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55-545: Jerry Buss , the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers , Kings and Strings of TeamTennis and The Forum , the home arena of all three teams, was always looking for innovative ways to add additional creative programming to the Forum. He called upon his oldest son Johnny Buss and long-time California Sports executive Ron Weinstein to bring indoor soccer to Los Angeles. In 1981, Buss

110-404: A settlement out of court in a palimony suit filed by Puppi Buss, who said that she had an on-and-off relationship with Buss for 15 years, and also alleged that he fathered her son; details of the settlement were not revealed. On May 29, 2007, Buss was issued a citation for driving under the influence after two California Highway Patrol officers saw him driving his gold Mercedes-Benz on

165-565: A Lakers employee for as long as Buss owned the team. When Hazzard died in 2011, he was still a Lakers employee. Buss has seven known children. His marriage to the former JoAnn Mueller ended in divorce in 1972 after having five children: Lee (born 1953 ), Johnny (born 1956), Jim (born 1959), Jeanie (born 1961) and Janie (born 1963). Their oldest child, Lee, was put up for adoption shortly after birth. Buss allegedly married his second wife, Veronica Hoff, in 1972 while still married to his first wife, JoAnn. During his time as Lakers owner, Buss

220-438: A Lakers game during the 2012–13 season due to health concerns. On February 14, 2013, four days before his death, it was revealed that Buss had been battling cancer since 2012. After being hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with an undisclosed form of cancer, he died of kidney failure on February 18, 2013, aged 80. On February 21, hundreds of friends, colleagues, and family members gathered to pay tribute to Buss in

275-615: A contributor and 2016 as a coach. On three occasions, the Hall has inducted new classes without honoring a player – 1965, 1968, and 2007. On November 14, 2023, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame created the inaugural Ice Cube Impact Award and he was awarded it January 15, 2024. In conjunction with the Final Four of each year's NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments,

330-549: A former athletic director at Colby College . In the 1960s, the Hall of Fame struggled to raise enough money to construct its first facility. However, the necessary amount was raised, and the building opened on February 17, 1968, less than a month after the National Basketball Association played its 18th All-Star Game . The Basketball Hall of Fame's Board named four inductees in its first year. In addition to honoring those who contributed to basketball,

385-619: A limited number of candidates it may submit to the Honors Committee—10 from the North American Committee, and two from each of the other committees. Any individual receiving at least 18 affirmative votes (75% of all votes cast) from the Honors Committee is approved for induction into the Hall of Fame. As long as the number of candidates receiving sufficient votes from a screening committee is not greater than

440-637: A pre-game ritual for every Lazers game to have a laser show displayed on the walls of the Forum, which even intrigued Neil Diamond enough to visit the Lazer offices in order to investigate and ultimately incorporate this new laser technology into his own onstage live performances. Following in the footsteps of the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers, the Lazers drew many celebrities to their games including Cher , James Caan , Ricky Schroder and Diamond. The "Laker Girls" performed double duty from 1982 to 1989, performing as

495-765: A professional indoor soccer league that played in the summer months with a fiscally responsible budget, then he would mentor him while tying the new league into the NBA and NHL. Thus, the seed was planted in Weinstein for the founding of the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL). The Lazers played their home games in The Forum in Inglewood, California . Coach of the Year Rookie of

550-645: A televised memorial service at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live , across from the Lakers' home court, Staples Center . Buss was buried on February 22 at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills in a private ceremony with family and close friends. NBA commissioner David Stern said of Buss "The NBA has lost a visionary owner whose influence on our league is incalculable and will be felt for decades to come". Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said "His impact

605-438: A waitress. His father, Lydus, was an accountant who went on to teach statistics at Berkeley, who abandoned Buss after his first birthday and never returned. When he was nine years old, Buss moved with his mother to Los Angeles ; three years later when she remarried, they then moved to Kemmerer, Wyoming and lived in a six-room home with his half-brother Mickey, his half-sister Susan, and stepbrother Jim. One of Buss' boyhood jobs

