'Laker Girl' Jeanie Buss On LTV
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — She's perhaps best known by fans for her relationship with coach Phil Jackson, but Jeanie Buss isn't just the prettiest face behind the franchise -- she may also be the smartest.
Laker executive Buss said her book "Laker Girl," released on November 1st, is not just about sports, but about relationships, which for her have the potential for tremendous personal and professional complications.
"I'm the boss' daughter and I'm dating his star employee," said Buss, referring to her father, Laker owner Jerry Buss, and the team's coach, Phil Jackson.
Jeanie Buss On LTV Postgame Show:
Buss, the Lakers executive vice president of business operations, said she had been approached several times before about writing a book, "but didn't think I had enough to say to fill a book."
However, former Los Angeles Times sports reporter Steve Springer, who would become Buss' co-author, persuaded her that a diary on a Laker season, interspersed with her personal story, would make for a viable book.
"Laker Girl" also attempts to answer a question Buss said she is frequently asked, "What is a typical day like for you in your job?"
"Laker Girl" chronicles Buss' career in sports, which began as a teenager in the 1970s by stuffing envelopes in the office of the Los Angeles Strings of World Team Tennis who were owned by her father. When the league was revived in 1981, the then-19-year-old Buss was the team's general manager.
Buss later operated the Forum's tennis and volleyball operations, the Los Angeles Blades of Roller Hockey International and ultimately the Forum itself.
Buss said she is most proud of the chapter about her mother, JoAnn.
"Most people have heard of my dad and it was nice to be able to shine some light on my mother who is such a sweetheart," Buss said.
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