Jeanie Buss: Demand Greatness
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Laker fans are the best fans in the NBA because they are the sixth man. They are, you know, they push the team. They're the ones that demand greatness. And, you know, Kobe found that inspiration from the fans. You know, he wanted to thrill them, whatever it took.

Welcome to Literally, this is me, Rob Lowe. This is a fun one. My longtime friend, Jeannie Buss is here. Jeannie is here.

a titan. I mean, Jeannie is a true trailblazer for women in sports management. She's the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers. Oh, thank you. In 2020, she became the first female controlling owner to guide her team to an NBA championship to go along with the other six.

Oh, yes. As an owner executive. In addition to working with my beloved Lakers, Jeannie is now the co-owner of WOW, W-O-W, the Women of Wrestling Network.

the world's premier all-female sports entertainment entity. There's a lot of stuff. We got to get to it. There's a lot. By the way, season two of WOW is currently airing on National Syndication. So check your local listings to figure out when to tune in. Always happy to sit down. Go to memory lane with Jeannie from Showtime to LeBron. Let's go.

Hi, Jeannie. Hi, Rob. How are you? It's nice to see you. It's been a while. It's been a while. Without a doubt, out of all of the people that I've talked to who have either, I'm assuming that's a real background. Yes. That's the best background ever. I know this is an audio show. One, two, three, four, five, six. I couldn't get them all in.

championship Larry O'Brien trophies behind you. Oh my God. That office is so, because that's just, you know, I keep, whenever I think of you and the Lakers, I still think of the old school. So I just remember your dad's office, which we see so much on,

On the HBO show. It's called Winning Time, right? Winning Time, yeah. They couldn't do Showtime on HBO because that wouldn't have made sense. Oh, that's hilarious. Winning Time, right? Winning Time kind of works. I mean, and that's what, you know, Magic used to say. It's winning time. It's time to go out and win. So Winning Time is actually a good title for the show.

And wasn't Pat's book, Riley's book, Winning Time? Oh, it might have been. I think it was too. That's a good point. Yeah, it's a really good one. But the Larry O'Brien trophy. Yeah, it's so sick. You look great, by the way. Congratulations. Thank you. Newly married. Yes, I got...

Two weeks in and I couldn't be happier. And I married a stand-up comedian actor, Jay Moore, who wanted me to say to you, will you stop taking all the jobs because let some other guys work because you're the hardest working guy. You're doing so many different projects.

which is great for you. But for Jay, come on, throw him some hearts there. Well, I love Jay. You got to give him my best. I mean, I adore him for many different reasons. Everybody knows he does the best Christopher Walken in the history of Christopher Walken. And the notion...

that you, the owner of the Tiffany franchise, married Bob Sugar, the world's greatest sports agent from Jerry Maguire, I think is pretty sick, the way the world works. It's a little ironic. And then he was also cast in Winning Time, and he played Kareem's agent.

And it was just a small part. And when he got offered the part, he said, if this would upset you in any way for me being in the show, especially Kareem's agent, that didn't end so well. I said, look, you're an actor. You didn't write this. Go act. Go take a job. So he had a nice little cameo in Winning Time a couple episodes ago.

That's awesome. And it's funny, you bring up a good point, our mutual beloved Lon Rosen. So Lon, for those of you who probably don't know, Lon is an old friend of mine, but he's been magic's

partner, right-hand man since Magic was a rookie. He worked for your father. Your father hired him originally, Dr. Buss. Yeah. And Lon is, over the years, done everything from being an agent. Now he runs all of the marketing and promotions for the Dodgers. One of my best, oldest friends. But I'm telling you, Jeannie, you realize how insanely freaked out he was. He was like, they're going to make me look, they're going to make me look like a pimp. And then he was like, oh, they're going to make me look like a drug addict. I was like, Lon,

it's a television show. It's going to be funny. He goes, I had to tell my kids. I had to tell them. I had to say, look, I had a life before I met your mom. I said, Lon, you're acting like you're not in Los Angeles your whole life. I mean, people were definitely worried about how they would be portrayed because

You know, there's a Laker family. I think that's fair to say, right? There's a Laker family. Yeah. And I've been lucky enough to be on the sides of it for a really, really, really long time. And so you get to know all of those people. And some of them are more in the spotlight than others. And they all got their moment in the show. And some of them were more freaked than others. Yeah.