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660-455: Is felt worldwide," and called Buss "the greatest owner in sports ever". Buss's 66% controlling ownership of the Lakers passed to his six children via a trust, with each child receiving an equal vote (11% for each child). His succession plan had daughter Jeanie assume his previous title as the Lakers' governor as well as its team representative at NBA Board of Governors meetings. The 2013 World Series of Poker paid tribute to Buss before

715-555: Is illuminated at night and features 80,000 square foot (7,400 m ), including a Subway sandwich shop, and an extensive gift shop. The second Basketball Hall of Fame was not torn down, but was converted into an LA Fitness health club. The Basketball Hall of Fame features Center Court, a full-sized basketball court on which visitors can play. Inside the building there are a game gallery, many interactive exhibits, several theaters, and an honor ring of inductees. A large theater for ceremonies seats up to 300. The honorees inducted in 2002, included

770-608: Is quite non-exclusive. He argues that the Baseball Hall of Fame first started inducting individuals in 1936, and Basketball did not start inducting players until 1959, but the Basketball Hall as of 2014 had more members than the Baseball Hall. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame President and CEO, John Doleva , defends the exclusivity argument: "I'm used to explaining it and it's different than football and baseball," Doleva said. "Because football and baseball cover

825-677: The Harlem Globetrotters and Magic Johnson , a five-time NBA champion, three-time NBA finals MVP and Olympic gold medalist. As of 2011, the Basketball Hall of Fame has greatly exceeded attendance expectations, with basketball fans traveling there from all over the world. In contrast to the Soccer and the National Baseball Halls of Fame, Springfield honors international and American professionals, as well as American and international amateurs, making it arguably

880-680: The Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning 10 league championships that were highlighted by the team's Showtime era during the 1980s. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. Buss owned other professional sports franchises in Southern California. Born in Salt Lake City , Buss and his three younger siblings were raised by their divorced mother, Jessie, who worked as

935-852: The Los Angeles Lazers of the Major Indoor Soccer League . The Lazers also played in The Forum. The team folded in 1989 and the league folded three years later. His contributions to basketball were recognized by his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. Buss received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement in 1983. Buss was a high-stakes cash game poker player for many years, but later in life

990-866: The Los Angeles Strings in World Team Tennis . In 1979, he purchased the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA , the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL , The Forum , and a 13,000-acre ranch in the Sierra Nevada from Jack Kent Cooke for $ 67.5 million (equivalent to $ 280 million in 2023). Buss later sold his controlling interest in the Kings to Bruce McNall in 1988. He then reached a major advertising agreement with Great Western Bank for

1045-573: The University of Southern California (USC), where he earned an MS and PhD in physical chemistry in 1957 at the age of 24. Upon completion of his PhD, Buss moved to Boston and worked for Arthur D. Little . Buss started as a chemist for the Bureau of Mines (now the Mine Safety and Health Administration); he then briefly worked in the aerospace industry for McDonnell Douglas and was on

1100-652: The naming rights to The Forum, resulting in the official name of the building being changed to the Great Western Forum . Later, when the WNBA was formed in 1996, Buss took charge of operating that league's Los Angeles franchise, the Los Angeles Sparks . Eventually, all three teams moved into a more modern arena in downtown Los Angeles, the Staples Center , which opened in 1999. As part of

1155-442: The "Lazer Girls" at all home games. This opportunity played an integral part in the career of Paula Abdul , who was the lead dancer and choreographer of the team. Johnny Buss was president of the Lazers from 1982 to 1985 when he went on to pursue other endeavors. His younger brother, Jim Buss, took over as president for the 1985–86 season. In 1986, Jerry Buss attended his first MISL Board of Governors meeting. He strongly suggested to

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1210-511: The $ 2,500 Seven Card Stud event. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame , located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts . It serves as basketball 's most complete library, in addition to promoting and preserving the history of basketball . Dedicated to Canadian-American physician James Naismith , who invented

1265-567: The 24-second shot-clock had two developers for the National Basketball Association in Leo Ferris and Danny Biasone , but only the latter has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Ferris was listed as an eligible nominee from 2017 to 2023. Tim Hardaway is one player noted as being snubbed from the Hall for a long time, possibly due to his past negative comments on the LGBT community despite support from peers involving his playing credentials; he

