Jeanie Buss recently recalled an event on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” where she revealed that another owner of the Lakers had grabbed her butt during her first NBA Board of Governors meeting.
Buss has been in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers since 2013, and ever since her arrival, she has made some drastic changes. Some people have not liked her decision as the owner which has resulted in her receiving death threats before the new season started.
Jeanie Buss discloses shocking boardroom story
Jeanie Buss made an appearance on the show “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” where she revealed an incident during her early days in the NBA. Buss revealed an incident where she was sexually molested by another owner of the Lakers franchise.
It happened during the break of the NBA Board of Governors meeting, Buss recalled the incident and said, “As we were waiting, taking break from the meeting and everybody was in line for the buffet for lunch, during lunch break, somebody grabs my ass, I turn around and I was shocked.”
She further elaborated on the incident and talked about how it affected her self-consciousness but the confidence her father had given her helped her out and did not allow her to be deterred from the path she had chosen.
”But it was like, again, if I did not have the confidence that dad put in me, that was the moment where I wanted to shrink and to be nothing, and I would have, you know, gotten sick and said, ‘I gotta go.’ Do I belong here? You know, I am just really not one of the group, like I am been singled out.” said Buss in addition to her previous explanation.
Despite this highly unfriendly and uncomfortable experience, Buss stood her ground and remained in the room. She later used this experience as a motivation to make things welcoming and better for newcomers and to support future owners like Mark Cuban.
Lakers success under Jeanie Buss
Ever since Jeanie Buss took control of the franchise in 2013, her authority has been fairly criticized by the fans. In her tenure as the owner, the Lakers have won only one NBA championship, which is not satisfactory for the fans at all. Buss has made a lot of changes ever since taking over; she has hired and fired a lot of head coaches and general managers and has been very involved in the basketball operations of the team.
She had been closely involved in decisions regarding player acquisition and trade deals, and some fans have been very upset with her. They have criticized her for making too many changes and not being clear with the vision she has in mind for the team. Among all these criticisms, some people support Buss as well; they praise her for her commitment to winning and her passion for the team.
Apart from winning the championship in 2020, the Lakers have made the playoffs two more times (in 2019 and 2021). She is responsible for signing the biggest star in the NBA LeBron James to the Lakers and also drafting a young Anthony Davis, who went on to become a superstar as well.
However, on the contrary, her recent years as the owner have not been very good; the team has been plagued with injuries and missed out on the 2022 and 2023 playoffs. She has also made some questionable trades and acquisitions that turned out to be flops.
Overall, her term as the owner of the Lakers is a mixed bag, as the team has won a championship but has also seen some major setbacks. Only time will tell if she can lead the Lakers into a better future or not.
What do you think of the shocking revelation by Jeanie Buss? Do you think the Lakers will make it to the playoffs this time? We are eager to know your thoughts, so drop them down in the comments box right below.
