Longtime Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, who died Feb. 18 at the age of 80, speaks during the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Aug. 13, 2010, in Springfield, Mass. Since Buss became owner of the Lakers in 1979, the team has won 10 NBA championships.

Buss — shown on May 8, 2008 — smiles at the Playmate of the Year luncheon at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. In 1979, Buss bought the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke, along with the Forum, the NHL's Kings (which he later sold), and a ranch in the Sierra Nevada for a total of $67.5 million. The franchise was recently valued at $1 billion by Forbes magazine.

Buss smiles during an NBA basketball news conference on Aug. 17, 2010, in Bell Gardens, Calif. Before the most recent medical issues that led to his death, Buss continued to take part in decision-making for the Lakers —  including weighing in on the hiring of coach Mike D'Antoni in November 2012.

In this May 19, 1980 file photo, Buss gestures as the Lakers' 1979-80 team — the first run by Buss — is honored for its NBA championship with a parade in Los Angeles. The team has gone on to win nine more championships with Buss at the helm.

In this April 1980 file photo, Lakers coach Paul Westhead (left) shakes hands with Lakers owner Jerry Buss in Los Angeles. The team led by Westhead and Buss went on to win the NBA championship that season.

Jerry Buss holds a Los Angeles Lakers shirt in this June 18, 1981, file photo. Under Buss' leadership, the Lakers became Southern California's most beloved sports franchise and a worldwide extension of Hollywood glamour.

In this June 15, 1987, file photo, Buss gets doused with champagne by members of the Lakers as he holds the NBA championship trophy. The Lakers defeated the Celtics 4-2 to win the series — and LA's fourth title under Buss.
 

Buss, who has a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from USC, attends a game between Nebraska and the Trojans on Nov. 14, 2011, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. The father of six rarely appeared in public without at least one attractive, much younger woman on his arm at USC football games, boxing matches, poker tournaments — and, of course, Lakers games from his private box at Staples Center, which was built under his watch.

Buss, shown with former Lakers coach Mike Brown at a May 2011 news conference to announce Brown as head coach, was an integral part of Lakers — and NBA — leadership until his most recent illness. Buss served two terms as President of the NBA's Board of Governors.

Buss and an unnamed guest attend the 20th Anniversary Of The Magic Johnson Foundation Press Conference held Nov. 7, 2011, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Buss was a Renaissance man who epitomized California cool — and a certain Los Angeles lifestyle — for his entire public life.

In this Oct. 20, 2011, photo, Buss arrives for NBA labor negotiations at Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers in New York City. The longtime Lakers owner was actively involved in the 2011 lockout negotiations, developing blood clots in his legs attributed to his extensive travel during that time.

Kobe Bryant (left) and Derek Fisher congratulate Buss before the longtime Lakers owner receives his 2009-10 NBA championship ring on Oct. 26, 2010 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The title was the second in a row for the Lakers — and the team's 10th with Buss as owner.

In this Nov. 28, 2006, photo Buss chats with former Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Buss acquired, nurtured and befriended a staggering array of talented players and basketball minds during his Hall of Fame tenure.