RealGM

Jerry Buss' work unparalleled


As we prepare to celebrate Jerry Buss' induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, I don’t want to delve too deep into all the details of his early life. But because there is something valuable to take away from a story that begins with a man who started out with nothing, you ought to know the short and quick of it.

Buss didn’t grow up in a house of privilege, where one is handed an allowance that would allow him to purchase one of the Dahlak Archipelago in the Red Sea were he so inclined. He does not come from “old money” and didn’t come into owning the Lakers because Daddy wanted to find something worthwhile to occupy Jr’s time. Buss grew up in poverty, moved from Southern California to Wyoming, and managed to stumble out of the gate when it came to education. He dropped out of high school for a bit after deciding work was the more logical option, but soon thought better of it. He managed to graduate, then really took to school by flying through a Bachelor of Science program at the University of Wyoming in less than three years. That led to a Masters and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California and a spot in the aerospace industry upon graduation.

Because Buss was a sports nut, he traveled the country following his beloved USC football team, remained involved with the school and was even a member of the faculty for a brief time. It provided an honest living, one good enough to support four kids and a wife, but Buss wanted more. His brain was too good with numbers, and he was too smart to settle for a punch the clock, working for “the man” style of life. Enter the world of Southern California real estate (that’ll get the juices flowing). Again, I’ll spare you the details on how Buss and his friend Frank Mariani came to purchase an apartment building together, but over time, one structure led to another, then another, and another, and before you know it Buss had amassed quite the fortune in Los Angeles' high-rise’s and upscale properties.

http://www.foxsportswest.com/08/11/10/J ... eedID=4034