It's Showtime! How Jerry Buss took the Lakers to the top

Dr. Jerry Buss is a former chemist and real estate mogul who turned the Los Angeles Lakers into one of the biggest basketball franchises today.

Buss' exciting and entertaining approach to ownership of the franchise created a Hollywood feel for sports, increasing viewership and helping the Lakers emerge as America's greatest sports team.

Let's look back at how Dr. Jerry Buss made the Lakers the hottest ticket in the country.

According to Hollywoodreporter.com, Buss acquired the Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 in a deal worth $67 million, including cash and land swaps that valued the team at $16 million.

The deal included the sale of The Forum (Lakers home arena), pro hockey's Los Angeles Kings, and other assets, making it the largest deal in sports at the time.

Hollywoodreporter.com stated the NBA was a distant third in American pro sports viewership and revenue when Buss took over as Lakers owner.

Buss was among the first to see NBA basketball could be more than just a sport. With that, the Lakers owner created 'Showtime', a name that came from The Horn nightclub in Santa Monica, according to hollywoodreporter.com.

'Showtime Basketball' needed 'Showtime' players, luckily for Dr. Buss, a young and electric point guard had just joined the Lakers, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson.

With Johnson's ability to run the floor and assist players with creativity never seen before, Buss saw more than a point guard, he saw entertainment.

With a new exhilarating point guard and all-time great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the center position, how did Buss get more people flocking into the Forum?

In taking ownership of the team, Buss created 'The Lakers Girls', a group of young and attractive women who would dance at timeout intervals and create halftime shows for the fans.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Buss said, "it (the game) was quiet and boring, and so I thought what I'd like to do is spice it up with having some dancers."

Under previous owner Jack Kent Cooke, The Forum Club was just a restaurant, but under the guidance of Jerry Buss, The Club became a nightclub within the arena, according to the Los Angeles Times.

According to sportscol.com, the Forum Club became the catalyst for famous celebrities to go to the game. The club hosted a full-service bar for season ticket holders, Hollywood actors, executives, and writers.

With the introduction of Hollywood entertainment before, during, and after the game, including the rise in actors such as Jack Nicholson attending the games, 'Showtime' was born.

According to Hollywoodreporter.com, Magic Johnson recalled, "He gave us everything we needed to win a championship, we stayed at the best hotels. We had the best trainers. We had the best equipment."

As well as his vision off the court, Buss built an exceptional team on it, including Byron Scott, James Worthy, and Bob McAdoo, to go along with Johnson and Abdul Jabbar.

'The Showtime Lakers' would go on to win five NBA Championships in an eight-year spell between 1980 and 1988 under the guidance of coach Pat Riley.

Prior to his death in 2013, and after the retirement of 'The Showtime Lakers', Buss guided his Lakers franchise to another five championships with the help of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

Dr. Buss's ten championships as the Los Angeles Lakers owner made him the most successful sports owner in history, according to Yahoo Sports.

According to Yahoo Sports, Magic Johnson said, "he has put the Lakers right up there with the New York Yankees as the top brands in sports."