Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeannie Buss is trying to lead the franchise to its league-leading 18th NBA championship which would break a tie with the archrival Boston Celtics. The 62-year-old Buss has been in the spotlight since the age of 19 when she became the general manager of a professional tennis team.
Now the majority owner of one of the marquee franchises in all of sports, Buss is letting it be known that she isn’t ashamed of anything she might have done in her past, even posing for Playboy.
In May 1995 at the age of 34, Buss, the eldest daughter and third-oldest child of former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, posed for Playboy. Living her life with no regret, Buss told journalist Graham Bensinger on a recent episode of his hit show “In Depth with Graham Bensinger” that she has no problem signing those photos when asked.
Buss Says The Pics Are Forever
During her sit-down with Bensinger, Buss talked about how she went about pursuing the opportunity.
“I spoke to Jimmy Connors’ wife Patti McGuire — she was Playmate of the Year in, I think, 1976 or 77 — I asked her about the experience before I ever pursued it,” Buss tells Bensinger. “And she said, ‘It’s a great experience … but always be prepared wherever you are, somebody’s gonna approach you with the magazine to sign it … when you least expect it. The pictures never go away.’”
“And so now this is the early ’90s, really before the internet takes off,” Buss continued. “And so it never dawned on me that these pictures would have a life on the internet of their own and will always be out there.”
“And when you pose you accept that that’s part of the program, except the internet has made it that I literally, probably receive five to 10 requests a week where people printed the pictures and asked me to sign them. And they send a postal-paid envelope for me to send it back.
“And I always sign them because I don’t regret taking the pictures,” Buss revealed. “It’s a little bit like wow, it really doesn’t ever go away. But the idea that the pictures are kind of legendary.”
Buss Was Engaged To 11-Time NBA Championship-Winning Coach Phil Jackson
Throughout her legendary life, Buss has been linked to her fair share of beaus. None of them were as big as her relationship with former Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson. Per reports, Buss and the “Zen Master” himself dated for at least 16 years and were engaged for four years. Jackson led the Lakers to five NBA titles in 12 seasons as the head coach, while Buss handled the role of executive vice president of business operations.
The two mutually parted ways in 2016. Buss is now married to comedian Jay Mohr, as the two tied the knot in September of this year.
Buss has lived a life most can only dream of, and she’s doing it unapologetically.
