The Buss family has been intertwined with Lakers history for a long time. For Jeanie Buss, the retirement of Kobe Bryant and the season-long farewell tour to honor him is the perfect way to pay respects to one of the all-time Purple & Gold players.
She told ESPN before the Mamba's final game:
“We had that opportunity with Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], but we didn't have that opportunity with Magic [Johnson]. After Magic retired and we struggled through the mid-'90s, I said to myself, ‘If I'm so fortunate to ever be graced by the presence of such talent, I will do everything that I can to honor that talent.'
… They're few and far between, and I've seen two amazing talents play for the Lakers in their prime, bring the team glory, bring the city glory. That was something that I promised the heavens, that I would never take it for granted.”
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Buss revealed that even before Kobe announced his retirement, the team already had many celebrations planned for this season since it was Bryant's 20th season in Los Angeles.
“The goal was to celebrate 20 years of Kobe. To celebrate him and his career and what he's meant to the fans, to the city, and just to the people who love him. Not just here but all over the world. It gave us an opportunity.
When he decided to announce that he was retired, it was kind of like we already had these things in place anyway, and we just made it more about retirement.”
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