Kareem's Insider Take on Episodes 3 and 4 of "Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers"
The Lakers reach their greatest heights, their greatest lows--and Magic and I retire.
Episodes 3 and 4 of Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers strongly affected me because they delve deep into the times when the Lakers were making history as the best team in the NBA as well as when we went through a total meltdown as a team. They also portray two of the most emotional moments in my life: my retirement as a player, which was met with numerous celebrations, and Magic Johnson’s unexpected announcement that he was retiring because of his bout with HIV, which left us all shattered.
Here are my reactions to some of the highlights in each episode.
EPISODE 3:
Jerry Buss Tries to Make His Family a Team and His Team a Family
I thoroughly enjoyed the biographical background on Jerry Buss’s childhood and how he became a self-made millionaire who seemed more interested in the game of becoming wealthy than in the money itself. He loved sports and he played real-life Monopoly with the same passion and intensity as any athlete slamming a ball through a hoop.
I never knew about all the family turmoil he had with his children as he tried to build a dynasty for them to inherit. Clearly, they didn’t all have his fire for empire-building, though Jeanie Buss proved herself to be as business savvy and smart as her dad.
Dr. Buss’s (we called him Doc) own tumultuous childhood made him all the more eager to build his own family into a tight-knit team ready-made to take over his many businesses. He figured that he could forge a family the way he forged his business: through sheer force of will. Alas, there is only so much control one can have over family—as every parent learns the hard way.
But Doc was able to build a basketball team that felt like family, which he did by treating us with kindness and respect and encouraging us to share activities outside the court. Which we enthusiastically did. And it worked—we felt more like a family.
The Mystery of the James Worthy Trade
When I heard the Lakers were considering trading James Worthy my first thought was, “Have they lost their minds!!” James was one of the best players in the NBA. I didn’t know who they wanted to trade him for but in my mind we would have been a much worse team no matter who they got. I expressed my trepidation to Jerry West who told me he was in a bad position because management (which was basically Doc) wanted to do something different. Fortunately, the trade never took place. If it had, we would not have had the success we did and this documentary would never have been made.