WEBVTT 00:00:02.002 --> 00:00:03.303 And now, ladies and gentlemen, 00:00:03.503 --> 00:00:08.133 it's time for another historic moment in Laker history. 00:00:08.333 --> 00:00:09.893 Will you please direct your attention 00:00:10.093 --> 00:00:13.305 to midcourt where the voice of the Lakers, Chick Hearn, 00:00:13.505 --> 00:00:15.682 will emcee tonight's ceremony. 00:00:15.882 --> 00:00:17.476 Thank you. 00:00:18.852 --> 00:00:22.531 Hello, cap, welcome back. 00:00:22.731 --> 00:00:24.992 I decided to retire because I couldn't 00:00:25.192 --> 00:00:29.821 continue to play the game up to the standards that I had set. 00:00:30.021 --> 00:00:32.416 Let these things sink into your head. 00:00:32.616 --> 00:00:34.126 First of all, when he came into the League, 00:00:34.326 --> 00:00:37.454 he was Rookie of the Year, he averaged almost 29 points 00:00:37.654 --> 00:00:39.506 a game for the Milwaukee Bucks. 00:00:39.706 --> 00:00:41.342 How are you going to lose Abdul-Jabbar? 00:00:41.542 --> 00:00:45.546 Those guys come along once in I-don't-know-how-many moons. 00:00:45.746 --> 00:00:48.465 He played a total of 20 years. 00:00:48.665 --> 00:00:51.185 No other man has ever done that. 00:00:51.385 --> 00:00:54.221 He's got to be in the running for the best player ever. 00:00:54.421 --> 00:00:56.181 I mean, come on. 00:00:56.381 --> 00:00:57.941 That's amazing. 00:00:58.141 --> 00:01:00.502 There's only one guy that when I went out on that court 00:01:00.702 --> 00:01:03.063 that I couldn't believe I was standing on the same court 00:01:03.263 --> 00:01:04.323 as they were. 00:01:04.523 --> 00:01:06.692 I remember walking next to Kareem for the jump ball 00:01:06.892 --> 00:01:08.735 and I go "Boy, I hope my brother's watching. 00:01:08.935 --> 00:01:10.779 I'm standing next to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar." 00:01:13.115 --> 00:01:16.085 - He played in 1,560 games. 00:01:16.285 --> 00:01:20.005 No other man has ever or ever will do that. 00:01:20.205 --> 00:01:23.384 When Kareem leaves, it's like losing your right arm. 00:01:23.584 --> 00:01:27.671 That sky hook, you know, that was a big part of the success. 00:01:27.871 --> 00:01:30.257 He made the most points ever scored by an 00:01:30.457 --> 00:01:31.925 athlete in the NBA. 00:01:32.125 --> 00:01:34.937 38,367. 00:01:35.137 --> 00:01:37.497 I saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 00:01:37.697 --> 00:01:40.058 play basketball in 1974. 00:01:40.258 --> 00:01:41.235 I just fell in love. 00:01:41.435 --> 00:01:43.779 I fell in love with the Lakers and I just 00:01:43.979 --> 00:01:47.232 loved Kareem and the beauty of that shot, man. 00:01:47.432 --> 00:01:50.702 The poetic, poignant ballet of the thing. 00:01:50.902 --> 00:01:53.196 No one else has ever been able to do it since. 00:01:53.396 --> 00:01:54.873 It was unstoppable. 00:01:55.073 --> 00:01:58.702 Kareem, he just, I don't know, he embodied everything 00:01:58.902 --> 00:02:00.003 that I love about basketball. 00:02:00.203 --> 00:02:02.756 And you see those blankets up there? 00:02:02.956 --> 00:02:06.756 He led and captained the Los Angeles Lakers 00:02:06.956 --> 00:02:10.320 to five of those championships, for you. 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:13.884 Nine trips to the Finals in 12 years. 00:02:14.084 --> 00:02:15.394 Five World Championships. 00:02:15.594 --> 00:02:19.727 Showtime was Magic, it was Kareem, it was Worthy, 00:02:19.927 --> 00:02:24.061 it was Dr. Buss, and Jerry West, and Pat Riley. 00:02:24.261 --> 00:02:28.231 And Showtime came to an end when all of us 00:02:28.431 --> 00:02:30.701 left and Kareem was first. 00:02:30.901 --> 00:02:34.655 Kareem, I'm about to cry now, so I better get to- 00:02:34.855 --> 00:02:36.248 get out of here. 00:02:36.448 --> 00:02:40.202 I just want to say like Tina Turner said, 00:02:40.402 --> 00:02:41.712 "You're simply the best 00:02:41.912 --> 00:02:43.997 and you're definitely better than all the rest." 00:02:44.197 --> 00:02:45.540 All right. 00:02:50.045 --> 00:02:51.421 The greatest basketball player 00:02:51.621 --> 00:02:53.974 that ever lived. 00:02:54.174 --> 00:02:55.434 Somebody called me and said 00:02:55.634 --> 00:02:57.052 "What's gonna happen to the Lakers?" 00:02:57.252 --> 00:02:58.437 I said, "Championship's over." 00:02:58.637 --> 00:03:00.226 They said "Well, they still have Magic 00:03:00.426 --> 00:03:02.246 and Worthy and they got those guys." 00:03:02.446 --> 00:03:04.267 I said "Okay, and what's your point?" 00:03:04.467 --> 00:03:05.194 "What's gonna happen?" 00:03:05.394 --> 00:03:07.613 I said "Championship's over." 00:03:07.813 --> 00:03:09.773 When Kareem retired, that was it. 00:03:24.830 --> 00:03:27.040 There he is, his first shot as an owner. 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:28.333 Do you think he likes it? 00:03:31.545 --> 00:03:33.513 At this moment, I can't believe it. 00:03:33.713 --> 00:03:35.573 What's the future? 00:03:35.773 --> 00:03:37.634 Want to replace your father at the top? 00:03:37.834 --> 00:03:39.519 Yeah. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:43.440 Between my daughters and my sons, 00:03:43.640 --> 00:03:46.184 there's certainly enough sports teams to go around. 00:03:50.397 --> 00:03:52.028 Are you and the rest of the family, 00:03:52.228 --> 00:03:53.859 are you guys all on the same page? 00:03:55.861 --> 00:03:57.362 The Lakers, caught in the middle 00:03:57.562 --> 00:03:59.281 of a family power struggle. 00:04:03.702 --> 00:04:05.704 I think I've really left them with something. 00:04:12.711 --> 00:04:15.380 Well, this is a new look ball club here in 1989 00:04:15.580 --> 00:04:16.798 for the Los Angeles Lakers. 00:04:16.998 --> 00:04:18.016 This is a whole new era. 00:04:18.216 --> 00:04:21.303 This is the first time we've played since I've owned 00:04:21.503 --> 00:04:24.147 the team without Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 00:04:24.347 --> 00:04:26.850 starting at center and I'm excited, I'm nervous, 00:04:27.050 --> 00:04:29.152 and I'm hoping. 00:04:29.352 --> 00:04:32.276 My dad worried about not being 00:04:32.476 --> 00:04:35.200 able to sustain the greatness. 00:04:35.400 --> 00:04:40.280 And I could remember, you know, my dad's angst about when 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:42.699 Kareem retired, like how are we ever 00:04:42.899 --> 00:04:45.002 gonna replace this big man? 00:04:45.202 --> 00:04:47.287 Some of the best young players in the world 00:04:47.487 --> 00:04:49.664 stand at the doorstep to the big time. 00:04:49.864 --> 00:04:51.341 It is the NBA draft. 00:04:51.541 --> 00:04:53.297 The next pick up in the draft 00:04:53.497 --> 00:04:55.053 will be the Los Angeles Lakers 00:04:55.253 --> 00:04:58.381 and the Lakers obviously have a need to replace 00:04:58.581 --> 00:05:00.225 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center. 00:05:00.425 --> 00:05:02.928 There's no Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at center this year, 00:05:03.128 --> 00:05:04.396 When it comes to personality, 00:05:04.596 --> 00:05:07.849 Jerry West and Jerry Buss were always trying to look somewhere 00:05:08.049 --> 00:05:11.644 where no one else was looking, always be innovative. 00:05:11.844 --> 00:05:15.440 Our draft choice that year, our first round pick, 00:05:15.640 --> 00:05:18.527 there was like five of us in a room, scouts. 00:05:20.028 --> 00:05:22.389 Jerry West goes "Okay, we're going to vote 00:05:22.589 --> 00:05:24.950 and I want to know who you take, who you take, 00:05:25.150 --> 00:05:26.251 who you take, who you take, right?" 00:05:26.451 --> 00:05:28.453 Everybody said, you know, the same player. 00:05:28.653 --> 00:05:29.588 Let's find out. 00:05:29.788 --> 00:05:31.773 We'll find out about LA, here's David Stern. 