Yeah, he, you know, Lon, you know, lifelong friend of mine as well, grew up together. And, you know, it's like, if he was freaking out about, you know, like what people would think of him, it's like, Lon, everybody knows you. You're not like that. It's a drama. It's like, it's, you know, everything is like hyped up. And, you know, but my favorite scene was when

the Lon character named Lon Rosen. So you know exactly who he is. He makes these t-shirts and magic, you know, kind of tells him, put those shirts away. I don't want, I don't want you, I don't want 20,000 people wearing t-shirts with my name on it. And of course Lon had already given them away. And so it's a great scene. And that, that is really kind of how it was.

Isn't it amazing watching the show how there are times like if I'm like passing through the room and it's on or certain shots come up, it looks like it's actually happening. It looks the casting, the production design. It's

I heard when you saw the set of your dad's office that for the first time, it really took you back. It looks exactly like the real thing. Yeah. I mean, I have to give them credit for all the research they did and that they really tried to reflect an actual, just the physical makeup of the forum and the offices and everything

And they even found my dad's old tailor to make the clothes because it was uncanny that they had things that were in my dad's closet. And I was like, how did they do this? And John C. Reilly is just terrific as Dr. Boss. And I hope he gets award consideration because he really just... It was...

amazing. And I, you know, can't wait to give him a big hug because he really, he really captured my dad. He did. And I want to talk at length about your dad, but before we even get into that, because that's, we do a whole podcast on your dad. When I heard Adrian Brody cast as Pat Riley, I was like, oh, really? And then I saw the performance. It's

Unbelievable. Why is he so much like Riley in it? It's unreal. I guess that's acting. I felt the same way. I'm like, there's no way. You wouldn't even think of the two men in the same sentence. We really got a chance to see the transformation of Pat Riley in these two seasons. And people forget that he was...

he after he retired as a player from the Lakers he really didn't know what he wanted to do he was kind of set adrift and um he ended up Chick Hearn felt you know kind of sorry for him and and hired him as his partner in the broadcast booth and you know really you know never let

as he did with anybody that was in the booth with him. Chick never let anybody else talk. And, you know, so Riley had to kind of figure all that out. And then, you know, Jack McKinney, who was the head coach of the Lakers,

was injured in a bicycle accident in Palos Verdes. And so they needed somebody to come in and be the assistant coach to Paul Westhead. And they thought, oh, we've got Pat Riley who's seen all the preseason games and he knows the roster. So just move him to the bench. And that's how he became, you know, got into coaching. It was just so like...

how different things would have been if that opportunity hadn't presented itself, would he have ever pursued coaching? And, you know, if you talk about somebody who was meant to be a coach, it is Pat Riley. Oh, it's unbelievable. I mean, I,

the Lakers and Miami. I mean, I think he has 18 championships. Yeah, I mean, he's... I think it's 18. I mean, he's not only, you know, a great, you know, just a basketball genius, but a

And when you talk about, you know, players that are making the kind of money that these players do, you know, it's hard to find the motivation and how do you connect. And, you know, Pat has proven over and over that he can get...

and inspire the best in any player, any individual. And, you know, it's really a testament to him and, you know, the love that he's put into this game.

One of my favorite parts of the series is just kind of a throwaway moment where it's when Pat has got the mustache still and he's kind of adrift and he's gotten the offer to come mate coach, but he doesn't know what he's going to do about it. And he gets out of the shower and he slicks his hair back.

And he looks in the mirror and you just go, that's fucking Pat Riley. That's the birth of Pat Riley. Magic used to do his amazing Midsummer Night's charity at the Forum, as you remember. Yeah. And you guys, everyone showed. I mean, every star in the league showed. It was a game for charity, East versus West.

I got to coach one year. It was me. Arsenio Hall coached one squad and I coached the other and I decided I was going to be Riley. So I slicked my hair back and I carried the paper rolled up and hit it and did the whole, you know, and did the squat, the Pat Riley squat on the floor. And, you know, of course, never sat down. And it was the first time that Irvin and Jordan ever played together, ever, ever.

