LAKERS OWNER DR. JERRY BUSS TO HOST POKER TOURNAMENT BENEFITING THE SMILE TRAIN

EL SEGUNDO  -  On Saturday, April 10, Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss will host a poker tournament at The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens benefiting the Smile Train, the world’s leading cleft charity. 

The charity event begins at 3p.m. with registration and a lunch buffet, with the no-limit hold’em poker tournament starting at 5 p.m.  The $275 entry fee covers a $250 donation to the Smile Train plus a $25 registration fee.

Participants will be eligible to receive over $25,000 in Lakers memorabilia and prizes, including floor seats to a Lakers game, dinner with Dr. Buss in his STAPLES Center suite, autographed jerseys and basketballs, framed photos and more.  No cash prizes will be given. 

Buss, who will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 13th, recently raised over $175,000 for the Lakers Youth Foundation at the team’s 20th Annual Celebrity Golf Invitational and Dinner at the Riviera Country Club on March 22.  For his philanthropic efforts, Buss has been honored by organizations such as the City of Hope, Urban League, NAACP and Boys and Girls Clubs of America, while funding scholarships at his alma maters, the University of Wyoming and USC.

For information on how to register for the poker tournament, please call The Bicycle Casino at (562) 806-4646 ext. 545, or visit their website at www.thebike.com.

Smile Train is the world’s leading cleft charity, dedicated to helping the millions of children in the world who suffer from cleft lip and palate, by providing free surgery for patients and free training for doctors.  To learn more, visit www.smiletrain.org.

LAKERS OWNER DR. JERRY BUSS TO BE ENSHRINED IN NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME

EL SEDUNDO, CA – Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss has been named to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010, it was announced today.  Enshrinement for this year’s class will take place in Springfield, Massachusetts on August 13th.

“This is an overwhelming honor and one that I never anticipated when I began my ownership of the Lakers 31 years ago,” said Buss.  “I truly thank everyone involved for according me the privilege of being a member of such a prestigious body as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.”

One of eight individuals and two teams comprising the Class of 2010 along with Cynthia Cooper, Bob Hurley, Sr., Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Johnson, Gus Johnson, Maciel “Ubiratan” Pereira, the 1960 USA Men’s Olympic team and the 1992 USA Basketball “Dream Team,” Buss is the third Laker to enter the Hall as a contributor (Pete Newell, Chick Hearn).

Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers since 1979, Buss has built one of the most successful organizations in the history of professional sports.  During his ownership, the Lakers have won nine NBA Championships and made 15 trips to the NBA Finals while recording the most victories and highest overall winning percentage in the NBA.  Throughout his years at the helm, Buss has brought in and/or worked alongside nine current members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame including Bill Sharman, Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob McAdoo, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Chick Hearn, James Worthy, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley.

In addition to his role with the Lakers, Buss owned the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA from 1996-2006, with the club capturing two championships (2001, 2002) under his leadership.  The first NBA team owner of a D-League franchise when the Lakers bought the Los Angeles D-Fenders in 2006, Buss also served two terms as Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors.

Among other accomplishments, Buss helped launch Prime Ticket Network (now FS West / Prime Ticket) in 1985 and initiated innovative marketing strategies still emulated by professional teams today such as an advertising agreement with Great Western Bank in 1988 that resulted in the Lakers’ former home being named the “Great Western Forum.” 

A recipient of numerous honors for his wide-ranging charitable interests, Buss will host a charity poker tournament this Saturday night, April 10th, to benefit Smile Train, just weeks after raising a record $175,000 for the Lakers Youth Foundation at the team’s annual golf tournament. 

NBA Teams Salivating Over John Wall

Over the weekend, I worked the Kansas vs. UCLA game at Pauley Pavilion as part of the Big-12/Pac-10 hardwood series.  In case you missed it, the game wasn’t overly exciting.  The top-ranked Jayhawks played like the best team in the country in stretches and survived a valiant effort from a rebuilding Bruins team, 73-61.

Coach K On Kobe: A Unique Competitor

I remember the first time I interviewed Kobe on live television following a Lakers game. I had just started at FOX Sports West, and I was reporting from the Lakers locker room following a win.

Kobe was wearing a blue and white Nike sweat suit, which I referenced at the end of the interview. I said something to the effect of "If you had gone to college, those Kentucky colors would have looked great on you." It was, of course, a direct reference to my alma mater.

Without hesitation Kobe responds, "Yeah, these Duke colors are nice."

Even in jest, Kobe hit me with the harshest of stingers on live tv. Welcome to LA, Michael.

I recall that story because I recently read some excerpts from Mike Krzyzewski's new book, "The Gold Standard," which is set to hit stores on May 4th.

If he had not decided to enter the NBA Draft following his senior season at Lower Merion High School, Kobe planned to take his talents to Duke and play for Coach K.

Their paths almost crossed again in 2004, after the Lakers did not renew Phil Jackson's contract. Kobe made it clear to Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak that he favored Krzyzewski to be the Lakers next coach. It turned out, however, that Coach K was not ready to leave Duke.

It wasn't until last year's Olympics that Kobe could finally see what it was like to play for Krzyzewski, but it may have been Coach K who was most looking forward to this union made in basketball.

"In finally getting my opportunity to coach Kobe Bryant, I found that he is who I thought he was," Krzyzewski writes in his new memoir.

"One of the most talented basketball players in the history of the game and the unique kind of competitor that may come around only once in a leader's lifetime."

To read more of Krzyzewski's takes on Kobe before the book comes out, check out Ramona Shelburne's article in the LA Daily News.

Lakers Ticket Prices Are Going Up

Ticket increases are almost guaranteed off-season happenings across the board in professional sports, and the Lakers are no exception, especially considering they are coming off a season where they went to the NBA Finals.

But there's one other important reason why the Lakers need to generate more revenue each year. They are over the salary cap, and that means they have to pay a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax. Jerry Buss doesn't seem to mind spending the money to make runs at championships, and you can't blame him for trying to recoup some of that money in the process. Can you?

By Mike Bresnahan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

July 9, 2008

The Lakers increased ticket prices across the board for a third consecutive season, a relatively unsurprising action after the team paid almost $5 million in luxury taxes on last season's payroll and faced a larger tax hit next season.

Courtside seats were raised from $2,300 to $2,500 a game, an 8.7% hike that moved beyond the typical annual increase of 4.5%.

Seats in six lower-level sections between the baskets -- 101, 102, 110, 111, 112 and 119 -- were raised from $230 to $245, a 6.5% increase that also topped the team's normal action on such seats.

The league average for ticket-price increases is usually 3% to 4%.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-lakers9-2008jul09,0,3927413.story