Jerry Buss Net Worth

What was Jerry Buss' net worth?

Dr. Jerry Buss was an American entrepreneur, real estate investor, and legendary sports team owner who had a net worth of $700 million at the time of his death in 2013. Buss built his first fortune in Southern California real estate before achieving global fame as the longtime owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic franchises in professional sports. Over the years, he also owned the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), the Los Angeles Lazers (indoor soccer), and the Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA).

While $700 million might seem surprisingly low for someone so closely tied to a billion-dollar team, Buss did not own 100% of the Lakers. At the time of his death in 2013, the Lakers were valued between $900 million and $1 billion. Buss owned 66% of the team. The remaining 34% was held by two minority investors: Ed Roski, a real estate billionaire who acquired an 8% stake in 1998, and Phil Anschutz, the founder of AEG, who held a 26% stake. (Anschutz later sold his share to Mark Walter and Todd Boehly in 2021.)

Based on the team's valuation at the time, Buss's 66% stake was worth approximately $600 to $660 million, making up the bulk of his estate.

After his death, Jerry's 66% ownership was inherited equally by his six children through a family trust, giving each sibling an 11% stake. His daughter Jeanie Buss became the team's governor and public representative. From 2013 to 2017, the siblings shared voting power. But after an attempted power grab by Johnny Buss, Jeanie secured full control of team operations in 2017.

In June 2025, the Buss family sold a large portion of the team to Mark Walter in a deal that valued the Lakers at $10 billion. That transaction yielded a $6.15 billion windfall for the family, or roughly $1 billion per sibling, and marked the most expensive sale of a U.S. sports franchise in history. The family retained a collective 18% stake in the team, 3% per sibling.

Jerry Buss / David Klein/Getty Images

Early Life

Jerry Buss was born on January 27, 1933, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised in the small mining town of Kemmerer, Wyoming, during the depths of the Great Depression. He was raised by his single mother, Jessie, who worked as a waitress to support the family. One of his earliest memories was standing in a bread line as a child, an experience that shaped his lifelong drive to achieve financial independence and stability.

Despite the hardships of his upbringing, Buss excelled academically. Through hard work and determination, he earned a scholarship to the University of Wyoming and graduated in just two and a half years. He then moved to Los Angeles to pursue graduate studies at the University of Southern California. By age 24, he had earned both a master's degree and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from USC.

Real Estate Investments

After completing his doctorate, Buss worked briefly in the aerospace industry and later returned to USC as a faculty member in the chemistry department. It was during this period that he began investing in Los Angeles real estate to supplement his modest professor's salary.

What started as a side hustle quickly evolved into a thriving business. In partnership with longtime associate Frank Mariani, Buss co-founded Mariani-Buss Associates, a real estate investment firm focused on buying undervalued properties in fast-growing areas. Their early portfolio included apartment buildings in Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, and other rapidly appreciating neighborhoods. Buss reinvested his profits, leveraged smart debt, and capitalized on the booming postwar Southern California housing market.

By the late 1970s, Buss and Mariani reportedly owned more than 700 income-generating properties across Los Angeles, including thousands of apartment units and several commercial buildings. This real estate empire became the foundation for one of the greatest investments in sports history.

Jerry Buss (via Getty)

The Lakers

In 1979, Jerry Buss purchased the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, the Forum arena, and surrounding real estate from Jack Kent Cooke in a package deal worth $67.5 million. Of that, roughly $16 million was allocated to the Lakers themselves. It was the largest sports franchise purchase in U.S. history at the time. Adjusted for inflation, the total deal would be worth around $213 million today.

Buss wasted no time making an impact. His arrival coincided with the drafting of Magic Johnson, who, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, would usher in the "Showtime" era. Buss emphasized entertainment as much as basketball, bringing Hollywood glamor to the Forum and turning Lakers games into star-studded events. Courtside seats became coveted social currency, and the Lakers became synonymous with flash, success, and winning.

Under Buss's ownership, the Lakers won 10 NBA championships, becoming one of the most dominant and culturally influential franchises in sports. He was praised for his willingness to spend, his loyalty to star players, and his instinct for balancing basketball tradition with bold innovation.

At the time of his death in 2013, the Lakers were worth approximately $1 billion, making them one of the first professional sports teams to cross the billion-dollar threshold. In the years following, under Jeanie Buss's leadership, the team's value skyrocketed. In June 2025, the Buss family sold their 66% controlling stake to billionaire Mark Walter at a record-setting $10 billion valuation, cementing Jerry Buss's investment as one of the most successful in sports history.

(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Personal Life

Outside of sports and real estate, Jerry Buss had a passion for poker and competed in several professional tournaments, including events on the World Series of Poker circuit. He was also known for his charisma, love of nightlife, and high-profile personal life, which often landed him in the headlines during the Showtime era.

Buss died on February 18, 2013, in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer. He was 80 years old. He is survived by six children, all of whom inherited his stake in the Lakers through a family trust. His daughter Jeanie Buss emerged as the family's leader and remains closely associated with the franchise to this day.

Jerry Buss is remembered not only as one of the most successful owners in professional sports but also as a visionary who helped reshape the business of basketball. His legacy lives on through the continued global success of the Lakers and the entertainment-first model he pioneered in the NBA.

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