Jeanie Buss Rumors
Among the least politically involved in this Los Angeles group were the Lakers owners. Jeanie Buss donated $2,700 to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign and also made nearly $5,000 in donations through ActBlue, the online fundraising platform. Jim Buss’ donations to Republican efforts, including Trump’s reelection, totaled about $7,200.
The first thing Jeanie Buss felt when Game 6 of the NBA Finals neared its close was overwhelmed. This title-clinching moment was one she’d been waiting for — one she wasn’t sure she’d ever have. She felt excited for the players who’d accomplished it and the fans who’d waited with her. Then it occurred to her that she had a job to do. “I’m not a good public speaker so I was worried I was gonna have a horrible case of stage fright and not find the words,” Buss said a day later. “Watching them celebrate together, that team is as close as any team I’ve ever seen.”
She found guidance in James. “Going through what I’ve gone through, the mud-slinging and the arrows and people, [James] even said it in his speech — the franchise wants respect, the front office wants respect, coach Vogel, he wants his damn respect,” Buss said. “When I was under fire and kind of unsure of what was coming at me next, I think of his strength in that. He doesn’t let that dictate how he responds to something. He stays true to himself. “I’ve learned that that is something that’s what everybody should strive to be. Stay true to their convictions and not listen to their detractors.”
She leaned on Linda Rambis, someone she’d worked with for decades and someone her father also had trusted. People began calling Rambis the team’s “shadow owner” and wondering why and to what extent she had power in the organization. “I do think that there’s people that might be uncomfortable with women in power positions,” Buss said. “Whatever that triggered in other people that started the hatred or slinging the mud whatever, calling her a shadow owner, things like that, was very demeaning and disheartening. Hurtful. But it didn’t change the mission at all. Didn’t change how we were gonna operate. Didn’t make me not trust her. Nothing can penetrate that 30 years of trust.”
Shaq: I think I’m one of the only guys in the country who was saying that whatever team wins, I’m happy for them. If the Heat were to win, I think, having been part of that team, it would be great for the franchise and I’d be happy for them. The Heat—they’ve got a great team, know how to compete—and they don’t get pushed around. And I knew that if the Lakers (won) I’d be happy for the team, and for the owner Jeanie Buss, and also for the city of Los Angeles. L.A. and the franchise have been through a lot this last year, especially with losing Kobe, so it means a lot for the city. And in winning, the Lakers would be tied with the Boston Celtics on championships, for the all-time best NBA team.
Magic Johnson: Rob Pelinka really made me feel good tonight reaching out after the Lakers won the NBA Championship. It means the world to me because I know he’s in the middle of celebrating with all of the Lakers players, coaches, and Jeanie Buss he didn’t have to!
