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.
Magic Johnson‘s bond with Jerry Buss, however, was never really like that.
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Winning championship rings — and plenty of them — 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 Los Angeles Lakers.
Magic’s HIV diagnosis
Johnson played for the Purple & Gold from 1979 — the same year Buss bought the franchise — to 1991. The multiple NBA champion made a brief return in 1996.
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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.
The revelation stunned the basketball world. It even forced the iconic 6’9″ point guard into retirement amid fear and uncertainty.
Moments like that show you who is really there for you.
Johnson may not have fully realized it at the time, but he had exactly that in Buss.
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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.
They met in person, too. Some of those conversations got heavy. Earvin later recalled that the two of them would sit together and “cry for hours.” Buss was shaken, Johnson said. He feared losing him. He already saw Magic as “an adopted son.”
Johnson also remembered Buss regularly calling to make sure he was taking his medication and doing what he was “supposed to do” while dealing with the disease.
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A wholehearted bond
That kind of attention tells you something. For Johnson, it confirmed what he already suspected about Buss — that the man’s loyalty had nothing to do with winning.
“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,” the three-time MVP said, per the Los Angeles Times.
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In his case, Dr. Buss wasn’t just talking — he backed it up with action.
In 1992, the Utah native honored Johnson’s $14 million contract with 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.
And just as Buss saw him like an adopted son, Johnson saw Buss as something like a “second father,” even 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.
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In his final hospital visit, they reportedly held hands for five hours. Just the two of them, going back over everything.
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.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.