NBA Insider On Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss: "She's Too Nice To Be A Billionaire"

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss certainly isn't a very popular figure among the fanbase. Many of Buss' decisions over the years have been questioned and insider Anthony Irwin has now shed some light on what kind of a character she is, on the Lakers Lounge podcast, and it might explain some of her actions.

"The two things you hear about Jeanie Buss is, one she is legitimately too nice to be a billionaire," Irwin said. "It is shocking how nice she is, given the wealth that she has at her disposal and she is just a very nice, genuine, and fiercely loyal friend."

"The other thing that you hear about Jeanie Buss is that she cares fiercely about the Lakers," Irwin stated. "And all that she wants to do professionally in life is to live up to the expectations that were bequeathed to her by her dad."

"The problem is that first thing appears to give her real blind spots and stops her from actually carrying out the second thing there," Irwin continued. "And in this case, I think she genuinely thinks Rob Pelinka is the person for the job and I think she genuinely thinks that the people that she has surrounded herself with are the people for the jobs that they hold."

"She could be less biased about Jim (Buss) than she is biased about the people that she currently is surrounded by," Irwin added. "And that to me, is the foundational problem with the Lakers right now. Is that the person at the very top of the organization is incapable of being honest with herself about the job that the people that she employs are doing."

(starts at 30:34 mark):

Irwin made it clear he had never spoken to Buss and these are all things he has heard about her. He also added that this is a great example of why you shouldn't be doing business with friends, as it might cloud your judgment.

This perhaps explains why Buss has stubbornly refused to part ways with Linda and Kurt Rambis, two individuals in her inner circle who hold advisory roles in the Lakers organization. Many have questioned why the two hold any kind of position, but she believes they are the right people for those jobs.

Buss seems to lack that bit of a ruthless streak that individuals of her stature tend to have. It's often been said that she runs the Lakers like a mom-and-pop shop, which isn't ideal in the eyes of many, but I don't expect her to change now. The 62-year-old doesn't plan on selling the team either, so this will continue to be how the Lakers are run for the foreseeable future.

Jeanie Buss Had A Fiery Response To Those Who Criticize Her Inner Circle

With the spotlight often being on the people Buss surrounds herself with, she has come to their defense from time to time. A couple of years ago, Buss fired back at the haters who criticized her inner circle.

“People are like fascinated with that for some reason," said Buss. "I could ask you do you ever ask Mark Cuban who his inner circle is? Or Joe Lacob who his inner circle is? It’s just there’s something about being a woman I think that people feel like, ‘What crutches does she need or what does she lean on because she’s not capable of doing it herself.’

“I have great people that I work with. People seem most interested in Linda Rambis who I’ve been working with for over 30 years. I’ve operated in the same style since I started working with the organization and even before that with the Great Western Forum putting on events. I’m a leader, I’m not a dictator. I like to build consensus. I like to hear from everybody at the table and then ultimately people need to understand I’m the governor of the team and I’m held accountable for every decision that’s made both business and basketball. So if anything goes wrong, it’s on my watch and I’m held accountable for it.”

Well, those questions get asked because of how much the Lakers have struggled since Buss became team president in the 2013-14 season. In her 11 seasons at the helm, the franchise has missed the playoffs seven times, been knocked out in the first round twice, and has won one championship.

For the Lakers, that's not good enough. If they had enjoyed more success, none of these questions would have been asked about Buss' inner circle.

Related: Every NBA Team's Market Valuation Heading Into The 2024-25 Season

Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News . We really appreciate your support.