00:05:31.973 --> 00:05:33.959 We're all thinking he's gonna say the player 00:05:34.159 --> 00:05:35.418 that we already agreed on. 00:05:35.618 --> 00:05:36.678 We all agreed on it. 00:05:36.878 --> 00:05:41.971 With the 26th pick in the 1989 NBA draft, 00:05:42.171 --> 00:05:47.264 the Los Angeles Lakers select Vlade Divac 00:05:47.464 --> 00:05:49.274 from Partizan Belgrade, Yugoslavia. 00:05:49.474 --> 00:05:51.068 George said his talent is too good, 00:05:51.268 --> 00:05:53.316 we have to take him, and he left the room. 00:05:53.516 --> 00:05:55.364 And the rest of us are just sitting there 00:05:55.564 --> 00:05:57.399 looking at each other like, "What just happened?" 00:05:57.599 --> 00:05:59.493 America is the land of opportunity, 00:05:59.693 --> 00:06:02.079 even if you're a 7'0" center from Yugoslavia. 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:05.332 It used to be you could send your scouts out 00:06:05.532 --> 00:06:10.370 pretty much in colleges, but now, I mean, let's face it. 00:06:10.570 --> 00:06:12.956 There's all kinds of European players 00:06:13.156 --> 00:06:14.925 in all different countries. 00:06:15.125 --> 00:06:16.718 I was one of the first Europeans 00:06:16.918 --> 00:06:20.738 that kind of tried to make it in the NBA. 00:06:20.938 --> 00:06:24.559 It was just, definitely dream for the kid 00:06:24.759 --> 00:06:27.053 that grew up in a small town in Serbia, you know, 00:06:27.253 --> 00:06:28.063 Eastern Europe. 00:06:28.263 --> 00:06:30.265 Can he fill Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's shoes 00:06:30.465 --> 00:06:31.525 with the Lakers? 00:06:31.725 --> 00:06:34.861 He's certainly going to try. 00:06:35.061 --> 00:06:38.148 Jerry West and Dr. Buss took a chance. 00:06:38.348 --> 00:06:40.358 I had different life. 00:06:44.905 --> 00:06:47.249 And the Oscar goes to... 00:06:47.449 --> 00:06:49.960 Dustin Hoffman for Rain Man. 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:51.878 Batman finally got off the ground 00:06:52.078 --> 00:06:54.706 last night and lines of stars were on hand 00:06:54.906 --> 00:06:57.426 for a Gotham-sized premiere. 00:06:57.626 --> 00:06:59.256 In California, in Los Angeles, 00:06:59.456 --> 00:07:01.047 it's very different weather. 00:07:01.247 --> 00:07:02.639 The weather is very nice. 00:07:02.839 --> 00:07:04.841 Tonight, we put the spotlight of the big man 00:07:05.041 --> 00:07:06.518 from Yugoslavia. 00:07:06.718 --> 00:07:09.512 Divac shooting his first free throw in the NBA. 00:07:09.712 --> 00:07:12.474 A lot of teams skipped over Divac. 00:07:13.892 --> 00:07:14.901 With a throw like that, 00:07:15.101 --> 00:07:17.086 he'll be the best that ever lived. 00:07:17.286 --> 00:07:19.072 Teams were afraid to draft him. 00:07:19.272 --> 00:07:21.695 Down the middle, he shot it, it's good. 00:07:21.895 --> 00:07:24.119 But my dad had faith in him 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:27.197 and I think it was just such a wild dream for him 00:07:27.397 --> 00:07:29.166 to come to Los Angeles. 00:07:30.622 --> 00:07:32.920 I was a European guy, this skinny, who can run. 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:35.418 So I took, you know, advantage of it, you know? 00:07:35.618 --> 00:07:37.649 Running, follow, Magic leads. 00:07:37.849 --> 00:07:39.681 He used to smoke and I'm like, 00:07:39.881 --> 00:07:43.677 "You can't do that and play in the NBA!" you know? 00:07:43.877 --> 00:07:46.721 We trying to make it to the NBA Championship! 00:07:46.921 --> 00:07:47.647 Okay. KJ. 00:07:47.847 --> 00:07:49.608 No, no. KH. 00:07:49.808 --> 00:07:51.568 KHJ. J. 00:07:51.768 --> 00:07:54.312 He can understand a lot of sign language. 00:07:54.512 --> 00:07:56.210 Rebound, you know? Shoot. 00:07:56.410 --> 00:07:57.908 - Hi, I'm Vlade Divac. 00:07:58.108 --> 00:08:01.828 "Kerche," which means run harder. 00:08:02.028 --> 00:08:05.782 And "berzia," which is work, work, work. 00:08:05.982 --> 00:08:08.138 Boy, oh, boy, he was so smart. 00:08:08.338 --> 00:08:10.295 He just knew things instinctively. 00:08:10.495 --> 00:08:12.710 No good, the rebound is. 00:08:12.910 --> 00:08:14.925 7-footer. 00:08:15.253 --> 00:08:16.963 That's a nice agility course 00:08:17.163 --> 00:08:17.790 for a 7'0" player. 00:08:17.790 --> 00:08:19.650 You know, seeing all those actors on the floor, 00:08:19.850 --> 00:08:21.710 you know, and I'm trying to, you know, figure out, 00:08:21.910 --> 00:08:24.180 am I dreaming or is this real? 00:08:24.380 --> 00:08:27.299 For me, it was exciting to be on television. 00:08:27.499 --> 00:08:29.259 What words have you learned here? 00:08:29.459 --> 00:08:31.282 Let's get busy. 00:08:31.482 --> 00:08:32.505 "Let's get busy." 00:08:32.505 --> 00:08:33.632 He's like a breath of fresh air. 00:08:33.732 --> 00:08:36.652 Here he comes bouncing in, oh, I'm so happy to be here, 00:08:36.852 --> 00:08:40.280 I'm in the United States, LA, uh, uh, uh, uh. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:42.282 Watching young kids have success 00:08:42.482 --> 00:08:44.084 who walk in the League with nothing, 00:08:44.284 --> 00:08:46.749 those are the things that make me feel good. 00:08:46.949 --> 00:08:49.414 You got to start from the ground up. 00:08:49.614 --> 00:08:51.250 Be what you want, right, Vlade? 00:08:52.751 --> 00:08:56.055 We had Vlade Divac and there was a lot of hope, 00:08:56.255 --> 00:09:00.259 but without Kareem, would we be able to win a championship? 00:09:03.345 --> 00:09:05.305 It looks like America's team is about to change hands. 00:09:05.505 --> 00:09:07.516 No one here can say for certain if, in fact, 00:09:07.716 --> 00:09:08.776 the team has been sold. 00:09:08.976 --> 00:09:11.937 There is one man in Dallas who knows for sure, 00:09:12.137 --> 00:09:14.606 the team's majority owner, "Bum" Bright. 00:09:14.806 --> 00:09:17.276 My dad called me up. He was very excited 00:09:17.476 --> 00:09:18.660 and he said "You'll never guess, 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:21.789 I'm making an offer for the Dallas Cowboys." 00:09:21.989 --> 00:09:25.951 Football is certainly one of the most exciting sports 00:09:26.151 --> 00:09:27.920 there is, especially to me. I love it. 00:09:28.120 --> 00:09:30.714 And there's-I'll give you an unqualified yes. 00:09:30.914 --> 00:09:34.547 I very definitely would like to own a football franchise. 00:09:34.747 --> 00:09:38.403 My dad always thought there was the Yankees in baseball, 00:09:38.603 --> 00:09:42.259 the Cowboys in football, and the Lakers in basketball. 00:09:42.459 --> 00:09:46.013 So adding the Cowboys would be a natural fit. 00:09:48.515 --> 00:09:51.751 He says "I think we're gonna get them. 00:09:51.951 --> 00:09:54.988 I think we're really gonna get them." 00:09:55.188 --> 00:09:58.775 And he figured out that he could raise the money 00:09:58.975 --> 00:10:00.577 without selling the Lakers. 00:10:00.777 --> 00:10:05.240 He says "Would you consider moving to Dallas?" 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.284 I go "Absolutely!" 00:10:09.202 --> 00:10:12.831 Wheels are turning, spinning. He's like, excited. 00:10:13.031 --> 00:10:14.383 You can't believe it. 00:10:14.583 --> 00:10:18.320 And I mean literally the next morning, 00:10:18.520 --> 00:10:22.257 he called me up and said "Guess what? 00:10:22.457 --> 00:10:24.426 There was a leak. 00:10:27.179 --> 00:10:31.558 And the papers talked about playboy Jerry Buss... 00:10:32.934 --> 00:10:35.145 Buying the team and religious groups 00:10:35.345 --> 00:10:36.447 and other people just said 00:10:36.647 --> 00:10:38.861 "No, no, no, you cannot do this." 00:10:39.061 --> 00:10:41.076 Even if you're the highest bidder 00:10:41.276 --> 00:10:44.533 doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna get the team. 00:10:44.733 --> 00:10:48.827 You have to go through a board of governors' approval. 