Thompson Remembers Dr. Jerry Buss

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Jerry Buss/AP

February 18, 2013, 7:49 pm

The sports world was hit with a tough blow over the weekend when Dr. Jerry Buss, the longtime owner of the Los Angeles Lakers passed away due to kidney complications and a longtime battle with cancer.  Mychal Thompson, former Blazer and Laker and current radio analyst for the Lakers joined Chad on Flight 750 Monday to talk about the legacy of the great Jerry Buss.

“He was what every owner should be, which is a guy who’s in touch with his fans and who’s accessible to his fans and doesn’t come across as pretentious as if he’s above the fan base.  He was a guy who just wanted to make the fans realize it’s all about them and them getting their money’s worth and enjoying the product.”

Thompson also says that the main reason for Buss’s success is because of the focus and attention that he put on the team.

This was his blood and guts.  His soul and his every breath was in this organization and he wanted to leave a great franchise behind for his children to carry on.  So he took everything personally – what was happening with the Lakers – he was hands on as far as making the big time decisions but he let Jerry West and Mitch Kupchak run the show.

And in honor of Michael Jordan turning 50 years old over the weekend, we asked Thompson about “His Airness” and whether he ranks him at the top of the NBA pecking order.

“It’s hard for me to say he’s the greatest of all time because I have too much respect for what Kareem Abdul Jabbar did or Wilt Chamberlain…Bill Russell won 11 championships and I asked Bill one time, “Why didn’t you score more points?  Why didn’t you score 25 points a game?  He said, "Mychal, I could have scored 25 points a game.  But then I wouldn’t have 11 championships now would I?”

Take a listen to the interview and be sure and listen as we talk about Doctor Jerry Buss’s legacy all week on the show.

Tags: Chad Doing, Los Angeles Lakers, Mychal Thompson, Jerry Buss