Jeanie Buss is the owner of the most influential NBA team in the world, the Los Angeles Lakers. She earned the right to run the team from her father, beating out her brothers in a well-publicized inheritance battle. However, her family’s approval didn’t make a difference among NBA owners, as Jeanie revealed the sexist treatment she had to face, including being groped during an owners’ meeting.
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“As we were waiting, taking a break from the meeting and everybody was in line for the buffet for lunch during the lunch break, somebody grabs my ass. I turn around and I was so shocked. But it was like, again, if I didn’t have the confidence that my dad put in me, that was a moment where I wanted to shrink and to be nothing, that I would have, you know, gotten sick and said, ‘I gotta go.’ Do I really belong here? You know, I’m just really not one of the group, like I’m been singled out. It made me really self-conscious.”
Buss may not have the same excellence in the role that her father achieved but she’s done pretty well for herself. She honored Kobe Bryant by not only paying him max contract money when he was past his prime, and then recruited LeBron James and Anthony Davis to become the first female owner to win the NBA Championship.
Women Executives In The NBA
Buss is a trailblazer, as she opened the doors to women holding high decision-making positions in NBA organizations. She’s still the only female team governor, but various franchises have women in top decision-making roles. One of the best examples of this is the Philadelphia 76ers, whose Chief Operating Officer Lara Price is one of the longest-tenured executives in the NBA. She’s been with the franchise since 1996, rising through the ranks and becoming one of the most well-respected figures in basketball.
The Dallas Mavericks Chief Executive Officer is Cynt Marshall, the first Black Female CEO of any NBA organization. There were no women or people of color on the Mavericks’ leadership team when Marshall took the reigns in 2018 after the team went through a public culture scandal. Today, the team has 50% women and 47% people of color in meaningful roles.
There are more terrific examples such as Melissa Proctor (EVP & CMO, Atlanta Hawks), Gillian Zucker (President of Business Operations, Los Angeles Clippers), and Matina Kolokotronis (COO, Sacramento Kings), among many others.
The Lakers Are The Third-Most Valuable NBA Franchise
Even with their illustrious history, iconic brand, and enviable location, the Los Angeles Lakers are not the most valuable franchise in the NBA. Their value trails behind the media behemoth that is the New York Knicks, playing in the most valuable media market in the NBA. The Lakers also land behind the Golden State Warriors, with the Bay Area franchise exploding in value and popularity in the last decade.
The Knicks have the largest fanbase of any NBA franchise in the USA and are in an expensive media market, even with their lack of success since the 1990s. They are valued at $6.6 billion, while the Warriors take the top spot with a valuation of $7.7 billion. The Knicks’ value could still rise to an incredibly high level if the team can sustain the winning habits they’ve built over the last three seasons. A superstar trade could instantly alter their franchise value.
The Lakers are worth $6.4 billion and are in the position they’re in while being a family-run business instead of being an extended corporate entity, like the Warriors and Knicks are to their respective owners. The Lakers business is basketball, which explains why they earn the most in sports-related income. They’re also popular internationally and boast NBA legends such as LeBron James on their roster.
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