00:10:49.027 --> 00:10:53.121 Him being a playboy cost him the Dallas Cowboys. 00:10:53.321 --> 00:10:57.718 It was the most incredible... 00:10:57.918 --> 00:11:00.800 disappointment of probably his career. 00:11:01.000 --> 00:11:03.682 You have children. Yes. 00:11:03.882 --> 00:11:05.342 What do you want to leave them, 00:11:05.542 --> 00:11:07.019 besides an empire here? 00:11:07.219 --> 00:11:10.017 If I can raise my children and make them happy 00:11:10.217 --> 00:11:12.816 and give them a positive attitude in life, 00:11:13.016 --> 00:11:16.728 then I think I've really left them with something. 00:11:16.928 --> 00:11:19.981 At that time, we were all starting 00:11:20.181 --> 00:11:23.035 to go off in way different paths. 00:11:23.235 --> 00:11:27.864 Jimmy had just gone through adopting a child. 00:11:28.064 --> 00:11:31.251 You know, I was getting married myself. 00:11:31.451 --> 00:11:34.171 When I got married, it was a Western wedding. 00:11:34.371 --> 00:11:37.582 My dad got to wear his blue jeans instead of a tux 00:11:37.782 --> 00:11:40.636 and his, you know, cowboy hat. 00:11:40.836 --> 00:11:44.089 It wasn't the right time for me get married, 00:11:44.289 --> 00:11:46.299 but a woman goes through something 00:11:46.499 --> 00:11:48.644 when she's gonna turn 30. 00:11:48.844 --> 00:11:50.637 There's no question he's the most famous 00:11:50.837 --> 00:11:52.356 volleyball player in the world now. 00:11:52.556 --> 00:11:55.526 I'd met Steve Timmons at the Forum. 00:11:55.726 --> 00:11:58.695 The idea that I'd met my husband at the Forum 00:11:58.895 --> 00:12:05.110 just is a reminder of how much my life revolved around work. 00:12:05.310 --> 00:12:06.653 So Jeanie gets married. 00:12:06.853 --> 00:12:07.996 Did that surprise you? 00:12:08.196 --> 00:12:09.906 - Was that with Steve Timmons? 00:12:10.106 --> 00:12:11.083 Yeah. 00:12:11.283 --> 00:12:13.577 He was a cool dude. 00:12:13.777 --> 00:12:14.586 Hair. 00:12:14.786 --> 00:12:17.047 That hair was pretty cool. 00:12:17.247 --> 00:12:19.124 What was the wedding like? 00:12:19.324 --> 00:12:22.302 - Don't remember. 00:12:22.502 --> 00:12:26.757 They eloped, so like, I didn't get to see her wedding. 00:12:26.957 --> 00:12:29.718 We kind of had a little bit of a falling out. 00:12:29.918 --> 00:12:31.574 I don't know, she just felt like 00:12:31.774 --> 00:12:33.230 I wasn't supporting the marriage. 00:12:33.430 --> 00:12:36.850 I mean, we didn't talk to each other very much anyway. 00:12:38.143 --> 00:12:41.655 Everybody had their own lives. 00:12:41.855 --> 00:12:45.529 My father wanted us all to kind of find our way. 00:12:45.929 --> 00:12:49.404 He would always say "Do what makes you happy. 00:12:49.604 --> 00:12:53.775 If this doesn't make you happy, go do something else." 00:12:53.975 --> 00:12:57.996 So I got my degree in psychology. 00:12:58.196 --> 00:13:01.917 And Jimmy became a race horse trainer. 00:13:02.117 --> 00:13:03.835 That was when the indoor soccer league 00:13:04.035 --> 00:13:07.872 called it quits and the Lazers went out of business. 00:13:08.072 --> 00:13:10.175 I liked the Lazers a lot. 00:13:10.375 --> 00:13:13.716 But it was totally- I was right on board with it. 00:13:13.916 --> 00:13:16.967 Because there was- the league office was a joke. 00:13:17.167 --> 00:13:20.218 Other teams were folding around the league 00:13:20.418 --> 00:13:23.271 and it just wasn't working. 00:13:23.471 --> 00:13:27.000 So Jimmy went on to do horses. That was his life. 00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:30.729 I can remember perhaps when he was four or five 00:13:30.929 --> 00:13:32.731 and I used to take him out to the track 00:13:32.931 --> 00:13:34.357 on Saturday afternoons. 00:13:34.557 --> 00:13:36.576 And he loved it. 00:13:36.776 --> 00:13:40.155 The best memories I have of him as a young child 00:13:40.355 --> 00:13:42.707 was going to the Del Mar Race Track. 00:13:42.907 --> 00:13:45.827 And so probably when I was 10, 11, 12 years old, 00:13:46.027 --> 00:13:48.788 my dad was very good at teaching me, 00:13:48.988 --> 00:13:51.561 you know, statistics- as a fun thing. 00:13:51.761 --> 00:13:54.335 Yeah, there was a tremendous bond. 00:13:54.535 --> 00:13:57.421 And it passed on to later on. 00:13:57.621 --> 00:14:00.308 I told my dad, I said "You know, 00:14:00.508 --> 00:14:06.890 the Forum wasn't at the time challenging enough for me." 00:14:07.090 --> 00:14:09.142 Come on, Corey! Come on, Corey! 00:14:11.352 --> 00:14:13.280 I don't care for losing. 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:16.733 I am competitive that way. It's just built-in nature. 00:14:16.933 --> 00:14:18.868 My father was worried that one of us 00:14:19.068 --> 00:14:22.781 would go off into left field and never come home. 00:14:24.491 --> 00:14:25.875 I moved down to San Diego 00:14:26.075 --> 00:14:29.704 and started racing Formula 3 cars. 00:14:31.372 --> 00:14:33.958 My dad, he just said flat out, 00:14:34.158 --> 00:14:37.169 "I'm not watching this." 00:14:37.369 --> 00:14:40.181 But, you know, I was happy, 00:14:40.381 --> 00:14:43.451 and, you know, now all of a sudden, 00:14:43.651 --> 00:14:46.608 I was in control of my own destiny. 00:14:46.808 --> 00:14:49.566 My brothers, they had opportunities. 00:14:49.766 --> 00:14:53.653 They didn't have to work in the family business. 00:14:53.853 --> 00:14:58.654 You know, I spent all of my time doing work for my dad. 00:14:58.854 --> 00:15:02.885 Dr. Buss didn't realize how much she took on. 00:15:03.085 --> 00:15:07.774 She wanted him to know he could count on her. 00:15:07.974 --> 00:15:11.720 She felt an obligation to the family business. 00:15:11.920 --> 00:15:15.667 Jammed and jammed back, Steve Timmons. 00:15:17.502 --> 00:15:19.929 My husband signed a really big deal 00:15:20.129 --> 00:15:24.259 to play on a professional team in Italy. 00:15:24.459 --> 00:15:27.887 So she moved to Italy with Steve. 00:15:32.392 --> 00:15:34.586 It just wasn't the happy family 00:15:34.786 --> 00:15:36.980 that we thought it was going to be. 00:15:39.649 --> 00:15:42.160 Dr. Jerry Buss, you own the Lakers, 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:47.240 the Kings, the Blazers, the Strings, you own this house. 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:51.327 You own the Ocotillo Lodge in Palm Springs. 00:15:51.527 --> 00:15:54.247 What-are you happy? 00:15:56.207 --> 00:15:58.418 I guess you would be happy. - Remarkably so. 00:15:58.618 --> 00:16:00.628 - Are many rich people happy? 00:16:00.828 --> 00:16:02.639 Are they as happy as you are? 00:16:02.839 --> 00:16:06.885 I don't know a lot of rich people intimately, Stanley, 00:16:07.085 --> 00:16:10.355 but of the ones I do know, I sometimes wonder 00:16:10.555 --> 00:16:14.751 if perhaps they have forgotten why they became rich, 00:16:14.951 --> 00:16:19.147 why they went through those endless years of struggle 00:16:19.347 --> 00:16:21.991 trying to gain some prestige, some fame, 00:16:22.191 --> 00:16:25.528 some monetary wealth, they seem to reach that... 00:16:27.572 --> 00:16:30.617 You know, my dad was a-he was a playboy. 00:16:30.817 --> 00:16:33.474 I mean, this is what he lived for. 00:16:33.674 --> 00:16:36.131 And then all of a sudden, he says, 00:16:36.331 --> 00:16:38.458 "Yeah, I think I'm in love with this one." 00:16:40.043 --> 00:16:43.300 I remember him saying that Karen was pregnant 00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:46.758 and he was like "Wow, this is fantastic." 00:16:49.844 --> 00:16:55.642 My younger brother, Joey, was born in 1984. 00:16:55.842 --> 00:17:00.530 And shortly after, Jesse arrived. 00:17:00.730 --> 00:17:05.285 And Jesse was named after my dad's mother. 