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Shaquille O'Neal: "I'm like President Bush. You may not like me, you may not respect me, but you voted me in." |
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HoopsHype.com Interviews Jeanie
Buss: "I might be the poster child for not mixing business with personal
life" Growing up a Buss in Los Angeles, what was that like? Jeanie Buss: My father didn't buy the Forum until I was a senior in high school. So for most of the time I didn't have to deal with people calling and asking me for tickets to the playoffs, concerts or whatever. But certainly being in my family growing up, we've always just been together through sports and through business and working. And certainly my father buying the Lakers was something special in that first year. The first thing he did as an owner with the Lakers was draft Magic Johnson and then his first year as owner he won a championship. So I don't know, it's magical really. Were you a sports fan before that, or a Laker fan before that? JB: You know,
actually my dad really loved sports and so what we would do with our family
times was to watch sports, go to sporting events, and he particularly
chose to attend Southern California because they had such a I have a pretty good feeling, Jeanie, that you were popular in high school. Did that popularity go up after your dad bought the Lakers? How did you deal with that? JB: After I
graduated from high school, I attended the University of Southern California
as well. Having the last name Buss, you really couldn't hide, so any time
a professor would call my name, the reaction would be, Never short of a date were you? JB: Never (laughing). You are in a very unique situation. Not only do you work with your family, but you work with your boyfriend too. So many people would love to go to work and see their dad, their brother, and their spouse, or their significant other. How is that? JB: Well, trust me, as I've said before, I might be the poster child for not mixing business with your personal life. Certainly it has its advantages – to be able to spend time with my boyfriend and family – but sometimes it has created different pressures and I wouldn't recommend it for everybody, but it has worked for me to a certain extent and I wouldn't really trade it for any other situation. How did you deal with that when Phil Jackson left the team? I know it is tough because you have your boyfriend on one side and your dad and organization on the other. JB: Yeah, you
know sometimes when I'm talking with my dad, I said 'when Phil got fired',
he says 'he didn't get fired, his contract wasn't renewed.' I go, 'okay,
whatever.' That was probably that toughest time of my life. It Did his departure affect your relationship with your dad? JB: No, because I understood why the decision was made. And certainly that's difficult in this business because you become friends with the people you work with in this business and when you have to trade a player or change coaches, it hurts. But if you continue to always be true to the bottom line and be true to the mission statement of winning a championship, then you do things based on that and if it means trading a player or making a coaching change, that's what you do. But a lot of people give you credit for Phil coming back to the Lakers too. How much were you involved in that decision and how much credit should you receive for that? JB: Well, certainly it was my fondest wish for him to return but we had a coach under contract who had signed a five-year contract and the organization was moving on. What I really wanted to see was Phil go back to work in the NBA and I didn't want to see him retired because I knew it wasn't on his terms. So I was working on Phil to come back to the NBA whether it was to take a job such as the New York Knicks or another job in the NBA. I wanted him to go back and leave the NBA on his terms as opposed to someone else's. And then when things transpired and we had a coach who needed to step down due to health reasons, well, then the Lakers job became available so of course personally that's what I wanted to see but I don't make those decisions. I don't make the basketball decisions. But, certainly, I definitely put in my suggestion. And dad would always listen to his little girl, right? JB: Ummm. He might not do what she said, but he'd listen? JB: He will always listen, yes, and that's something he has always given me – respect. And he's given me confidence because he believes in me. How is it having such a high-profile relationship? I mean this city's full of them, but yours is still unique because you're basically the employer and you're dating your employee, as it relates to the job function. How is that in this city? JB: A producer
approached me about basing a television show on my relationship with my
father and my boyfriend. He thought that would be interesting, but we'll
see what happens with that. But certainly I think I So its been a learning process for both of you in terms of you probably learn a lot more about the X's and O's of basketball and he's learning more about why the marketing aspect is so beneficial to a franchise JB: Yes, and I've learned that coaches can do no right in an organization. It's kind of like you draft players then you give them to the coach and either he does a good job or he does a bad job. It's never about the players, it's always about the job that the coach does. And certainly coaches are paid well enough to have that pressure put on them, but it seems that you know.. I mean I know how hard Phil works and when I hear peoples say, 'Oh Phil just sits there on the sidelines, is he asleep?' They have no idea how much effort he puts in and everything he does is about winning and there is no other option for him. I guess I've learned I am a little more protective of the coaching position because I know the work that is involved and maybe that makes me a little bit of a better executive. They're not just talking about your head coach, they're talking about your boyfriend too, right? JB: Yeah, (laughs) but I am the first one to say, 'Why didn't you call a timeout?' Are you his toughest critic? Are you on him more than anybody? JB: Yes, and
when I ask that question, he explains that there are so many layers as
to what is going on in a basketball game. But as fans we just get caught
in the momentum – 'keep that player in or don't take that guy Several times I've been on the radio and people talk about your relationship with Phil Jackson. What is that like for you to hear on the radio everyone talking about your relationship, because that's not something most people go through. JB: (laughs) Well, I don't think we're Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Not quite that level, absolutely not. JB: You know, I hope people know that it doesn't compromise my position or his position. That we'd never make our relationship detrimental to the team; that we're professionals, we're adults and I don't think it's ever put in jeopardy anything that has to do with the team winning or losing. Do you believe there is too much focus put on your relationship? JB: Actually, I think the media has been really good about it. I think about if we were in New York and even when there was talk about Phil maybe going to coach the Knicks and how the New York media all of a sudden became my new best friend. I was getting calls from writers, 'you like New York, don't you?' 'You're not going to stop him from coming, are you?' 'Will you move to New York?' 'Do you want a position with the Knicks?' I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, this is crazy.' And so, I think the media in L.A. has been respectful and certainly probably because of Hollywood and those type of relationships, they're used to it. So I don't think it got overblown. I'm sure people are tired of hearing about it, but I don't think it really caused any distraction. Are you tired of people wondering when you are getting married? JB: (Laughs)
We're not getting married. You know that speculation was there for a while.
I think certainly I was looking for something more, a stronger commitment
because I knew at some point that Phil would leave the So you're like Oprah and Steadman. JB: A little bit (laughs). Just not as much money. Michael Eaves covers the NBA for FOX Sports West in Southern California. You can reach him at meaves@foxsports.net Tell us what you think about this interview. E-mail us at HoopsHype@HoopsHype.com _____________________ |
