In 1979, Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Los Angeles Kings and The Forum, from previous owner Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million, thus beginning arguably the ...

In this 1979 photo, Lakers owner Jerry Buss is shown with children (clockwise from top left) Janie, Johnny, Jim and Jeanie. (Gunther / mptvimages.com) ...

Jerry Buss was a chemist and USC instructor who heavily leveraged his real estate investments to buy the Lakers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, the Forum arena and a large ranch from Jack Kent ...

Under Jerry, it became the hottest nightclub in town, and it further cemented the idea of Laker games as the place to be seen. (Let’s just say it wasn’t for the timid or the puritanical.) ...

Jerry Buss was a chemist and USC instructor who heavily leveraged his real estate investments to buy the Lakers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, the Forum arena and a large ranch from Jack Kent ...

Follow The Athletic’s live coverage of the NBA offseason & free agency. In 1979, when Dr. Jerry Buss purchased his $67.5 million stake in the Los Angeles Lakers — which included a 13,000-acre ...

Mark Walter’s acquisition of majority ownership of the Lakers, in a deal that puts the franchise valuation at $10 billion, is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of this year.

How Much Did Jerry Buss Buy the Lakers for? According to multiple outlets, Jerry bought the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million in 1979. That amount equates to roughly $300 million in 2025.

The Buss family has become synonymous with the Lakers since Jerry Buss bought the franchise in 1979. He is a major reason why the team is worth $10 billion in 2025.

3. Shaq-Kobe Era & Three‑Peat (2000-2002) Jerry West’s 1996 trade for Kobe Bryant and the free-agent signing of Shaquille O’Neal, one orchestrated under Buss, transformed the Lakers.