00:17:05.485 --> 00:17:09.322 It was important to my dad that we were all "J" names. 00:17:10.698 --> 00:17:13.643 My dad was creating another life 00:17:13.843 --> 00:17:16.788 with more children, but my mom, 00:17:16.988 --> 00:17:19.966 she still loved my dad. 00:17:20.166 --> 00:17:23.256 Deep down inside, I think it bothered her 00:17:23.456 --> 00:17:26.547 just to know like, okay, the man she loved 00:17:26.747 --> 00:17:31.519 is starting a whole new family. 00:17:31.719 --> 00:17:34.851 "I might've *ed up in my last family, 00:17:35.051 --> 00:17:38.184 but maybe I can have that family again here." 00:17:42.855 --> 00:17:45.200 When I was six, seven, eight years old, 00:17:45.400 --> 00:17:47.944 I don't recall how much time he spent with us. 00:17:48.144 --> 00:17:49.120 I'm not sure. 00:17:49.320 --> 00:17:52.407 But I know he spent a good amount of time 00:17:52.607 --> 00:17:53.833 with Jesse and Joey. 00:17:54.033 --> 00:17:57.537 You know, going to basketball games and stuff like that. 00:17:57.737 --> 00:18:00.915 I don't remember my dad sitting me down one day 00:18:01.115 --> 00:18:04.294 and saying "Hey, son, you know, I own the Lakers." 00:18:04.494 --> 00:18:07.005 But people would always ask me about it. 00:18:07.205 --> 00:18:09.695 "Oh, you know, is your dad Jerry Buss?" 00:18:09.895 --> 00:18:12.185 My first memories include Laker games 00:18:12.385 --> 00:18:15.851 and going to Laker games, you know, from a very young age. 00:18:16.051 --> 00:18:19.517 You know, those are like some of the fondest memories, 00:18:19.717 --> 00:18:22.320 you know, I have of him. 00:18:22.520 --> 00:18:24.280 When Joey and Jesse arrived, 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:28.634 watching my dad in the joyful part of fatherhood 00:18:28.834 --> 00:18:32.000 and watching him engage with them, it reminded me 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:35.366 of the things that he missed when I was growing up. 00:18:37.744 --> 00:18:40.209 My dad's relationship with Karen, 00:18:40.409 --> 00:18:42.876 it was a relationship like any other, 00:18:43.076 --> 00:18:45.543 but they just didn't stay together. 00:18:49.297 --> 00:18:50.390 I think children, especially after 00:18:50.590 --> 00:18:52.909 you've been married as long as we have, 00:18:53.109 --> 00:18:55.190 it's the most important thing in life. 00:18:55.390 --> 00:18:57.272 My children, they always say to me, 00:18:57.472 --> 00:18:59.557 "Dad, when you were home, you were never there." 00:18:59.757 --> 00:19:01.860 You know, men- I was there, 00:19:02.060 --> 00:19:04.771 but I was always thinking about basketball. 00:19:04.971 --> 00:19:05.572 Pump it up. 00:19:05.772 --> 00:19:06.819 Five or six pumps. 00:19:07.019 --> 00:19:08.276 - I'd say 15 pumps. 00:19:08.476 --> 00:19:09.534 - 20 to 25 times. 00:19:09.734 --> 00:19:10.618 - 70 pumps will do it. 00:19:10.818 --> 00:19:11.781 - Give it a pump- - Pump. 00:19:11.981 --> 00:19:12.745 - Pump. - Pump it up. 00:19:12.945 --> 00:19:14.659 Pump it, pump it, pump it- - Hey. 00:19:14.859 --> 00:19:16.374 Fame can grab ahold of you 00:19:16.574 --> 00:19:19.827 and it can manifest itself into real personality changes. 00:19:20.027 --> 00:19:20.879 Not good. 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:22.172 Relief. 00:19:22.372 --> 00:19:23.498 You know how to spell it. 00:19:23.698 --> 00:19:24.841 - Not bad. 00:19:25.041 --> 00:19:27.919 I was starting to grow in a way that I was doing commercials 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:29.429 and I was doing this thing and that. 00:19:29.629 --> 00:19:31.802 It's obligatory that we hold up the book, 00:19:32.002 --> 00:19:34.175 so here it is, "Showtime: Inside the Lakers' 00:19:34.375 --> 00:19:35.268 Breakthrough Season." 00:19:35.468 --> 00:19:36.936 We were in the playoffs. 00:19:37.136 --> 00:19:39.597 And I went and did the four-hour interview 00:19:39.797 --> 00:19:40.857 trying to sell the book, 00:19:41.057 --> 00:19:42.734 you know, the night before the game. 00:19:42.934 --> 00:19:44.877 I'd get all over somebody else if they did it, 00:19:45.077 --> 00:19:47.021 you know, but I went ahead and did it, you know? 00:19:47.221 --> 00:19:49.732 That's where I had gotten to, you know? 00:19:49.932 --> 00:19:52.276 And I thought I could handle it. 00:19:52.476 --> 00:19:54.821 How do you feel about the team? 00:19:55.021 --> 00:19:56.405 Is it-are they close? 00:19:56.605 --> 00:19:57.865 Are they like family? 00:19:58.065 --> 00:19:59.125 - We'd like to think so. 00:19:59.325 --> 00:20:00.768 I think players got a little bit 00:20:00.968 --> 00:20:02.820 upset with all of that attention 00:20:03.020 --> 00:20:04.672 that I was drawing to myself. 00:20:04.872 --> 00:20:06.674 He's the architect of their tenacious 00:20:06.874 --> 00:20:08.876 end-to-end style of play dubbed "Showtime" 00:20:09.076 --> 00:20:10.678 by adoring fans... 00:20:10.878 --> 00:20:13.589 I began to lose myself a little bit, 00:20:13.789 --> 00:20:15.808 but I thought it was me- 00:20:16.008 --> 00:20:19.387 that I thought that I was the reason 00:20:19.587 --> 00:20:20.688 that we're successful. 00:20:20.888 --> 00:20:23.891 Well, I think a lot of people just assumed that- 00:20:24.091 --> 00:20:26.414 that players are self-motivated. 00:20:26.614 --> 00:20:28.738 Your ego gets a little bit inflated. 00:20:28.938 --> 00:20:31.774 I was on the cover of "Gentlemen's Quarterly." 00:20:31.974 --> 00:20:32.784 You could see him change. 00:20:32.984 --> 00:20:35.365 There was no question he had changed. 00:20:35.565 --> 00:20:37.947 And I think more difficult, sometimes. 00:20:38.147 --> 00:20:39.249 Aloof. 00:20:39.449 --> 00:20:41.826 He and I were best of friends when we were playing 00:20:42.026 --> 00:20:43.878 and we used to do everything together. 00:20:44.078 --> 00:20:48.708 You know, all his friends had changed, I hardly knew him. 00:20:48.908 --> 00:20:53.379 It was almost like, you know, "This is my team." 00:20:53.579 --> 00:20:58.050 And the one thing you cannot do in this league 00:20:58.250 --> 00:21:01.095 is to place yourself over the owner, 00:21:01.295 --> 00:21:03.556 the players, the franchise. 00:21:07.435 --> 00:21:11.689 Five, four, three, two, one! 00:21:16.277 --> 00:21:17.787 The game ends. 00:21:17.987 --> 00:21:20.331 The Lakers have won it again. 00:21:20.531 --> 00:21:22.850 After we won back-to-back titles, 00:21:23.050 --> 00:21:25.169 I was so ensconced into winning, 00:21:25.369 --> 00:21:28.915 but I knew that this was going to come to an end somewhere. 00:21:29.115 --> 00:21:31.709 You know, and it was going to be either 00:21:31.909 --> 00:21:34.137 an explosion somewhere, 00:21:34.337 --> 00:21:38.424 or we're all just gonna retire together, happily ever after. 00:21:38.624 --> 00:21:39.392 That doesn't happen. 00:21:39.592 --> 00:21:41.144 Come on, get up there. Move! 00:21:41.344 --> 00:21:43.763 We always used the phrase "it's either winning or misery 00:21:43.963 --> 00:21:45.097 and there's no in between." 00:21:45.297 --> 00:21:46.316 Yes! 00:21:46.516 --> 00:21:50.065 He was always about winning and about being tough. 00:21:50.265 --> 00:21:53.614 Usually, Pat Riley doesn't want me to shoot the ball. 00:21:53.814 --> 00:21:56.859 This is the only place I can shoot any kind of shot I want, 00:21:57.059 --> 00:21:58.569 without being screamed at. 00:21:58.769 --> 00:22:00.079 Look. 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:01.914 See, I don't have to worry. 00:22:02.114 --> 00:22:04.167 We had known Pat Riley long enough 00:22:04.367 --> 00:22:07.995 to know that we didn't have to have that same 00:22:08.195 --> 00:22:09.434 pounding and pressure. 