Jim Buss

James Hatten Buss (born November 9, 1959) is an American sports executive. He is a part-owner and former executive vice president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Buss was president of the Los Angeles Lazers professional indoor soccer team from 1985 to 1989. He later trained thoroughbred race horses for nine years before joining the Lakers in 1998 as an assistant general manager. He was promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 2005. After his father died in 2013, his controlling ownership of the Lakers passed to his children via a family trust, with each child receiving an equal interest.

Early life Buss was born the second of four children to Jo Ann and Jerry Buss. He grew up with older brother Johnny and sisters Jeanie and Janie. Their parents divorced in 1972. |group=lower-alpha

Professional career Buss invested in a small business with his best friend, but the friend died in a car accident in 1981. The death left Buss devastated and lost, and the business was left to fade. He next became a horse trainer, receiving from his father the half-dozen thoroughbreds he owned. In 1997, Jerry divested himself of his horse racing stock that was increasingly unprofitable. During an interview with Sports Illustrated for its November 1998 issue, Tomjanovich resigned after a half season, citing mental and physical exhaustion. The Lakers paid him a $10 million settlement, leading to speculation that the Lakers had instead terminated his contract. In 2005, Buss was promoted to vice president of player personnel. His father's plan was to have Buss handle the basketball decisions for the team, while his sister Jeanie, the vice president of business operations, handled the business side of the Lakers. Buss said, "I just absolutely fell in love with [Bynum] in five minutes [watching his workout]." He was also involved in rehiring Jackson as Lakers coach. Buss was the only family member present at Jackson's welcome-back news conference, which the Los Angeles Daily News wrote "was viewed as significant". Shaw was passed over as Jackson's replacement although the Lakers assistant was openly supported by players. He later said it was a mistake to not involve Bryant. The offseason also included the NBA player lockout, during which the Lakers let go of nearly two dozen employees with a combined 100 years of experience from the basketball operations staff. CBS Sports wrote that NBA executives are typically discreet, and Lester's public criticism "shows how strongly he feels the Lakers were in the wrong here". The lockout ended in the winter of 2011. That season, Brown expanded Bynum's role. The next season, the Lakers acquired Steve Nash and upgraded at center, trading Bynum for Dwight Howard. With their $100 million payroll, the Lakers were expected to be title contenders. Instead, Brown was fired after a 1–4 start; In a unanimous decision by Buss, his father, and Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers decided against re-hiring Jackson and signed Mike D'Antoni instead. According to NBA.com, Jerry by that time was no longer involved in the Lakers' day-to-day affairs, and rarely exercised his veto powers. Jerry's succession plan had Jeanie assume his previous title as the Lakers' governor as well as its team representative at NBA Board of Governors meetings. Former Lakers player and part owner Magic Johnson, who was also close to Buss' father, believed that Buss needed to put aside his ego and seek assistance to help the Lakers recruit against rival teams for free agent players. That season, Buss signed Bryant to a two-year extension worth $48.5 million, even before Bryant had recovered from an Achilles tendon tear. The Los Angeles Times called the deal "one of many terrible Lakers moves" that year.

In January 2014, Buss pledged to his siblings that he would step down if the Lakers were not contending for the Western Conference championship in three to four years. According to Jeanie, she was holding him to his self-imposed deadline, and was expecting him to lead the Lakers to at least the second round of the playoffs by 2016–17. On February 21, 2017, Buss was fired as head of basketball operations of the Lakers, though he continued to be a part owner of the team. After a dispute with Jeanie over ownership of the team, he was removed as a trustee of the Buss family trust and lost his position on the Lakers board of directors. In 2025, the Buss family sold its majority stake in the Lakers to a group headed by Mark Walter at a team valuation of $10 billion. The Busses retained a 17.8% share of the team.

Public image Buss is introverted and avoids the spotlight, and has never joined any on-court public ceremony for the Lakers. Buss is sometimes portrayed in the Los Angeles media as a slacker with his father's tastes but without his business savvy. In 2013, Buss said the playboy image stemmed from his clubbing with his dad 30 years earlier, but stated that he became a "stay-at-home guy. That's where I like to work."

Public perception is that Buss was instrumental in distancing the team from Jackson, including discounting his assistant Shaw from succeeding him as Lakers head coach. In a May 2011 interview, Jackson said "there's really not a relationship" with him and Buss. However, Buss in 2013 denied the perception of his relationship with Jackson. "I have zero problem with Phil, and Phil has zero problem with me." Kupchak confirmed that he had interacted with Jackson on unspecified team issues. However, Jackson did not envision a role on the team unless there was "some seismic shift" in the organization. Jeanie also said the Lakers were "in good hands" with Buss and Kupchak in their current roles. In 2014, public pressure mounted on the Buss family to hire Jackson, as he was discussing a front office position with the New York Knicks. However, the Lakers did not have a suitable front office role to offer him, and Jackson joined the Knicks as their president of basketball operations.

Personal life Buss married in 1983, and the couple adopted a son, Jager. Buss and his wife separated months later, but continued living together for six months while a social worker was monitoring the adoption. They divorced in late 1985 with Buss gaining sole custody of their son.