Oh, my gosh. And I don't want to say that nobody played defense, but we scored 230 points and lost. And lost. And lost. But did you wear an Armani suit? Of course I did. Of course I did. So I've looked like two Laker phenoms, Riley and Rob Palenka. Oh, my gosh. You must get that all the time. We were at, where were we?

We were at the Warriors game this last season for the finals. And apparently they did the split screen on the broadcast. Yeah.

I think you started it. Did you start it? I think you, I think I have you to thank for it. We did. And I mean, you know, so like I, it is, it is pretty, the resemblance is there for sure. And then, you know, I mean, certainly you share a first name, so you got that going on. So it's, it's, it's, and I mean, your history with the Lakers, his history with the Lakers, I mean,

I mean, I just, it's, you know, it looks like winning time might have come to an end. I'm not sure, but, you know, for sure, you could have played Rob in the future seasons. I'm the guy who gets LeBron and AD to come with you, to come to LA. And a championship in 2020. Yeah, of course.

By the way, that's a real... It's between that and the Dodgers, my two favorite teams. When people go, oh, those are asterisk years. Bullshit. That was the hardest year ever. I mean... I think the hardest year ever. Because it's like they had to sacrifice being at home, being with their families, their friends, all the comforts. I mean, they were stranded, isolated, you know, in Orlando. And...

I mean, it's mentally what that was doing, you know, only the strong survive. And we were the last team standing. So I was really proud of the team for that. Particularly to not have the energy of the fans to feed off is such an issue. It's so hard. It would be so hard to do it. Okay, we talked about your dad. So...

I loved your dad so much. He was always so nice to me. And the thing I loved most about him is he was such a true blue movie and entertainment fan.

He loved, as you know, movies and TV and could talk chapter and verse. And to get the invitation to come to dinner with him at the Forum Club, at the Big Table with... And you never knew who the hell was going to be there, right? I mean, it was always just like such a collection of people. And I always had the greatest talks with him.

And he was, there'll never be another like him. Never, ever, ever. I mean, and the great news again about the show is that's him for sure. Don't you think? Sure.

Yeah, and there's a whole generation of Laker fans that don't know anything about him. And I think the show, especially how he comes to purchase the team, because it was a very complicated transaction. He spent two years trying to convince Jack Kent Cooke to sell him the team.

And as oftentimes these high-powered executives, he tried to pull the rug out from under my dad to get a little bit more, squeeze him a little bit more. And it became like a real poker game. And my dad...

was able to deliver everything that he wanted in a very complicated transaction. And, you know, he wasn't going to be denied. Like that, he really, really believed in what he wanted to create with the Lakers. And, you know, when he bought the team, it was...

I mean, like I said, two years in the making. So, you know, the NCAA tournament was a couple months before he completed the transaction and he saw Magic Johnson play that famous final against Larry Bird. And he knew that's who he wanted to build his franchise around. The way that Magic played with that joy and

And that style was the inspiration. And it's really captured in the show. They have a scene where my dad is...

My dad knew where every good burger stand was in LA. And so sometimes we'd be going to dinner at Chasen's and sometimes we were going to Gooey Louie's on La Brea. And there's a scene where he and Magic are getting the burger, sitting in the parking lot and having this conversation. And my dad said...

you know, I'm looking for a partner who wants to do this with me. And I think you're the guy. And they just found, you know, soulmates in each other in terms of what they wanted to do with basketball. And, you know, we'd never really seen that before in sports where an owner really got, was able to connect, like, you know, because the...

You know, the age difference, the background difference, the education difference oftentimes like was so different that there really wasn't that bridge. But my dad found that with magic and, you know, he was his inspiration for, you know, what ended up becoming magic.