00:22:09.634 --> 00:22:10.673 - Get back! Get back! 00:22:10.873 --> 00:22:14.961 Some guys just was like "I can't do it no more." 00:22:15.161 --> 00:22:18.089 When you be with a coach a long time, 00:22:18.289 --> 00:22:19.807 some guys try to block them out. 00:22:20.007 --> 00:22:22.176 Yeah, I think some guys, you know, probably ignore it, 00:22:22.376 --> 00:22:23.853 but they still know that, 00:22:24.053 --> 00:22:25.688 you know, that's just the way it is. 00:22:25.888 --> 00:22:27.023 None of them would say anything bad. 00:22:27.223 --> 00:22:29.317 They all were so respectful and so grateful. 00:22:29.517 --> 00:22:32.311 They're not going to rip him or say I was tired of him 00:22:32.511 --> 00:22:34.730 or it's time he left, no one would say that. 00:22:34.930 --> 00:22:35.656 So do you think you guys 00:22:35.856 --> 00:22:37.191 were not listening to him anymore? 00:22:37.391 --> 00:22:39.202 No. Don't say "you guys." 00:22:39.402 --> 00:22:42.572 Magic Johnson, I liked being coached hard. 00:22:42.772 --> 00:22:43.539 Bring it. 00:22:43.739 --> 00:22:45.124 - I would never say that 00:22:45.324 --> 00:22:47.268 we weren't listening to him anymore. 00:22:47.468 --> 00:22:49.412 That, I wouldn't say would be true. 00:22:49.612 --> 00:22:51.964 - I didn't-no, no, we- 00:22:52.164 --> 00:22:53.920 no way we were tired of listening to him. 00:22:54.120 --> 00:22:55.876 I think we tuned him out a little bit 00:22:56.076 --> 00:22:57.553 and that's just natural though 00:22:57.753 --> 00:22:59.422 because I'm pretty sure he got tired of hearing himself 00:22:59.622 --> 00:23:01.132 say the same thing over again. 00:23:03.509 --> 00:23:05.561 In nine years as the Lakers' head coach, 00:23:05.761 --> 00:23:07.939 Pat Riley's become well-acquainted with winning. 00:23:08.139 --> 00:23:12.560 His winning percentage of 733 is the highest in NBA history. 00:23:12.760 --> 00:23:14.070 Now, for the first time in his career, 00:23:14.270 --> 00:23:16.856 he's been tabbed as the NBA's Coach of the Year. 00:23:17.056 --> 00:23:18.616 Coaches are men of integrity 00:23:18.816 --> 00:23:20.451 and dignity and respect and pride 00:23:20.651 --> 00:23:22.995 and you have to pay your dues for that. 00:23:23.195 --> 00:23:27.450 I feel more comfortable about it now because... 00:23:27.650 --> 00:23:29.243 it has aged me. 00:23:32.830 --> 00:23:35.712 We played good basketball that year. 00:23:35.912 --> 00:23:38.594 We had best record in entire season. 00:23:38.794 --> 00:23:40.925 Obviously, playoffs is something different. 00:23:41.125 --> 00:23:43.057 But sometimes, you know, things happen. 00:23:43.257 --> 00:23:45.593 This is the first game of the semi-final round 00:23:45.793 --> 00:23:47.303 of the Western Conference. 00:23:47.503 --> 00:23:48.813 - I lost it in the playoffs. 00:23:49.013 --> 00:23:50.640 Boy, this has not been a pretty half 00:23:50.840 --> 00:23:52.191 of basketball for the Lakers. 00:23:52.391 --> 00:23:55.377 I could feel the walls closing in. 00:23:55.577 --> 00:23:58.564 I could feel it and I fought it. 00:23:58.764 --> 00:23:59.782 Let's go! 00:23:59.982 --> 00:24:04.945 I could feel them drawing away from me. 00:24:05.145 --> 00:24:06.664 Riley is really upset. 00:24:06.864 --> 00:24:09.116 I mean, really. Look at this. 00:24:09.244 --> 00:24:11.496 I don't think there's any doubt in my mind 00:24:11.696 --> 00:24:12.714 that I changed. 00:24:12.914 --> 00:24:14.833 It's a timeout because his offense 00:24:15.033 --> 00:24:17.669 has gone totally stagnant. 00:24:17.869 --> 00:24:18.971 - It was like war. 00:24:19.171 --> 00:24:21.256 And Pat Riley knows he's got to find 00:24:21.456 --> 00:24:23.320 a way to steal these guys off. 00:24:23.520 --> 00:24:25.385 I couldn't get down on my knees 00:24:25.585 --> 00:24:27.688 and mea culpa this thing. 00:24:27.888 --> 00:24:31.433 I had to follow through with what I was doing. 00:24:31.633 --> 00:24:33.151 Eventually, it just came down to, 00:24:33.351 --> 00:24:35.228 you know, me calling plays for Magic Johnson. 00:24:35.428 --> 00:24:36.321 That was it. 00:24:36.521 --> 00:24:37.981 I think he might've been, at that time, 00:24:38.181 --> 00:24:39.783 the only guy in my corner, maybe. 00:24:39.983 --> 00:24:42.536 Three seconds of the ball game. 00:24:42.736 --> 00:24:45.071 After we lost the game against Phoenix in playoffs, 00:24:45.271 --> 00:24:48.262 he would definitely, uh, show his anger. 00:24:48.462 --> 00:24:50.921 I could tell that something is not right. 00:24:51.121 --> 00:24:53.627 They all leave Phoenix to a win 00:24:53.827 --> 00:24:56.133 over the Los Angeles Lakers. 00:24:56.333 --> 00:24:58.818 I remember getting to the hotel 00:24:59.018 --> 00:25:02.080 and there was a team meeting. 00:25:02.280 --> 00:25:04.753 - I think back to that moment 00:25:04.953 --> 00:25:07.427 and we're doing a film session, 00:25:07.627 --> 00:25:11.189 and it was in a ballroom. 00:25:11.389 --> 00:25:13.934 I think he was trying to do anything he could 00:25:14.134 --> 00:25:16.749 to get our attention or to instigate 00:25:16.949 --> 00:25:19.364 some kind of motivating spirit in us. 00:25:19.564 --> 00:25:22.943 Everything was set up close to a couple of mirrors 00:25:23.143 --> 00:25:26.112 and, you know, just out of anger, 00:25:26.312 --> 00:25:28.656 I punched the mirror, cut my hand. 00:25:28.856 --> 00:25:31.201 There was blood coming down my hand 00:25:31.401 --> 00:25:33.545 and I never stopped yelling. 00:25:33.745 --> 00:25:35.964 It's all over. 00:25:36.164 --> 00:25:38.691 And the Lakers with the best record of basketball 00:25:38.891 --> 00:25:41.419 simply have not played like that in the playoffs. 00:25:41.619 --> 00:25:42.637 This will give them a playoff... 00:25:42.837 --> 00:25:44.431 The players weren't happy with him. 00:25:44.631 --> 00:25:48.514 They didn't come to me. They'd gone to Jerry. 00:25:48.714 --> 00:25:52.397 It takes a tremendous amount of emotion 00:25:52.597 --> 00:25:55.917 to keep up that high every game, every year. 00:25:56.117 --> 00:25:59.437 I'm not sure it's really good for a human being 00:25:59.637 --> 00:26:02.074 to be a coach for eight or ten years. 00:26:02.274 --> 00:26:05.360 Jerry called me and said that he's going to make a change. 00:26:05.560 --> 00:26:07.696 He said he's going to be leaving the team. 00:26:07.896 --> 00:26:09.831 - Dr. Buss was beautiful. 00:26:10.031 --> 00:26:12.409 Jerry told me, he said he was so proud of me. 00:26:14.995 --> 00:26:16.834 Finally, we just had a meeting. 00:26:17.034 --> 00:26:19.647 Jerry Buss, Jerry West, myself. 00:26:19.847 --> 00:26:22.260 And we just made an exit agreement. 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:26.531 It puzzles me how ten years could go by that quickly. 00:26:26.731 --> 00:26:30.802 It's certainly been the most delightful experience 00:26:31.002 --> 00:26:31.937 in my life. 00:26:32.137 --> 00:26:33.647 The end of the '80s 00:26:33.847 --> 00:26:37.480 brought on the end of this dynasty 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:40.418 that he had created, this family, 00:26:40.618 --> 00:26:43.156 and it was hard to let that go. 00:26:43.356 --> 00:26:47.610 From the bottom of my heart, Pat, I thank you. 00:26:51.323 --> 00:26:55.127 When Pat left, I was in Italy. 00:26:55.327 --> 00:26:59.247 And I just felt, like, completely useless. 00:27:00.915 --> 00:27:03.192 I was living in this little small town, 00:27:03.392 --> 00:27:06.120 and they paid my husband a lot of money, 00:27:06.320 --> 00:27:09.049 so I was happy for him to have that ability 00:27:09.249 --> 00:27:11.101 to earn money off, you know, 00:27:11.301 --> 00:27:15.689 a sport that he had dedicated so many years to. 00:27:15.889 --> 00:27:20.502 But I felt like I was a piece of excess baggage for him. 00:27:20.702 --> 00:27:25.315 There was a lot of things that I could do from Italy. 00:27:25.515 --> 00:27:28.109 Tennis is a worldwide sport. 