Lakers owner Jerry Buss —
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss died Monday, February 18, a hospital spokeswoman said. Buss, 80, had long been a fixture in the NBA though he increasingly left day-to-day operations of the Lakers to his children in recent years. With 10 NBA championships and 16 Western Conference titles, Buss was nothing if not a winner. Credited with procuring the likes of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, it's inarguable that he was instrumental in cementing the Lakers' claim to being the second-best NBA team of all time, behind the Boston Celtics.