Showtime. But, you know, and I think that's important for today's Laker fans that are in their 20s, you know, that don't really know about that and, you know, what my dad stood for and that we continue to, you know, try to live up to the bar that he set. And it's amazing that he was able to, I mean, starting with Magic, and then it's Shaq,

And it's Kobe. And he was always able to pull the stars. Because, by the way, there are a lot of stars who are stars, and then they show up, and maybe they're not really stars. I mean, they underperform, whatever. I mean, it happens all over the place. It happens everywhere. But for whatever reason, when the stars come to L.A. for the Lakers, they've always pulled.

for the most part. The big ones have always delivered. Always. Well, that's why I repeat often that Laker fans are the best fans in the NBA because they are the sixth man. They are, you know, they push the team. They're the ones that demand greatness. And, you know, Kobe found that inspiration from the fans. And

He wanted to thrill them, whatever it took.

he would deliver. And, you know, and, and in LA it was cheers, but in, in visiting arenas, it was booze, but he used those, that energy to feed him as well. So it didn't matter. Well, I will tell you to tell the listeners that Jeannie is not only an owner and literally the Lakers are in her blood, but she's a true basketball fan. I've, I remember sitting next to you,

during a playoff game against the Spurs. And you, like, I love to heckle and you're pretty good at heckling. I love an owner who is not above or beneath heckling. I love it. Well, you know, a lot of people know that I was in a 15-year relationship with Phil Jackson. And we used to drive to the games together. I think a lot of

Really because then he could use the diamond lane, purple lane. And on the way to games, I would say, well, who are you worried about on the other team? Who should we try to distract?

And he would tell me, like, you know, who was the strength of the team. And that's who I would target. I mean, you know. Wait, wait. This is amazing because my son, who was with me that day, we've been trying to figure out forever. How many years has this been? Why, of all people on the San Antonio Spur, you've got Manu Ginobili, you've got Tim Dunn, and you are obsessed with Michael Finley.

And now we know why. Yeah. Feels like that's the guy. We just got to make sure he doesn't come off the bench and drop 15 on us. Exactly. It's like there was always like one thread you could pull. And especially with a Popovich team, you know, like he would, he would, he's such a great coach, still coaching. And, you know, but you had to find that one.

one little thread that might unravel the whole thing. And so, you know, and that's what Phil was always good at was kind of that counter attack, like the chess game, you know, you make this move, I will counteract with that move. And so, you know, yeah, I mean, I'd completely forgotten which player it was, but yeah, there was always a purpose to, you know, me and my girlfriends, of course. Yes, yes.

It was you and your pack of girls. I had a gang of girls. Sorry.

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Go to floorstores.com to find the nearest of our nine showrooms from Santa Rosa to San Jose. The Floor Store, your Bay Area flooring authority. When Phil's first contract ran its course and your dad didn't bring back your boyfriend. Yep.

What was that conversation like? You know, it was really interesting, like all that went into play in that because my dad had made the decision he was going to trade Shaq.

And because Shaq wanted a lot more money than my dad wanted to pay because Shaq under the collective bargaining agreement was grandfathered in. So you could actually pay him more than what a player would normally get. And, you know, he famously during training camp had yelled at my dad saying, you know, pay me.

And my dad was like, I think it's time we've run our course. So Phil said to him,

you can't trade Shaq. He's the most dominant player in the league. And my dad said, well, I am trading Shaq and it won't be your problem because I'm not bringing you back either. What a baller. Yeah. So that was... And it was actually when Phil came home, he told me the conversation and he said like,

you know, I'm actually relieved, you know, because I don't understand why he would want to trade Shaq. And, you know, and I said, you know, my dad doesn't, you know, my dad can tolerate a lot, but like, you know, sometimes somebody will step over a line and then that's when he's done. And that was, you know, he just, he didn't appreciate being

you know, that whole thing going down. So now Phil doesn't come back. So they now are looking for a coach. So, you know, my dad reaches out to the Miami Heat and says, you know, can we have a conversation with Pat Riley for a coaching position? And

And so Pat, you know, came and met with my dad and my brother, Jimmy, and they had a conversation. And Pat said, well, I want to meet with Shaq. I want to meet with Kobe and, you know, figure out how we can get on the same page. And my dad said, well, Shaq isn't going to be here because I'm going to trade him.