00:27:28.309 --> 00:27:30.704 But it still wasn't the same 00:27:30.904 --> 00:27:35.292 as being at my office at my desk. 00:27:35.492 --> 00:27:38.578 I was used to being part of the event, 00:27:38.778 --> 00:27:40.213 being a promoter, 00:27:40.413 --> 00:27:42.540 being on the operations. 00:27:44.542 --> 00:27:47.587 It was a really lonely time for me. 00:27:47.787 --> 00:27:49.506 I was homesick. 00:27:50.882 --> 00:27:53.785 I was going back and forth. 00:27:53.985 --> 00:27:56.688 I think Steve was resentful. 00:27:56.888 --> 00:27:59.608 We had a few fights where he said 00:27:59.808 --> 00:28:03.853 "You put what your family needs ahead of our relationship." 00:28:04.053 --> 00:28:07.649 And the marriage, you know, only lasted three years. 00:28:09.651 --> 00:28:11.161 She took it really hard. 00:28:11.361 --> 00:28:13.121 That was a tough time for her. 00:28:13.321 --> 00:28:17.283 She felt they were gonna have children together. 00:28:17.483 --> 00:28:21.579 And then things kind of turned bad. 00:28:28.503 --> 00:28:30.221 1990 entered a new look Lakers, 00:28:30.421 --> 00:28:33.633 new coach, new players, and new styles. 00:28:33.833 --> 00:28:34.768 The Los Angeles Lakers 00:28:34.968 --> 00:28:36.553 are more than a basketball team. 00:28:36.753 --> 00:28:37.854 They are "Showtime." 00:28:38.054 --> 00:28:39.893 But last season, the show ended early, 00:28:40.093 --> 00:28:41.733 just one curtain call in post-season play. 00:28:41.933 --> 00:28:44.978 And now the team that built its reputation on transition 00:28:45.178 --> 00:28:47.105 is in one. 00:28:47.981 --> 00:28:50.233 Mike Dunleavy is the new Lakers head coach, 00:28:50.433 --> 00:28:51.826 replacing the flashy Pat Riley. 00:28:52.026 --> 00:28:53.495 Mike Dunleavy had some credentials. 00:28:53.695 --> 00:28:56.322 He was an assistant coach, he was respected, 00:28:56.522 --> 00:28:58.074 but he wasn't Pat Riley. 00:29:03.997 --> 00:29:06.420 Mike's approach was definitely 00:29:06.620 --> 00:29:08.843 a bit different than Pat Riley. 00:29:09.043 --> 00:29:10.903 He was much easier. If the coach is 00:29:11.103 --> 00:29:12.764 continually coming down on you, 00:29:12.964 --> 00:29:14.557 sometimes that's not the way it works. 00:29:14.757 --> 00:29:16.476 You know, the best way is to try and get that guy 00:29:16.676 --> 00:29:18.803 the confidence and make him feel good about himself again. 00:29:19.003 --> 00:29:21.222 And when he's making you run 20 wind sprints, 00:29:21.422 --> 00:29:23.641 he's also sitting there shooting hook shots 00:29:23.841 --> 00:29:24.734 with you to make you forget 00:29:24.934 --> 00:29:26.728 that he had pushed you that hard. 00:29:28.146 --> 00:29:29.447 - It was a different coach. 00:29:29.647 --> 00:29:31.778 You know, Dunleavy was a execution coach. 00:29:31.978 --> 00:29:33.910 The Lakers are more methodical 00:29:34.110 --> 00:29:36.362 in their half-court offense and they love to post up. 00:29:36.562 --> 00:29:38.415 We looked at our team as still a team 00:29:38.615 --> 00:29:40.575 that can get up and down and run with anybody. 00:29:40.775 --> 00:29:42.639 Fast to pull off his toes. 00:29:42.839 --> 00:29:44.631 Three on one, Magic to Worthy. 00:29:44.831 --> 00:29:46.423 Chrysler gives him the slam. 00:29:46.623 --> 00:29:48.583 Mike is coming from a totally different 00:29:48.783 --> 00:29:49.509 background in the east. 00:29:49.709 --> 00:29:51.720 You know, he would slow down, ground, 00:29:51.920 --> 00:29:53.905 pound it, you know, get the ball in the post, 00:29:54.105 --> 00:29:55.936 you know, play inside, the out, you know, 00:29:56.136 --> 00:29:57.767 so it was a different philosophy for us. 00:29:57.967 --> 00:30:00.345 And the Lakers want a slow-down, play half-court. 00:30:00.545 --> 00:30:02.439 It wasn't that run, run, run, run, run. 00:30:02.639 --> 00:30:05.333 You know, even though Mike was an experienced coach, 00:30:05.533 --> 00:30:08.228 but, you know, having Magic makes a big difference. 00:30:08.428 --> 00:30:09.237 Magic! 00:30:09.437 --> 00:30:11.072 What a pass to Divac. 00:30:11.272 --> 00:30:12.941 Magic was like "No, this is good. 00:30:13.141 --> 00:30:14.117 We'll make it work." 00:30:14.317 --> 00:30:15.853 And then he had to start going in the post. 00:30:15.871 --> 00:30:17.090 So we start playing off him a lot more. 00:30:17.290 --> 00:30:18.642 It was a big-time adjustment, 00:30:18.842 --> 00:30:20.452 you know, for me, as far as just playing 00:30:20.652 --> 00:30:21.920 half-court basketball and, you know, 00:30:22.320 --> 00:30:23.584 hoping the ball comes out, you know, 00:30:23.784 --> 00:30:24.848 from the post and you get a shot. 00:30:25.744 --> 00:30:28.330 My preference? Of course, no. 00:30:28.330 --> 00:30:30.340 I'm gone. Let me run. 00:30:30.540 --> 00:30:31.934 Let me be free. 00:30:32.134 --> 00:30:33.519 I didn't like it. 00:30:33.719 --> 00:30:34.687 You know, 'cause I loved the fact 00:30:34.887 --> 00:30:36.054 that we would get up and run, you know? 00:30:36.254 --> 00:30:37.273 That was my style. 00:30:37.473 --> 00:30:39.767 In front of the home crowd, perhaps a little less 00:30:39.967 --> 00:30:41.652 "Slowtime" and a little more "Showtime." 00:30:41.852 --> 00:30:44.062 The players were like- they were ready for a change, 00:30:44.262 --> 00:30:46.607 but then when the change came, they were like 00:30:46.807 --> 00:30:49.952 "Well, what happened to Showtime?" 00:30:50.152 --> 00:30:52.279 That did hurt when you hear "Slowtime" 00:30:52.479 --> 00:30:53.497 instead of "Showtime." 00:30:53.697 --> 00:30:54.931 I was like "Man, I don't know who the hell 00:30:55.131 --> 00:30:56.366 "they're talking about, you know, 'Slowtime.' 00:30:56.566 --> 00:30:58.827 I can still run with the best of them." 00:30:59.027 --> 00:31:01.788 I never thought "Slowtime" was true. 00:31:01.988 --> 00:31:04.750 I could accept time for a change. 00:31:04.950 --> 00:31:05.884 New style. 00:31:06.084 --> 00:31:08.796 That is so contrary to what Dr. Buss... 00:31:08.996 --> 00:31:12.725 Created. 00:31:12.925 --> 00:31:14.931 They hated it. It was reality. 00:31:15.131 --> 00:31:16.972 I mean, it wasn't disrespectful. 00:31:17.172 --> 00:31:19.014 They weren't what they had been. 00:31:19.214 --> 00:31:20.190 But they were winning. 00:31:20.390 --> 00:31:22.234 Winning 31 in their last 36, 00:31:22.434 --> 00:31:24.570 Los Angeles has reason to celebrate. 00:31:24.770 --> 00:31:27.314 It worked, but it worked because of the great players 00:31:27.514 --> 00:31:29.316 that we had, we were able to adapt, 00:31:29.516 --> 00:31:31.068 you know, like most great players can. 00:31:31.268 --> 00:31:32.820 You know, you can adapt to any situation. 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:37.458 The NBA is a league of stars, 00:31:37.658 --> 00:31:39.918 and none shine brighter than Magic Johnson 00:31:40.118 --> 00:31:42.329 and Michael Jordan, and while much has been said 00:31:42.529 --> 00:31:44.101 about their respective teams, 00:31:44.301 --> 00:31:45.863 nothing has been more anticipated 00:31:46.063 --> 00:31:47.426 than their individual matchup. 00:31:47.626 --> 00:31:51.004 In '91, we came up against a team that were like us in '85. 00:31:51.204 --> 00:31:52.214 They were hungry. 00:31:55.008 --> 00:31:56.785 From where all the experts had picked us, 00:31:56.985 --> 00:31:58.562 not getting to the finals and all that, 00:31:58.762 --> 00:32:00.931 to get to the finals and play against Chicago, 00:32:01.131 --> 00:32:03.642 that was a pretty good accomplishment. 00:32:03.842 --> 00:32:07.279 We had Magic. They had Michael. 00:32:07.479 --> 00:32:10.799 Jordan had a talent that you can't teach. 00:32:10.999 --> 00:32:13.414 But they'd never experienced a finals before. 00:32:13.614 --> 00:32:15.829 This is a franchise that's celebrating 00:32:16.029 --> 00:32:19.491 its 25 anniversary with the team's first trip 00:32:19.691 --> 00:32:22.378 to the NBA Finals. 