A relationship between a player and an owner in the NBA? Most of the time, it’s defined by a certain distance, a cooler kind of professionalism.<\/p>\n
Magic Johnson<\/a>‘s bond with Jerry Buss, however, was never really like that.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Winning championship rings \u2014 and plenty of them \u2014 was always the goal, of course. But when Johnson revealed he had HIV, the Hall of Famer quickly realized this went far beyond the game of basketball. Buss cared about him as a person, not just as the face of the\u00a0Los Angeles Lakers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Magic’s HIV diagnosis\u00a0<\/p>\n Johnson\u00a0played for the Purple & Gold from 1979 \u2014 the same year Buss bought the franchise \u2014 to 1991. The multiple NBA champion made a brief return in 1996.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Their relationship, fueled by the team’s early success, quickly became close. But it reached a much deeper level in November 1991. Back then, Magic announced he had tested HIV-positive.<\/p>\n The revelation stunned the basketball world. It even forced the iconic 6’9″ point guard into retirement amid fear and uncertainty.<\/p>\n Moments like that show you who is really there for you.<\/p>\n Johnson may not have fully realized it at the time, but he had exactly that in\u00a0Buss<\/a>.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Lakers’ owner didn’t wait. He got on the phone himself, calling hospitals and doctors to ensure his franchise cornerstone was receiving the best available care. Then he kept calling. And calling.<\/p>\n They met in person, too. Some of those conversations got heavy. Earvin later recalled that the two of them would sit together and\u00a0“cry for hours.”\u00a0Buss was shaken, Johnson said. He feared losing him. He already saw Magic as\u00a0“an adopted son.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Johnson also remembered Buss regularly calling to make sure he was taking his medication and doing what he was\u00a0“supposed to do”\u00a0while dealing with the disease.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Related: “She’s rubbed some NBA legs, but none like Barkley’s” – A female massage therapist claimed Charles Barkley had the biggest thighs in the NBA<\/a><\/p>\n A wholehearted bond<\/p>\n That kind of attention tells you something. For Johnson, it confirmed what he already suspected about Buss \u2014 that the man’s loyalty had nothing to do with winning.<\/p>\n “That’s when I knew this man loved me and cared about me outside of winning championships, outside of making no-look passes. That’s who Jerry Buss was. He cared about all of his players, not just on the court, but off of the court as well, as men, as people,”\u00a0the three-time MVP\u00a0said<\/a>, per the Los Angeles<\/a> Times.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n In his case, Dr. Buss wasn’t just talking \u2014 he backed it up with action.<\/p>\n In 1992, the Utah native honored\u00a0Johnson’s $14 million contract<\/a>\u00a0with the team even though everyone knew the Showtime Lakers star might never play again. Years of underpaid stardom, and Jerry, who, according to Magic, had such a big heart, wasn’t going to let that stand.<\/p>\n And just as Buss saw him like an adopted son, Johnson saw Buss as something like a\u00a0“second father,”\u00a0even one of his closest friends. He said as much when speaking about losing him in February 2013. Back then, Buss, aged 80, died of kidney failure.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n In his final hospital visit, they\u00a0reportedly<\/a>\u00a0held hands for five hours. Just the two of them, going back over everything.<\/p>\n In the end, they were two men from completely different worlds. Still, neither of them kept it strictly business, and instead, they formed a close bond. Many owners don’t do that. Buss, however, wasn’t your usual type. Johnson, who loved that, has said so more than once.<\/p>\n Related: Jerry Buss honored Vlade Divac with a Purple & Gold farewell: “Kid, you start with the Lakers, you’re going to finish with the Lakers”<\/a><\/p>\n This story was originally published by Basketball Network<\/a> on May 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court<\/a> section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A relationship between a player and an owner in the NBA? 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