And so Pat went, wait a minute, you're going to train Shaq and went back to Miami. And that was how to

To me, that was the story that I heard in terms of that's how Shaq ended up getting traded to Miami and going there and winning the championship. So, you know, that was a tough pill to swallow. But, you know, we came back and revamped the Lakers and came back and won championships again as well. The chapters are just each chapter of the dynasties.

are pretty amazing. And, you know, team chemistry is so important. Early on, Kareem and Magic

They didn't really, I don't think, ever had issues, but they're obviously very different people. So they weren't really like hanging out. And then obviously, Kobe and Shaq, that was famous, that feud. You know, and then Kobe and anybody, because Kobe, I didn't know him well. I met him a couple of times and just, I mean, he's everything you would want. I mean, he just, he's like Michael, he reminds me of Jordan, where it was just like, and Tiger, where they're not suffering any fools and they just want fame.

And that's amazing, particularly in today's league. I don't look around and go like, feel like the old man yelling at the clouds meme because things are really different. I mean, can you imagine? I don't know. Make them pick your person. Danny Ainge hitting up Byron Scott for like, where are we going later? Or, you know, Carl Malone. Like it's like,

The rivalries were real. I remember Riley saying the first person who drives the floor, clothesline them against Detroit in the finals. I was there. And the first person who went the floor was Isaiah. And the person who clotheslined him was his best friend. Magic. So that doesn't, first of all, the league doesn't allow it anymore, obviously. But I miss, I have to say, I miss real rivalries. Everybody's kind of,

on TikTok with each other and Twitter and, you know, and they've got, it's too friendly for me. Am I wrong? Tell me I'm wrong. I just think it's evolved. You know, I think that there are still, you know,

players that have a killer instinct. Well, let me ask you this. What team hates what team? Like, if I'd asked you that in the 80s, you could have rattled off, oh, well, this team and that. But now you're like, let me think about that. Right? I mean, it's a different thing. Like you say, the fans are different. It's a different, you know, this is a league now.

Steph Curry, the first time he took one of those shots in the 80s, he'd be benched. Riley would have sat him, right? Remember, Riley hated that, right?

An uncontested three with nobody under the basket, you're done. And it's just a different league. I mean, it's super entertaining, but it's different. Yeah, but I mean, it's still great and entertaining. And it's just, it evolves. And I think that there was a change in the rules, like you said, and...

It allowed guards more freedom and the skilled players...

to show off their skills instead of being brutalized. And, you know, it kind of makes me feel bad for Michael Jordan, who, like, would get beat up every single night. And, I mean, if he played now, you know, it'd just blow your mind. But, you know, I think that by highlighting the guard's

There's only one Shaq in a league. And then that just makes one team dominant. Whoever has Shaq is going to win. And by changing the rules the way they did, it's more aspirational. You think when you see what Steph Curry does, you think, I can do that. I

I want to play basketball. And I mean, he's inspired so many kids to believe like, hey, I can be in this league. And that, I think that's important. I think it makes us, you know, like when, you know, you just see the athleticism, it, you know, it makes people want to play basketball. And we are a global community.

We're, you know, I think second only to soccer and maybe we'll overtake soccer at some point. And, you know, and in some ways it kind of breaks your heart because the USA used to dominate all international competitions. But as we just saw in the World Cup,

It isn't just like, hey, just put a team together and the U.S. will win the gold. Everybody's caught up. And, you know, we have, I think, 150 some odd international players in our league now out of 450 jobs.

So it's a global game, which makes it exciting. And the best basketball players in the world are playing in the NBA. I got to ask you about Pickfair. Okay. I loved Pickfair. That was the other part. Like sometimes you're really lucky. You might go back to Pickfair after the game.

And I had so many great adventures with Jimmy at Pig Fair. And it was, that was an amazing, you grew up there though. I didn't, I felt like you had already moved out when I got there. But did you physically live and grow up there? Yeah, I mean, we moved there when I was 18 and I moved out, you know, when I was, I think, 25 or 26. So yeah, probably, yeah.

For people who don't know what Pickfair is, it was Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were the biggest movie stars of their time. And you have to think about the fact that

I'm talking silent movies. So silent movies could play anywhere in the world because there wasn't a language barrier. So they were like the biggest, biggest stars and they made a movie together and they were both married to other people and they fell in love and got divorces when people didn't do that. And they got married and they were shunned by Hollywood because

So they had to move to the country or to the outskirts, which was

called Beverly Hills. And they bought what was an old hunting lodge that was north of Sunset Boulevard. Nothing existed north of Sunset Boulevard. And so they bought this hunting lodge. And because they were such big stars, then that became where all the movie stars had to go. Everybody had to follow...

Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. So the media nicknamed the house Pickfair. And in 1978, Mary Pickford passed away and the property went into probate, which meant the court had to approve the sale.

So, I had started to live with my dad when I was starting USC as a freshman. And my dad said, I think I need to buy a bigger house if you're going to live here with me while you go to school. And we went.

to look at Picfair and it was completely run down. And I'll never forget, we went into the room where Mary passed away and literally her Oscar was

from the movie Coquette was still in the room. I couldn't believe it. And she didn't have any heirs or they hadn't come to get it. I don't know. But my dad put in an offer for what he thought the land was worth. So they were asking $8 million and he put in an offer of $5 million and they took it.

And so the next thing we know, we're moving into this kind of rundown old mansion. And my dad spent, you know, two years restoring it. And, um,

What it did was it took my dad from the cover of the sports pages to the cover of the entertainment section because Pig Fair was still so beloved that anytime we would host an event there, it would raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity because people wanted to see this mansion. It was famous. And so I...

became the tour guide. And I would, you know, there was a secret bar that was in the basement that must have been built during prohibition because you had to know where to push the wall in order to open the door to get into the Western bar. And, you know, it was just a lot of fun. And

And it was a very interesting time in Los Angeles because LA hosted the 1984 Olympics. So we ended up doing a lot of Olympic events there as well. And so it was a special time in my life. And the way they recreated PicFair in a winning time still is...

you know, is breathtaking because since after my dad sold the house, it was torn down. It doesn't exist anymore. So they recreated it from photos and the accuracy, it's amazing. I was lucky to have been able to go there. That's real, real no fool in Hollywood history. ♪

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Qualifying plan required. Wi-Fi were available on select U.S. airlines. Deposit and Hilton honors membership required for 15% discount terms and conditions apply. Okay, so tell me about the LeBron era. How involved, what was your involvement in getting him here? Take me behind the scenes on that. Yeah, I mean, you know, I really have to give credit to Magic Johnson because, you know, after Dr. Buss passed away in 2013, he was

we just kind of lost our way. Kobe retired in 2016. After the Achilles injury, he just never really came back. Plus, the team that was surrounding him was all rookies, young players, not a lot of discipline, just because they were young. And that didn't go well with who Kobe was. So it was just

It was a tough time for Lakers. Certainly, you know, one of the highlights was Kobe's last game. He actually did us and, you know,

and I can't emphasize this enough, the thoughtfulness of Kobe and his ability to kind of visualize how he wanted things to be was like nobody else I've ever met. And he came to me in November and said, this is my last year. I've decided this is my last year. Here's how I want to announce it.

But it was really important to him that nobody know about it until that night. And what he wanted was he wrote a letter to the fans and kind of the beginning of deer basketball. And every person that was in the arena that night got an envelope with this letter in it.

And, you know, that's how he made the announcement. So, you know, oftentimes you'll hear people who say, oh, I was at that game, but they really weren't. Every person that was there, he only wanted enough letters printed that each person got one and then there were no more printed. So you had proof that you were there that night when he announced that he was

This was his last season. So then we had a whole season to celebrate him. And I think he was even surprised at the reaction when he was on the road and the fans whose hearts he broke over and over. Over and over.

Like we're there to thank him and to praise him and, you know, and to love him. And so, of course, that all led to, you know, the last game, obviously the team, you know, we were at the bottom of the standings. We were making the playoffs, but he gave us hope.

you know, another thrill when he went for 60 points in a win, you know, to make sure that we won. He won his last game. And, you know, that's,

You know, we miss him every day and, you know, we celebrate. Sometimes it's, you know, I get choked up talking about him, but I'll never stop talking about him and I'll never stop spreading his message of, you know, the work ethic, you know, what he meant to Los Angeles, how much he loved this team. Tell me about that. Have you seen the sculpture yet? It's getting unveiled soon, right? Yes. I, you know, I have seen, you know,