00:32:22.578 --> 00:32:23.587 I couldn't sleep. 00:32:23.787 --> 00:32:26.707 I was dreaming about the championship. 00:32:29.376 --> 00:32:31.712 First game, we won. 00:32:35.674 --> 00:32:38.594 Second game, they made a few adjustments. 00:32:40.262 --> 00:32:42.856 Phil Jackson was a great coach. 00:32:43.056 --> 00:32:46.101 And he understood how to utilize one of the most, 00:32:46.301 --> 00:32:48.228 you know, dynamic players in the League. 00:32:50.814 --> 00:32:54.318 Everything went downhill after that. 00:32:54.518 --> 00:32:57.287 They destroyed us. 00:32:57.487 --> 00:32:59.039 And the Chicago Bulls 00:32:59.239 --> 00:33:03.744 have won their first-ever NBA Championship! 00:33:03.944 --> 00:33:05.129 Passing the torch. 00:33:05.329 --> 00:33:06.630 I mean, the NBA has got so many players 00:33:06.830 --> 00:33:08.919 that represents them, and I think besides myself, 00:33:09.119 --> 00:33:11.232 they were obviously Charles Barkley, all those guys, 00:33:11.432 --> 00:33:13.545 is going to carry the label of the NBA from now on. 00:33:13.745 --> 00:33:15.973 I'm not a sore loser or a bad loser, 00:33:16.173 --> 00:33:19.092 but I'm a frustrated loser because I want to figure out 00:33:19.292 --> 00:33:20.969 what happened and then I'm going to make sure 00:33:21.169 --> 00:33:22.312 it don't happen again. 00:33:22.512 --> 00:33:25.665 It was hard to lose to the Chicago Bulls 00:33:25.865 --> 00:33:29.019 in '91, but it was kind of like "Oh, good, 00:33:29.219 --> 00:33:30.904 here's the next chapter." 00:33:31.104 --> 00:33:35.359 But we never got to see that next round 00:33:35.559 --> 00:33:38.111 of Jordan versus Magic. 00:33:45.535 --> 00:33:47.212 And now, ladies and gentlemen, live 00:33:47.412 --> 00:33:50.165 from the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California 00:33:50.365 --> 00:33:51.800 two cross-town rivals 00:33:52.000 --> 00:33:54.511 clash in the Battle of LA. 00:33:54.711 --> 00:33:57.197 It's the Los Angeles Lakers' home opener 00:33:57.397 --> 00:33:59.207 and they meet the Los Angeles Clippers. 00:33:59.407 --> 00:34:01.218 Magic Johnson is here tonight 00:34:01.418 --> 00:34:02.311 and that's a good sign. 00:34:02.511 --> 00:34:04.621 He will not play, he will not play Friday, 00:34:04.821 --> 00:34:06.932 he held a press conference, a brief one 00:34:07.132 --> 00:34:08.484 with the press corps here tonight, 00:34:08.684 --> 00:34:11.645 told them that he still feels very weak from the dehydration 00:34:11.845 --> 00:34:14.606 that accompanied the flu, but we want him totally well 00:34:14.806 --> 00:34:17.046 and rush him back and... 00:34:17.246 --> 00:34:19.286 What's going on? 00:34:19.486 --> 00:34:21.747 He didn't have the flu. 00:34:21.947 --> 00:34:24.282 I'm saying to myself "We did the physical exam 00:34:24.482 --> 00:34:26.826 like, more than two weeks ago." 00:34:27.026 --> 00:34:29.245 His cardiology came back clean. 00:34:29.445 --> 00:34:31.465 His blood panels came back clean. 00:34:31.665 --> 00:34:35.168 Anything that would've shown would've shown. 00:34:35.368 --> 00:34:36.887 And then it hit me. 00:34:37.087 --> 00:34:40.507 There was a second physical exam that was done beyond ours 00:34:40.707 --> 00:34:42.259 by the insurance company. 00:34:42.459 --> 00:34:43.811 I didn't know the results. 00:34:44.011 --> 00:34:47.389 But now I kind of thought maybe that's it. 00:34:47.589 --> 00:34:48.974 I'm just trying to be patient 00:34:49.174 --> 00:34:50.359 and get back and come back right. 00:34:50.559 --> 00:34:52.102 There was only seven people that knew 00:34:52.302 --> 00:34:53.153 for two weeks. 00:34:53.353 --> 00:34:55.981 We were telling people that he had the flu. 00:34:56.181 --> 00:34:58.129 So every day "Hey, how's he feeling?" 00:34:58.329 --> 00:35:00.277 "When's he coming back?" You know? 00:35:00.477 --> 00:35:02.821 "Is he feeling better?" 00:35:03.021 --> 00:35:05.365 And I kept that quiet. 00:35:05.565 --> 00:35:07.876 My family, 00:35:08.076 --> 00:35:10.871 teammates, coaches. 00:35:12.247 --> 00:35:14.733 We lied to the world. 00:35:14.933 --> 00:35:17.219 - I feel bad, I feel bad. 00:35:17.419 --> 00:35:19.258 - Playing tonight? - Nah, I gotta miss you. 00:35:19.458 --> 00:35:21.298 - Come on, you gonna miss me? - I'ma miss you. 00:35:23.759 --> 00:35:25.677 You guys. Man, how you been, man? 00:35:25.877 --> 00:35:26.562 What's up, Kenny? 00:35:26.762 --> 00:35:27.934 They really act like they're sad 00:35:28.134 --> 00:35:29.106 'cause you ain't gonna play tonight. 00:35:29.306 --> 00:35:30.849 Yeah, yeah, you know how that is, you know. 00:35:31.049 --> 00:35:32.526 All right, man. 00:35:32.726 --> 00:35:34.978 You know how it go. 00:35:40.609 --> 00:35:44.780 We were practicing at Loyola Marymount. 00:35:44.980 --> 00:35:47.491 9:30 we normally start practice, 00:35:47.691 --> 00:35:50.202 9:00 you were there training room, 00:35:50.402 --> 00:35:52.621 just getting yourself ready. 00:35:58.335 --> 00:35:59.636 We were halfway through the practice 00:35:59.836 --> 00:36:04.383 when Gary Vitti, our trainer, pulled us all together. 00:36:04.583 --> 00:36:08.220 Everybody has to go to the Forum, mandatory. 00:36:08.420 --> 00:36:09.396 - Meeting at the Forum? 00:36:09.596 --> 00:36:10.956 We're like "We're already here at practice." 00:36:11.156 --> 00:36:12.516 James Worthy looked at me and said 00:36:12.716 --> 00:36:13.775 "What you think is going on?" 00:36:13.975 --> 00:36:16.144 I said "I don't know, it's got to be something with Buck. 00:36:16.344 --> 00:36:18.188 You know, because he's been kind of in and out, 00:36:18.388 --> 00:36:20.115 he hasn't practiced in a while." 00:36:20.315 --> 00:36:24.403 "Get over there right now and don't turn your radios on." 00:36:24.603 --> 00:36:26.038 Well, first thing you're gonna do when 00:36:26.238 --> 00:36:28.240 you get in your car is you're gonna turn your radio on. 00:36:28.440 --> 00:36:29.374 You're listening to 00:36:29.574 --> 00:36:31.251 KFWB Los Angeles, Southern California... 00:36:31.451 --> 00:36:34.454 We're driving over 10 minutes from practice 00:36:34.654 --> 00:36:36.882 still not knowing anything. 00:36:37.082 --> 00:36:38.800 It's 51 degrees in Hollywood... 00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:41.044 I don't think I heard anything on the radio, 00:36:41.244 --> 00:36:42.512 so I still didn't know. 00:36:42.712 --> 00:36:46.967 We got into the locker room and you see some of our doctors, 00:36:47.167 --> 00:36:48.894 upper management. 00:36:49.094 --> 00:36:50.395 We sit in the locker room. 00:36:50.595 --> 00:36:53.123 We're talking, but you can feel 00:36:53.323 --> 00:36:56.593 there's like something more. 00:36:56.793 --> 00:37:00.063 - And Buck comes in, smiling. 00:37:00.263 --> 00:37:01.698 "What's up, fellas?" 00:37:01.898 --> 00:37:04.568 Coach is normally up there right at the whiteboard, 00:37:04.768 --> 00:37:06.528 you know, so you think a play is gonna be 00:37:06.728 --> 00:37:08.405 called or something like that. 00:37:08.605 --> 00:37:10.082 - I'm expecting him to say 00:37:10.282 --> 00:37:12.751 "I've played enough, I'm gonna retire." 00:37:12.951 --> 00:37:17.789 He says "Fellas, I have, you know, contracted HIV virus 00:37:17.989 --> 00:37:19.833 and I'm gonna have to retire right now. 00:37:20.033 --> 00:37:21.593 I'm not gonna be able to play." 00:37:21.793 --> 00:37:27.090 First thing that comes to your mind is 00:37:27.290 --> 00:37:28.850 that could've been any of us. 00:37:29.050 --> 00:37:33.079 Now, that room was full of guys crying. 00:37:33.279 --> 00:37:37.109 I was crying like somebody's gonna die. 00:37:37.309 --> 00:37:41.855 I had known four people that had contracted the HIV virus 00:37:42.055 --> 00:37:46.868 and none of them beat it. 00:37:47.068 --> 00:37:49.033 I remember telling, you know, 00:37:49.233 --> 00:37:51.198 let's say a word of prayer. 