confidence in the Buss children to keep the Lakers going and after 32 years, he believed that he could help out as well.
“Ownership will continue to carry on the brand of the organization,” Kupchak said. “Nobody understands what this franchise means to Los Angeles more than Jeanie and Jimmy and the family. Nobody does. And to the extent that they’ll let me [chart the Lakers’ direction], after spending 32 years with Jerry, I think I have a feeling of what he wants too.”