I've seen it and it's, you know, we're very excited about it. It's going to be unveiled on February 8th, 2024. So we have the second month, which is two for Gianna and then eight 24 for Kobe. And, uh, you know, we have a game that day and, uh,

you know, so it's going to be another chance that we have to celebrate him. And it will be something that's permanent. Meaning that I know there's been some talk about one of the well-known murals of Kobe and Gianna is going to be taken down. And, you know, that's why having the statue is so important because it will be a place where fans can go and, and,

you know, pay their respects, you know, be at one with Kobe, be reminded of, of his greatness and it's permanent. It won't be something that's temporary, you know? So anyway, so as I would go back to, you know, the, after his last game, you know, it was just, we were kind of struggling and be, you know, at the bottom of the standings year after year and,

And it took bringing Magic Johnson back, which was tough because I had to relieve my brother and Mitch Kopchak of their responsibilities. And Magic came in to kind of settle the franchise down to ensure, reassure the fans that we wanted to get back to winning time.

And, you know, I think that LeBron held on to his free agency and wanted to have the opportunity to go where he wanted to go. And everything matched up well. And certainly it helped that his agent, Rich Paul, you know, we got to know him because we had a we signed a player of his last.

the previous season by the name of KCP, you know, so he could see that, you know, the team was stable, like we were serious about winning and that, you know, really gave LeBron the confidence to decide as a free agent to join us. And it's amazing his durability and what he's... And he...

He did what he wanted to do. He brought another championship to the Lakers. I always feel like anything else that we get from LeBron is gravy. I mean, I think there might be more. Obviously, we hope there'll be more. But that's what he came here to do. He brought a championship to us. I mean, he's a winner. He also is now the all-time leading scorer in the NBA history. I never thought anybody would surpass the captain. I never thought I'd see it.

I mean, it really is. I wonder if the three-point shot, because when Kareem first started playing, there was no three-pointer. I wonder how many three-pointers he would add and what the total different would have been. But still, you know, it's really a testament to LeBron, you know, that his longevity in this league, his ability to stay at the top, you know, he is, he's somebody that he works hard and he, you know,

He's a great captain, a great leader of our team. And certainly, I think...

the players on our team want to win. They would love to get number 18, certainly before Boston does. But, you know, it's tough to win in this league, but you got to be in the playoffs in order to have a chance to win a championship. And last year, we had to go through the play-in tournament, but...

We ended up getting to the conference finals and losing and on the way beating Golden State, who was the defending champions, only to lose to Denver, who went on to win the championship. So, you know, our goal this year is to continue to build off that momentum. Now, Darvin Ham will be in his second year as an NBA head coach, and he'll have a...

a complete training camp with his roster. And, uh, you know, I'm, I'm really optimistic and I'm excited to see what happens this year. It was a great finish. I mean, if in the middle of the season, if you'd have predicted how it turned out, you never would have bet on it. And everybody just came together and, uh,

You know, it's like, you know, that old thing, you know, we go as AD goes. As AD goes, we go. When AD is in beast mode, forget it. It's all over but the crying. Yeah. There's an argument to be made that he was the best player in the league at a certain point in the season. Like, he...

When he's him, he is. When he's that version of AD, you just look at him and go, that's the most complete basketball player I've ever seen in my life. Like, when he's on. And he likes to win. And he, you know, in the bubble, when he scored the winning basket and yelled out Kobe's name, I mean, he is...

AD is a Laker. He wants to win in Los Angeles. He loves being here. He signed an extension. You know, we expect big things from him. The Lakers will tip off the new season on the road against Denver on Tuesday, October 24th. The unfortunate thing is that they have scheduled our first game away today.

in Denver. So it's the night that Denver receives their rings. People always lose that night, though. They always lose the night. Always. I think so, too. It's a district. They do. For sure they do. So maybe it's a good thing. And the home opener is Thursday, October 26th versus Phoenix at Crypto.com Arena. It's so hard to

I remember when it was a big deal when it became the Great Western Forum. I couldn't get my mind around it. Right? And it went from red to blue. Remember? It was blue. Yes. Was there ever a moment where your dad was like, the amazing forum? No, no, no. The incredible forum. Nope, nope, nope.