1320-621: The Basketball Hall of Fame necessitated a new facility, and on June 30, 1985, an $ 11.5 million facility was opened beside the Connecticut River in Springfield. As the new hall opened, it also recognized women for the first time, with inductees such as Senda Berenson Abbott , who first introduced basketball to women at Smith College . During the years following its construction, the Basketball Hall of Fame's second facility drew far more visitors than anticipated, due in large part to

1375-642: The Beverly Hills estate once owned by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks ; he sold it in 1987. Buss claimed his company owned—across Arizona, California and Nevada—roughly 700 properties by 1979. In 1974, Buss produced a movie named Black Eye starring former gridiron star Fred "the Hammer" Williamson . Buss was an owner of the Phoenix location of the Playboy Club . Buss became an owner of

1430-651: The Fabulous Forum / Great Western Forum / Staples Center. Professionally, The Dwarfs were outstanding contributors who held positions as special assistant, financial advisor, investment banker, ADPAC marketing executive. The Dwarfs were regular fixtures in and among the Showtime Lakers throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and until Jerry's death in 2013. In January 2008, Buss donated $ 7.5 million to USC's Department of Chemistry to fund two endowed chairs and an endowed scholarship fund for chemistry graduate students;

1485-567: The Hall of Fame sought to make contributions of its own. In 1979, the Hall of Fame sponsored the Tip-Off Classic , a pre-season college basketball exhibition. The Tip-Off Classic has been the start to the college basketball season ever since, and although it does not always take place in Springfield, Massachusetts , generally it returns every few years. In the 17 years that the original Basketball Hall of Fame operated at Springfield College , it drew over 630,000 visitors. The popularity of

1540-549: The Hall's voting procedures, including voter anonymity, are controversial. While sportswriter voters of other major sports' Halls of Fame openly debate their choices, the Naismith Hall process is not transparent. The Hall has also been criticized for a tendency to enshrine active collegiate coaches and relatively obscure players while omitting some accomplished players and coaches. The Hall has received backlash for excluding such players, coaches, and innovators. For example,

1595-436: The Hall. The members of these committees serve three-year terms. How the members get selected, and who they are, is virtually unknown to the public and is kept completely anonymous. Inductees do not know who inducted them, and those who inducted them supposedly never let them know. According to Mark Purdy, a sportswriter and selection committee member for the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Basketball Hall of Fame's selection process

1650-511: The Lakers' Showtime era with his vision that basketball games must be entertaining. The Sparks also experienced their share of success, winning two WNBA championships with such players as Lisa Leslie , Tamecka Dixon and DeLisha Milton-Jones . In 2002, when the WNBA was restructured to give its teams individual owners, Buss took ownership of the Sparks. He sold the team in 2006. Buss also owned

1705-513: The Naismith Hall gives out several awards to college basketball athletes: For men, the Hall presents awards to the top players in Division I at each of the five standard basketball positions. Each of the award winners is chosen by a Hall of Fame selection committee, plus the award's namesake. The Hall, in cooperation with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association , presents analogous awards for

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1760-495: The North American Screening Committee or five votes from one of the other screening committees in a given year are eligible to advance to an Honors Committee, composed of 12 members plus rotating groups of 12 specialists (one group for female candidates, one group for international candidates, and one group for American and veterans candidates) who vote on each candidate. Each screening committee has

1815-521: The Year In their inaugural season, the Lazers games were broadcast on Cable Radio Network. Beginning in the second season, Bill MacDonald asked Buss and Weinstein for permission to broadcast the Lazers home games on KBOB radio in Pasadena. MacDonald's family agreed to purchase the air time, and MacDonald's long running career was launched. During the 1983–84 season, the Lazers made the first entree into

1870-457: The board that they begin to reduce player salaries and gradually move the league into the summer months. Dr. Buss continued to play for three more seasons, and, after recognizing the MISL was not moving in the proper direction in the summer of 1989, he shared with Lazers executive vice president Ron Weinstein that he was closing the doors on the Lazers. He told Weinstein that if he ever wanted to start

