Jan. 1, 1953
Buss earns a bachelor of science in chemistry at the University of Wyoming.
Jan. 1, 1957
Earns a doctorate in physical chemistry at USC. Works briefly on USC’s faculty, at a Boston consulting firm and for Douglas Aircraft Co.
Jan. 1, 1959
Saves $1,000, pools it with friends and buys an apartment building in West Los Angeles.
Jan. 1, 1962
Buss goes into real estate full time. Soon after partners with friend Frank Mariani. Mariani-Buss Associates invests successfully in residential properties, apartment buildings, hotels and office buildings. Their business grows quickly.
Jan. 1, 1968
Separates from wife; they later divorce.
Jan. 1, 1974
Buys Los Angeles Strings, World Team Tennis; league folds in 1978.
Jan. 1, 1979
Buss and his partners purchase the Lakers, the Forum in Inglewood, the NHL’s Kings and a 13,000-acre ranch in Kern County for $67.5 million from Jack Kent Cooke.
Lakers owner Jerry Buss outside the Forum in 1979.
(Los Angeles Times)
Jan. 1, 1980
The Lakers, with rookie Magic Johnson and veteran Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, beat Philadelphia in the NBA Finals. It’s the Lakers’ first championship under Buss.
Jerry Buss flashes the No. 1 sign as his Lakers team is honored with a parade on May 19, 1980.
( Associated Press)
Jan. 1, 1981
Buss signs Johnson to a 25-year, $25-million contract, then the richest in sports history.
Magic Johnson hugs Lakers owner Jerry Buss in the locker room after the team won the 1980 NBA championship.
(Gene Pushkar / Associated Press)
Jan. 1, 1985
Buss and Bill Daniels start cable sports network Prime Ticket; company sold in 1994 to Denver-based cable giant Tele-Communications Inc. for an estimated $230 million.
Jan. 1, 1988
Buss sells remaining stake in Kings. Lakers, with Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, win their fifth championship in the “Showtime” era.
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss gets doused with champagne by members of his team.
(Lennox Mclendon / Associated Press)
Jan. 1, 1991
Magic Johnson retires after announcing he has HIV.
(Alberto Marquez / Associated Press)
Jan. 1, 1996
In July, Lakers General Manager Jerry West signs Shaquille O’Neal and trades for recently drafted high schooler Kobe Bryant.
Shaquille O’Neal in 1996.
( Vince Compagnone / Los Angeles Times)
Jan. 1, 1999
Buss hires Phil Jackson as coach; team moves into Staples Center.
(Steve Grayson / WireImage)
Jan. 1, 2000
Lakers win first of three-straight titles with Jackson, O’Neal and Bryant.
Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant and Jerry Buss celebrate the Lakers' win in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center in 2000.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Jan. 1, 2004
Lakers lose in the Finals. Jackson leaves and O’Neal is traded to Miami. Lakers hire Rudy Tomjanovich as their coach.
Tomjanovich is shown during a game against Houston at Staples Center.
(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Jan. 1, 2005
Tomjanovich resigns in the middle of 2004-05 season; Lakers miss playoffs for second time in the Buss era. Buss rehires Jackson as coach.
Tomjanovich announces his resignation.
(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Jan. 1, 2007
After consecutive years of first-round playoff losses, Bryant demands to be traded. Buss considers trading his star, but doesn't.
Bryant and Buss shake hands in 2008.
(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Jan. 1, 2008
Lakers trade for Pau Gasol; team reaches NBA Finals but loses to Boston in six games.
(Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Jan. 1, 2009
Lakers beat Orlando for the NBA title.
Jan. 1, 2010
Lakers beat Celtics in seven games for title No. 10 in the Buss era. In August, he is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Jerry Buss speaks during the Hall of Fame ceremony.
(Elise Amendola / Associated Press)
Jan. 1, 2011
Jackson retires after Lakers are swept in second round of playoffs. Lakers hire Mike Brown as coach.
Mike Brown and Jerry Buss.
(Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
Jan. 1, 2012
In August, Buss undergoes undisclosed surgery. In November, Lakers fire Brown. Buss, along with his son Jim Buss, and Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak, hire Mike D’Antoni as coach.
Mike D'Antoni is shown during a Lakers-Celtics game.
(Charles Krupa / Associated Press)
Jan. 1, 2013
Forbes values the Lakers as the second-most valuable NBA franchise at $1 billion (the New York Knicks are worth $1.1 billion).
Feb. 18, 2013
Jerry Buss dies at 80
Buss dies Feb. 18 of complications of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to his longtime spokesman, Bob Steiner. Fans will remember the real estate mogul for enjoying extraordinary NBA success -- 10 championships in three-plus decades -- but equally important to his legacy was a sense of showmanship.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