The fabulous right. That's it. The fabulous four. My dad was a marketing, he was a marketing guy. And he, but I mean, like when he sold the naming rights to Great Western Bank, that's when we changed the name. And, and,

You know, he created a revenue stream where there hadn't been one before. And that was the kind of creative stuff that he brought to the NBA and, you know, made him not only, you know, able to put a great team on the court, but he, you know, he changed how...

NBA was presented and, you know, he was... And he brought us the Laker girls. Yes, he did. Yes, he did. I'll be forever... My 80s self is forever grateful for the Laker girls. I mean, this has been great. I mean, I miss you. I'm going to definitely come and... You know, I live in Santa Barbara, so that's why I've been MIA for so many years. But I now have a little place. But I've committed to seeing more Laker games this year. I really, really want to

enjoy LeBron while we have him and AD. And if we can even build on half of how we finished last season. Right. No, it would be great to have you there. And...

you know, you just, you, you add an element, uh, you know, it was important to, to my dad and therefore to me that we always, um, welcome Hollywood and the big stars because my dad used to say, when you have a friend come and visit you from out of town and they come to LA, they ask you three things. They want to see the beach. They

They want to go to Disneyland and they want to see a movie star. And, you know, where can you go to make sure you'll see a movie star but to a Laker game?

And so we embrace you as we do all of Hollywood. Directors, producers, writers, behind the scenes people. And let's hope we can get them all back to work soon. And I look forward to seeing you at Crypto.com Arena soon. Okay.

I will be there. Give my best to your husband. And again, congratulations. You wear it very well. I'm looking forward to this year. Yay, Jeannie. Thank you. That was so great. Thank you, Jeannie. You reminded me how much I love the Lakers and how much I miss coming to whatever the hell the stadium is called now. What's that? Oh, it's the lowdown line. Hello. You've reached literally in our lowdown line.

where you can get the lowdown on all things about me, Rob Lowe. 323-570-4551. So have at it. Here's the beep.

Hi Rob, my name is Tracy and I'm calling from Pennsylvania. I've been a huge fan of yours for many years. I especially loved reading your books. This year I'm celebrating my 30th year of teaching and I try to have an impact on my students lives. So my question is, is there a teacher from your life that had an impact on you and inspired your writing? Thanks so much. Keep up the great work.

Oh, thanks, Tracy. And I always makes me so happy when people have read both the books, because I think along with the podcast, it's the most personal work that I've that I've done. You know, it's it's at the end of the day, it's when you write, it's all you for better or for worse. So thank you for for liking it. It's funny that you ask, is there a teacher here?

who most inspired me, particularly around my writing? Well, my mother was a teacher and she was my biggest inspiration to write. And I dedicated the first book to her. She was an English teacher. But that said, it's funny. You remember the great teachers. I had a great French teacher, Madame McCulloch, who made French so fun and so interesting. I

I even had a great home ec teacher back in the days. Can you imagine? Back in the days when they taught you to like sew and things. Mrs. Shelcoff. And then, of course, there was Mr. Thacker, who was my drama teacher. He should probably get a lot of credit. He was my drama teacher and Charlie Sheen's drama teacher. And I think Emilio Estevez's drama teacher back in Malibu Junior High. And it's true. No one can make a bigger difference other than a parent and parents.

a youngster's life than the teacher's. So shout out to all of you teachers like my mom and like you who are doing just that. Thanks for listening. Don't forget season two of Wow! Women of Wrestling, the all-female wrestling entity co-owned by Jeannie, currently airing in national syndication. Check time and local listings. Thanks for listening. That was a fun one. And we have more to come next week on Literally. Literally.

You've been listening to Literally with Rob Lowe, produced by me, Nick Liao. With help from associate producer Sarah Begar. Research by Alyssa Grawl. Editing by Jerron Ferguson. Engineering and mixing by Rich Garcia. Our executive producers are Rob Lowe for Low Profile, Adam Sachs, Jeff Ross, and myself for Team Coco, and Colin Anderson for Stitcher. Booking by Deirdre Dodd. Music by Devin Bryant. Special thanks to Hidden City Studios.

Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time on Literally with Rob Lowe.

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