Jerry Buss Net Worth: $700M at Death, $10B Lakers Legacy

Q: 6. What was Jerry Buss' cause of death?

A: Buss died of kidney failure on February 18, 2013, at age 80, after battling cancer for approximately 18 months.

Jerry Buss’ net worth is commonly estimated at around $700 million at the time of his death in 2013.

That’s the number in every obituary, every biography, every celebrity net worth list. It’s the best available estimate. It’s also incomplete.

Here’s what that number doesn’t tell you: Buss owned 66% of the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2013, the Lakers were valued between $900 million and $1 billion. Buss’ 66% stake was worth approximately $600 million to $660 million—the overwhelming majority of his estate.

Twelve years later, that same franchise was sold at a $10 billion valuation**—the highest ever for a U.S. sports franchise. The Buss family transferred majority control to Mark Walter while retaining a minority stake. According to ESPN, each of Jerry’s six children pocketed **about a half billion dollars after taxes**—with the pre-tax figure reported as **”a little under a billion dollars, like a high $900 million check” by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Jerry Buss’ net worth is commonly estimated at around $700 million at death. The empire he built just transacted at over 14 times that number.

The gap between those two figures isn’t a contradiction. It’s a masterclass in asset concentration, estate planning, and the difference between personal net worth and enterprise value.

Quick Facts: Jerry Buss at a Glance

Fact	Detail
Full Name	Gerald Hatten “Jerry” Buss
Born	January 27, 1933
Died	February 18, 2013
Age at Death	80
Profession	Businessman, investor, chemist, philanthropist
Lakers Purchase (1979)	$67.5 million (package: Lakers, Kings, Forum, ranch)
Net Worth at Death	Commonly estimated at ~$700 million
Lakers Ownership at Death	66% controlling interest

Jerry Buss Net Worth at Death: How the $700 Million Was Built

Source of Wealth	Role
Real Estate	Primary source of early wealth; built a $350 million portfolio by 1979
Lakers Ownership	Largest long-term asset; 66% stake worth ~$600–660 million at death
Sports Investments	Also owned LA Kings, LA Lazers, LA Sparks
Other Investments	Supporting assets and ventures

Buss built his first fortune in Southern California real estate before achieving global fame as the longtime owner of the Lakers. His real estate empire spanned California, Nevada, and Arizona.

What Was Jerry Buss’ Net Worth Before the Lakers?

By 1979, Buss had already built a real estate empire.

He started with nothing. Raised by a single mother in Wyoming during the Great Depression, Buss stood in bread lines as a child. He worked odd jobs—carrying bags at a hotel for $2 a day, digging ditches in frozen ground.

By 34, he’d made his first million. By 46, he and partner Frank Mariani had turned that into a real estate portfolio worth roughly $350 million.

His personal net worth at the time of the Lakers purchase was estimated at $50 million.

The contrarian take: Buss didn’t buy the Lakers because he was the richest guy in the room. He bought them because he understood something about leverage and cultural assets that most real estate moguls didn’t. He was worth $50 million personally—and he put $67.5 million into a single transaction. That’s not diversification. That’s conviction.

The 1979 Deal That Changed Everything

The purchase price: $67.5 million** (equivalent to roughly **$280 million in 2023 dollars).

Here’s how it broke down:

Asset	Price
The Forum (arena)	$33.5 million
Los Angeles Lakers	$16 million
13,000-acre Raljon Ranch	$10 million
Los Angeles Kings (NHL)	$8 million

$16 million for the Lakers. That’s the number that haunts every sports executive who wasn’t born yet.

Buss didn’t have the cash sitting in a bank account. He structured the deal as a complex tax-advantaged swap—trading Cooke the lease to the Chrysler Building in New York and properties in Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maryland. He even had to scramble for $3 million in the final hours.

That’s the difference between net worth and liquidity. Buss had the former in spades. The latter? He had to hustle.

Jerry Buss Net Worth in 1980: The Early Years

In 1980, one year after the purchase, Buss’ net worth was still largely tied to his real estate holdings and his new sports franchise.

The Lakers were already appreciating. The “Showtime” era was launching with Magic Johnson’s rookie season and the 1980 championship. But the franchise’s value hadn’t yet exploded.

Buss’ net worth in 1980 was likely in the $50 million to $100 million range—still heavily weighted toward real estate, with the Lakers as a promising but unproven asset.

The insight: Buss didn’t buy the Lakers to get rich. He was already rich. He bought them because he saw something no one else did: the convergence of sports, entertainment, and celebrity culture in Los Angeles.

Jerry Buss’ Wife and Children: The Succession Plan

Buss was married once—to JoAnn Mueller—from 1952 until their divorce in 1972.

They had four children together:

Johnny Buss (b. 1956)
Jim Buss (b. 1959)
Jeanie Buss (b. 1961)
Janie Buss (b. 1964)

Buss later had two more children with Karen Demel:

Joey Buss (b. 1985)
Jesse Buss (b. 1988)

The six Buss children collectively inherited the family’s 66% Lakers interest through trusts, with each effectively entitled to an equal share. Through this trust structure, each child effectively held an 11% interest in the team.

