One of the most impressive things about Dr. Buss was the caring relationship that he developed with his players. Magic, who referred to himself as Jerry’s “adopted son,” spoke movingly at the memorial ceremony about the extraordinary support Dr. Buss gave him when he was diagnosed with HIV in 1991 — crying when he heard the news, finding him the best doctors, and making sure he took his meds every day. Jerry also formed a strong bond with Kobe. When Kobe was demanding to be traded in 2007, we had a meeting with him and his agent during which Dr. Buss said, “Kobe, if I had a diamond of great value, four or five karats, would I give up that diamond for four diamonds of one karat? No. There’s no equal value that we can get for you. A trade would not match what you bring to this team.” Eventually Jerry won Kobe over and he agreed to stay. The Lakers invited Kobe and Steve to the final pitch meeting to help persuade Dwight to come on board. It sounded like a good idea. Steve sent out an amusing tweet before the meeting: “Dwight Howard we’re coming for you. You’re going to love the statue we build for you outside Staples in 20yrs!” And Kobe made a moving speech during the pitch, promising to teach Dwight the secret of winning championships that he’d learned from the best in the game. If the meeting had ended there, it might have worked. But after the presentation, Dwight asked Kobe what he was planning to do after he recovered from his Achilles injury. Was this going to be his last year? “No,” replied Kobe. “I’m planning to be around for three or four more years.” At that point, according to others in the room, Dwight’s eyes went blank and he drifted away. In his mind, the game was over. - PHIL JACKSON
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 23:41:52 +0000