Jeanie Buss Biography

Jeanie Marie Buss is an American businesswoman. She is the controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and currently serves as its president. A California native, Buss grew up in an affluent family. Her father, Jerry Buss, was a real-estate tycoon who later became the owner of the Lakers and other sports businesses. Her parents parted ways in 1972, which made her feel that she was emotionally abandoned. When she was 19 years old, she joined the family business as the general manager of the Los Angeles Strings professional tennis team. She later set up the Los Angeles Blades professional roller hockey team. She served as the president of the Great Western Forum before assuming the duties of the vice president of the Lakers. Her father passed away in 2013, and his controlling ownership of the Lakers was inherited by Buss and her five siblings through a family trust, with each sibling having an equal vote. In 2013-14, she assumed the duties of the president of the Los Angeles Lakers. Buss is also a co-owner of Women of Wrestling, a pro-wrestling promotion headquartered in Los Angeles.