The Trust Structure

Buss was a strategist, not just a patriarch. He structured the trust with specific provisions:

Prepaid estate taxes—shielding his children from the forced sale that kills so many family businesses
Buyout provisions—siblings could buy each other out, keeping the team within the family
The “last man standing” structure—ESPN reporting documents this trust design, which created specific incentives around unanimity for any sale

The tension: The trust was designed to prevent hostile takeovers. But it also created a situation where siblings had competing interests.

Jerry Buss’ Cause of Death

Buss died on February 18, 2013, at age 80.

He had been hospitalized for most of the past 18 months while undergoing cancer treatment. According to his assistant Bob Steiner, the immediate cause of death was kidney failure.

He passed at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at 5:55 a.m.

The 2025 Lakers Transaction: The $10 Billion Valuation

In June 2025, the six Buss siblings agreed to transfer majority control of the Lakers to Mark Walter in a transaction valuing the franchise at $10 billion.

The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the transaction on October 30, 2025.

Key deal terms:

The Buss family transferred majority control to Mark Walter
Walter already held a 27% minority stake in the Lakers purchased in 2021
The Buss family retained a minority stake; reporting varies between roughly 15% and about 17%
Jeanie Buss will remain Lakers governor for at least five years
She will oversee day-to-day operations “for the foreseeable future”

The siblings’ payout: According to ESPN, each of the six Buss children pocketed about a half billion dollars after taxes. The pre-tax figure was reported as “a little under a billion dollars”.

The transaction marked the end of 46 years of Buss family majority ownership.

The Buss Family Net Worth: Then vs. Now

Year	Event	Value
1979	Lakers purchase (package)	$67.5 million
2013	Jerry Buss’ death	~$700 million (66% stake)
2025	Lakers transaction valuation	$10 billion
2025	Per sibling payout (post-tax)	~$500 million
2025	Family retained stake	~15%–17% (~$1.5B–$1.7B)

What Jerry Buss’ Net Worth Actually Teaches Us

1. Net worth is not liquidity. Buss was worth roughly $700 million on paper, but most of it was tied to one asset. He couldn’t have written a check for $700 million.

2. Concentration beats diversification—if you’re right. Buss put everything into one bet: the Lakers. He was right. But for every Buss, there are a hundred people who concentrated and lost.

3. Estate planning is wealth preservation. Buss didn’t just build wealth—he engineered its survival. Prepaid taxes, buyout provisions, and trust structures kept the team in the family for 12 years after his death.

4. The sale became a practical liquidity option for the family. When siblings have competing interests and the valuation reaches $10 billion, a liquidity event becomes the cleanest exit.

5. $700 million was Jerry Buss’ estimated personal net worth. $10 billion is the Lakers’ enterprise value. These are different numbers measuring different things. One is a man’s fortune. The other is the market value of an asset he happened to own.

FAQs

1. What was Jerry Buss’ net worth when he died?

A: Jerry Buss’ net worth is commonly estimated at around **$700 million** at the time of his death in 2013. His 66% stake in the Lakers was valued at approximately $600–660 million, comprising the bulk of his estate.

2. How much did Jerry Buss pay for the Lakers?

A: Buss purchased the Lakers, the Kings, the Forum, and a 13,000-acre ranch for $67.5 million** in 1979. The Lakers alone cost **$16 million.

3. Who inherited Jerry Buss’ Lakers stake?

A: The six Buss children—Johnny, Jim, Jeanie, Janie, Joey, and Jesse—collectively inherited the family’s 66% Lakers interest through trusts, with each effectively entitled to an equal share.

4. What was Jerry Buss’ net worth before the Lakers?

A: By 1979, Buss had built a real estate empire worth roughly $350 million**. His personal net worth was estimated at **$50 million.

5. How much did each Buss child get from the Lakers sale?

A: According to ESPN reporting, each of the six siblings received about a half billion dollars after taxes, with the pre-tax figure reported as “a little under a billion dollars”.

6. What was Jerry Buss’ cause of death?

A: Buss died of kidney failure on February 18, 2013, at age 80, after battling cancer for approximately 18 months.

7. Who is Jeanie Buss and what is her net worth?

A: Jeanie Buss is Jerry’s daughter and the Lakers’ Governor. Her net worth is estimated at approximately $700 million. She will remain Lakers Governor for at least five years following the 2025 transaction.

Key Takeaways

Jerry Buss’ net worth is commonly estimated at around $700 million at death, but that understates the dynasty he built
His $67.5 million 1979 purchase** yielded a **$10 billion valuation in 2025
His trust structure kept the team in the family for 12 years after his death
Each of his six children received ~$500 million after taxes from the 2025 transaction
The family retained a ~15%–17% minority stake worth roughly $1.5 billion–$1.7 billion
Jeanie Buss remains Lakers Governor for at least five years with a net worth of ~$700 million
~$700 million was Jerry Buss’ estimated personal net worth; $10 billion is the Lakers’ enterprise value—different numbers measuring different things

The Buss story isn’t really about net worth. It’s about timing, leverage, and the willingness to put everything on one bet. Jerry Buss understood something most wealth managers don’t: sometimes, the best way to preserve wealth is to never sell—until the price is too good to refuse.

Jerry Buss Net Worth: $700 Million at Death, $10 Billion Lakers Legacy