1925-420: The class of 2020, active coaches must meet the years of service requirement and be at least 60 years old. No years of service criterion is required for those who have made a "significant contribution to the game of basketball". Sportswriters and commentators can be elected as full-fledged members, in contrast to the Baseball Hall of Fame that places them in separate wings from the "real" Hall of Fame. Aspects of

1980-496: The deal to move the Lakers into Staples Center, Buss sold the Great Western Forum (which was later reverted to its original name). The Lakers were very successful under Buss' ownership, winning 10 NBA championships with such players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar , Magic Johnson , James Worthy , Shaquille O'Neal , Kobe Bryant , and Pau Gasol , and with coaches Paul Westhead , Pat Riley and Phil Jackson . He inspired

2035-448: The faculty of USC's chemistry department. Buss originally invested in real estate to provide supplementary income so he could continue teaching. His first investment was $ 1,000 in a 14-unit West Los Angeles apartment building in 1959. Finding great success in the real estate business, he, along with longtime business partner, Frank Mariani, formed real estate investment company Mariani-Buss Associates. In 1979, Buss purchased Pickfair ,

2090-471: The increasing popularity of the game but also to the scenic location beside the river and the second Hall's interesting modern architecture. In 2002, the Basketball Hall of Fame moved again —albeit merely 100 yards south along Springfield's riverfront—into a $ 47 million facility designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates . The building's architecture features a metallic silver, basketball-shaped sphere flanked by two similarly symmetrical rhombuses . The dome

2145-721: The men's game professionally, end of story. Naismith invented this game for everyone: men, women, high school, college, pro, coaches, players. We really represent the entire game, so we have a broader class". Since 1959, 436 coaches, players, referees, contributors, and teams have been inducted, with the most recent class entering on September 9, 2022. John Wooden , Lenny Wilkens , Bill Sharman , Tom Heinsohn , and Bill Russell have each been inducted as both player and coach (Wooden in 1960 and 1973, Sharman in 1976 and 2004, Wilkens in 1989, 1998 and 2010, Heinsohn in 1986 and 2015, and Russell in 1975 and 2021). John McLendon has been inducted as both coach and contributor, entering in 1979 as

2200-574: The most comprehensive Hall of Fame among major American sports. From 2011 to 2015, seven committees were, and as of 2016, six committees are employed to both screen and elect candidates. Four of the committees screen prospective candidates: Since 2011, the Veterans and International Committees also vote to directly induct one candidate for each induction class. Three committees were formed in 2011 to directly elect one candidate for each induction class: Individuals who receive at least seven votes from

2255-491: The number of finalists that the committee is permitted to submit, advancement to the Honors Committee is generally pro forma, although the Hall's Board of Trustees may remove from consideration any candidate who "has damaged the integrity of the game of basketball". To be considered for induction by a screening committee, a player, retired coach, or referee must be fully retired from that role for at least three full seasons. The waiting period had originally been five years, but

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2310-451: The press as "The Seven Dwarfs". Jerry's inner circle entourage included John Rockwell, Ron and David Wilder, Miguel A. Nunez, Lance Davis, Mark Fulton, and Brian J. Sadler. This close-knit group of friends would often bid on charitable auction items that would help the causes of the events they attended. The Dwarfs were gifted championship rings when the Lakers won titles and were granted carte blanche access to all Laker home games and events at

2365-424: The sport in Springfield, the Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1959, before opening its first facility on February 17, 1968. As of 2024 , the Hall has formally inducted 436 players, coaches, referees, and other basketball professionals. The Boston Celtics have the most inductees, with 40. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was established in 1959, without a physical location, by Lee Williams ,

2420-420: The television arena by broadcasting a few games on the Lakers and Kings KCAL 9 television network. Chick Hearn, the Lakers broadcaster, and Bob Miller, the Kings broadcaster, shared the play-by-play responsibilities. During the 1984–85 season, the Lazers began to broadcast their games on Prime Ticket, which was the regional sports network created by Dr. Jerry Buss for Southern California. This first Lazers broadcast