00:37:51.398 --> 00:37:53.200 God, help. 00:37:58.138 --> 00:37:59.715 Help. 00:37:59.915 --> 00:38:03.527 And he walked around to each and every one of us, 00:38:03.727 --> 00:38:07.339 gave us a hug, and went upstairs and told the world. 00:38:20.560 --> 00:38:24.740 Earvin got up to the podium, a room full of pe- 00:38:24.940 --> 00:38:28.610 I mean, you couldn't put another chair in that room. 00:38:28.810 --> 00:38:30.203 It was so many reporters. 00:38:30.403 --> 00:38:32.368 To the point where us as players, 00:38:32.568 --> 00:38:34.034 who walked upstairs to listen to him, 00:38:34.234 --> 00:38:35.910 you know, we couldn't even get in. 00:38:36.110 --> 00:38:37.586 We just-we had to stand by the door. 00:38:37.786 --> 00:38:42.440 Because of the HIV virus that I have obtained, 00:38:42.640 --> 00:38:47.295 I will have to retire from the Lakers today. 00:38:48.755 --> 00:38:50.599 I mean, we were all in shock. 00:38:50.799 --> 00:38:52.551 It's the only press conference I've ever been to 00:38:52.751 --> 00:38:55.354 where reporters are crying. 00:38:55.554 --> 00:38:58.807 This is not like my life is over because it's not, 00:38:59.007 --> 00:39:00.025 I'ma live on. 00:39:00.225 --> 00:39:02.352 When he said that, it kind of like, 00:39:02.552 --> 00:39:03.570 you know, a little bit of me, 00:39:03.770 --> 00:39:06.273 I was probably about 30% saying "Okay, you got it." 00:39:06.473 --> 00:39:08.692 But 70% saying "Well, here we go again." 00:39:08.892 --> 00:39:10.243 - I admired his strength. 00:39:10.443 --> 00:39:12.913 I was like "Oh, my gosh" you know? 00:39:13.113 --> 00:39:15.865 But in my mind, I'm going "He's in denial. 00:39:16.065 --> 00:39:17.042 You're gonna die." 00:39:17.242 --> 00:39:19.786 Now, of course I will miss the battles and the wars 00:39:19.986 --> 00:39:24.674 and I will miss you guys, but life goes on. 00:39:24.874 --> 00:39:29.879 You know, only thing I can do is have a bright side. 00:39:30.079 --> 00:39:32.057 The strength came from the person 00:39:32.257 --> 00:39:35.677 who was dealing with his own mortality 00:39:35.877 --> 00:39:37.979 and having to give up basketball. 00:39:38.179 --> 00:39:40.640 For those plans I don't know right now, 00:39:40.840 --> 00:39:42.150 I'm gonna take some time. 00:39:42.350 --> 00:39:46.396 The one guy that made everything happen 00:39:46.596 --> 00:39:49.357 was now fighting for his life. 00:39:49.557 --> 00:39:52.285 Wow. It's crazy. 00:39:52.485 --> 00:39:55.784 I knew what he was going to say 00:39:55.984 --> 00:39:59.084 and I could see how brave he was. 00:39:59.284 --> 00:40:04.247 My head was swimming. My mind was in a swirl. 00:40:04.447 --> 00:40:06.675 And I started sobbing. 00:40:06.875 --> 00:40:11.388 And Kareem was there and he was very strong. 00:40:11.588 --> 00:40:13.683 Dr. Buss ran out of the room 00:40:13.783 --> 00:40:16.947 and I'd never heard a man sob before. 00:40:17.747 --> 00:40:20.016 And that shook me. 00:40:20.616 --> 00:40:25.412 Kareem was the tallest man I'd ever seen. 00:40:26.664 --> 00:40:29.875 Here, him kinda awkwardly trying to put his arms 00:40:30.075 --> 00:40:33.212 around my dad, which wasn't really 00:40:33.412 --> 00:40:36.223 Kareem's comfort level either. 00:40:36.423 --> 00:40:39.426 It was like he didn't know what to do. 00:40:39.626 --> 00:40:44.139 You know, it was so unexpected. 00:40:44.339 --> 00:40:46.901 It was tough. 00:40:47.101 --> 00:40:51.197 I'd only seen my dad cry twice in my life. 00:40:51.397 --> 00:40:56.610 Once when his mother, my grandmother, passed away. 00:40:56.810 --> 00:41:00.948 And that day. 00:41:05.577 --> 00:41:09.331 Well, we both cried together. 00:41:11.208 --> 00:41:16.338 It was-it was a tough day for both of us. 00:41:16.538 --> 00:41:19.550 And a tough moment. 00:41:22.428 --> 00:41:24.930 You know, I became an owner and he became 00:41:25.130 --> 00:41:28.496 an NBA player at the same moment. 00:41:28.696 --> 00:41:32.062 I had never done anything like that. 00:41:32.262 --> 00:41:33.322 He had never done it. 00:41:33.522 --> 00:41:36.925 We kind of would cling to each other for support. 00:41:37.125 --> 00:41:40.529 We just started enjoying each other's company. 00:41:43.198 --> 00:41:44.599 - How are we gonna go on? 00:41:44.799 --> 00:41:46.001 How are we gonna have- 00:41:46.201 --> 00:41:47.503 How are we gonna have a game? 00:41:47.703 --> 00:41:50.710 How are we gonna play basketball? 00:41:50.910 --> 00:41:53.917 You know, without Magic on the court. 00:41:54.117 --> 00:41:55.010 What's it gonna be like? 00:41:55.210 --> 00:41:59.173 What is Lakers basketball without Magic Johnson? 00:42:05.304 --> 00:42:08.349 Good afternoon to you, ladies and gentlemen. 00:42:08.549 --> 00:42:11.393 We are here for a very special moment 00:42:11.593 --> 00:42:14.563 in Laker basketball history. 00:42:16.857 --> 00:42:20.953 - He asked Magic, asked... 00:42:21.153 --> 00:42:24.786 Asked him to retire his jersey. 00:42:24.986 --> 00:42:28.619 So he could be there. 00:42:33.457 --> 00:42:35.134 He was so brave. 00:42:35.334 --> 00:42:39.175 And every-all the rest of us were scared to death. 00:42:39.375 --> 00:42:42.509 Ladies and gentlemen, here we are again. 00:42:42.709 --> 00:42:45.644 And it was a long time ago when we first 00:42:45.844 --> 00:42:48.789 welcomed this young man out here on this court. 00:42:48.989 --> 00:42:51.734 And in the interim, he's taught us a whole lot, 00:42:51.934 --> 00:42:55.646 He's taught us a lot about him, he's taught us about ourselves, 00:42:55.846 --> 00:42:57.106 he's taught us about the game of basketball, 00:42:57.306 --> 00:43:00.242 he's taught us about winning. 00:43:00.442 --> 00:43:03.028 I think the most important thing for me 00:43:03.228 --> 00:43:06.573 was that Earvin made me realize 00:43:06.773 --> 00:43:09.919 that I was having a good time. 00:43:10.119 --> 00:43:13.122 You get caught up into like, the difficult part of your job 00:43:13.322 --> 00:43:16.416 and you don't realize what it is that you're doing 00:43:16.616 --> 00:43:19.711 and what is it that you're sharing with everybody. 00:43:25.467 --> 00:43:28.429 So I want to say personally, thank you, Earvin. 00:43:28.629 --> 00:43:31.890 We love you, I love you, good luck. 00:43:43.277 --> 00:43:46.163 People ask me all the time 00:43:46.363 --> 00:43:48.249 what do I miss most about not playing? 00:43:48.449 --> 00:43:52.286 And it's not the playing part I miss the most, 00:43:52.486 --> 00:43:55.539 it's just being one of the boys. 00:43:55.739 --> 00:43:58.792 You never know how great it is 00:43:58.992 --> 00:44:02.846 to be one of 12 guys 00:44:03.046 --> 00:44:08.510 that you come out and you work hard for eight months 00:44:08.710 --> 00:44:12.305 and you're trying to fight for a common goal. 00:44:12.505 --> 00:44:16.017 I learned a lot from each and every one of them, 00:44:16.217 --> 00:44:19.730 that we shared all those great times together. 00:44:24.526 --> 00:44:26.954 Talking to a man upstairs there, 00:44:27.154 --> 00:44:30.157 we're gonna talk about two men, God and the other one 00:44:30.357 --> 00:44:33.043 who brought me here. 00:44:33.243 --> 00:44:38.624 To Dr. Jerry Buss, thank you for being like my LA father, 00:44:38.824 --> 00:44:40.759 taking me in, 00:44:40.959 --> 00:44:45.964 teaching me how to go from a young man to a man. 00:44:46.164 --> 00:44:48.050 I really appreciate it. 00:44:50.219 --> 00:44:54.973 I mean, it was such an emotional period. 00:44:55.173 --> 00:45:00.112 We met before he was 20. 00:45:00.312 --> 00:45:04.566 I talked to his father and he said, you know, 00:45:04.766 --> 00:45:08.904 "Watch him, take care of him." 00:45:11.698 --> 00:45:14.201 And he did that. 00:45:30.634 --> 00:45:33.637 He did that.