Jeanie Buss Rumors

As the vice president of charitable affairs for the Lakers, Kiesha Nix is one of the most powerful women in the sport of philanthropy. When she was first promoted from executive director for the Community Lakers Youth Foundation to her current office, NBA legend Magic Johnson called to congratulate her personally. “I was in the middle of a Zoom call planning a community holiday event when his name showed up on my phone. I almost didn’t take the call,” she says. But she did, and she heard him say, “Hello Miss VP.” “I had to pinch myself,” Nix says. Nix had never actively pursued a career in community relations or fundraising, but the calling seemed to pursue her. She and Johnson had partnered on community events for more than a decade since they first crossed paths when Nix worked for Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. “I started out at the bottom of the totem pole almost 30 years ago as a project manager at Merrill Lynch, and by the time I left, I was negotiating contracts on behalf of Bank of America after the two institutions merged.”

Nix developed a reputation of trust, respect and compassion—all critical values for solid leadership. People were talking about her, so when Lakers president Jeannie Buss called Lon Rosen, the executive vice president of the Dodgers, looking for someone to run the Lakers’ foundation, Rosen didn’t hesitate to recommend Nix. “They called me on Monday, and I had a whole new career by Friday,” Nix says. Now, she’s the first Black woman to be named vice president within the Lakers organization. “I often tell young people I mentor that the people that have helped me along the way don’t always look like me. Lon is Jewish,” she says. “He’s a very respected man in sports. He didn’t have to recommend me, but he knew my work ethic. Hard work is the great equalizer.”