2475-684: The third-highest winning percentage for all college basketball coaches in history, has not been inducted. The Basketball Hall of Fame is very independent of its baseball and football counterparts, specifically for its induction and voting process. There are multiple different voting committees for the Basketball Hall: The International Committee, North American Committee, Women's Committee, Contributor Direct Election Committee, Early African-American Pioneers Committee, and Veterans Committee. Each committee makes their own individual selections for their inductees into

2530-553: The top Division I women's players at each position. One has been awarded since 2000; the others were first presented in 2018. As with the men's awards, the selection committee for the women's awards includes each award's namesake. The Hall also formerly presented the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award to two college seniors—one male player no taller than 72 inches (1.83 m), and one female player no taller than 68 inches (1.73 m)—determined to have been

2585-503: The two chairs were to be named after his mentors at USC, Professors Sidney Benson and David Dows. Buss was an inaugural member of the USC College Board of Councilors. His philanthropy also extended to people associated with the Lakers. When former Lakers player Walt Hazzard , then an adviser to the team, suffered a catastrophic stroke in 1996, Buss kept Hazzard on the payroll and told Hazzard's son that his father would remain

2640-464: The wrong side of the road in the coastal community of Carlsbad in northern San Diego County , with a 23-year-old woman passenger. After failing a field sobriety test, Buss was taken into custody, given a blood test, and booked on suspicion of driving while intoxicated with a blood-alcohol level over 0.08. In 2012, Buss was in a hospital for months with an undisclosed intestinal problem. Through his 80th birthday on January 27, 2013, he had not attended

2695-574: Was awarded an expansion franchise at the same August league meeting where the MISL granted a one-year leave of absence to the Philadelphia Fever . Buss and Weinstein named the team the Los Angeles Lazers, and the team began play in the fall of 1982. The team's name stemmed from the up-and-coming laser light show industry, which management believed would depict a perfect synergy of the lightning fast pace of indoor soccer. It became

2750-533: Was changed to four years in December 2015, and to three seasons in December 2017. Prior to the induction class of 2018, referees had been eligible for induction after 25 years of full-time service, even if still active. Changes to the criteria for consideration of active coaches were also announced as part of the 2017 changes. Coaches become eligible upon 25 years of full-time service at the high school level or above, or three seasons after retirement. Effective with

2805-487: Was inducted in 2022. Nine of the ten NCAA Division I head coaches who won 800 games are currently in the Hall of Fame, with Cliff Ellis (894 wins) being the only exception. Leta Andrews , the all-time winningest coach in the United States (1,416 wins), has been a finalist five times but never inducted. Most notably, Eddie Sutton waited twelve years after his retirement to be inducted. Ken Anderson , holder of

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2860-598: Was more active in tournament games. His best finishes included third in the 1991 World Series of Poker seven-card stud event and second place in the 2003 World Poker Tour Freeroll invitational. He also appeared in the GSN series High Stakes Poker and the NBC late-night series Poker After Dark . Beginning in the early 1980s, Jerry Buss was notoriously seen in and around Los Angeles at charitable events with his ever-present entourage of close friends who were infamously dubbed in

2915-491: Was only the second event to have ever been aired on the Prime Ticket Network. Joel Meyers, a new and upcoming telecaster, joined MacDonald to become the dynamic team that announced every play from then on for the Lazers. Jerry Buss Gerald Hatten "Jerry" Buss (January 27, 1933 – February 18, 2013) was an American businessman, investor , chemist, and philanthropist. He was the majority owner of

2970-409: Was widely known as a playboy and had a string of young girlfriends. Buss dated Debbie Zafrani, a Playboy bunny and the younger sister of the wife of Lakers player Kurt Rambis . Buss had two more children with a girlfriend, Karen Demel: Joey (born 1985) and Jesse (born 1988). At the time of his death in 2013, six out of seven of his children worked in the Lakers organization. In 1990, Buss reached

3025-648: Was working for his stepfather, Cecil Brown, who owned a plumbing business. Other jobs in Buss' high school days included carrying bags at the Kemmerer Hotel (paid $ 2 per day), setting pins at the bowling alley, working on the Union Pacific Railroad , selling stamps, and shining shoes. Buss earned a scholarship to the University of Wyoming , graduating with a BS degree in two and a half years in 1953. He then returned to Los Angeles and attended

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