The Jerry Buss Story of Unbreakable Resilience & Determination

By Eldad Ben-Moshe ✨ Reading Time: 5 minutes

❤ Hi there Better Lifers!

A young boy in Depression-era Wyoming, living in a one-room cabin with no electricity, no plumbing, and often no food.
His father abandons the family when he's just nine years old.
His mother works multiple jobs just to keep them alive.

As a teenager, he worked digging ditches with his stepfather in Wyoming.
He described this experience as a hardship, having to wake up early and dig in the freezing cold before school.
"I was lucky it was too cold to feel the pain", he reportedly said.

After school hours, he worked more, in jobs like shoe-shining, and also carrying bags in a local hotel.

That boy was Jerry Buss, and his journey from those humble beginnings to owning the most glamorous franchise in sports is a masterclass in what's possible when resilience meets relentless determination.

And it's not just about business and riches -
this is 100% transferable to any personal growth achievement you can think of.

They all require resilience and determination.
And all such business achievements, such as the ones Jerry achieved, require growing beyond some of our personal demons.
There is a lot of self-growth work in business.

That does not mean we become perfect or enlightened.
Jerry certainly wasn't, and he'll probably be the first one to admit it.

But no one is perfect, and we can learn a lot from some people despite their imperfections and mistakes.
And we can certainly learn a lot from Jerry Buss.

When Life Deals You Nothing, You Create Everything

Jerry didn't inherit wealth or connections.
Instead, what he inherited was hardship, responsibility, and the crushing weight of poverty.

While other kids played, Jerry worked – delivering newspapers, doing odd jobs, anything to help his struggling family survive.

But here's what separated Jerry from others facing similar circumstances: he refused to let his past define his future.

He saw education as his only ticket out, working his way through the University of Wyoming and eventually earning a PhD in chemistry.

Not because it was easy, but because it was necessary for achieving his dreams.

He did what it took to make it happen.

He did the hard things.

The Power of Relentless Vision, Resilience and Determination

After building a successful real estate empire from scratch, Jerry could have settled into comfortable wealth.
Instead, he risked everything on a wild dream: transforming a struggling basketball team into something the world had never seen.

In 1979, when he mortgaged everything to buy the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team (and the LA Kings hockey team) for $67.5 million, people thought he was crazy.

The team was mediocre, the arena was outdated, and perhaps most importantly - the NBA league was unpopular, basketball was considered boring compared to other sports, and was nothing like the wealthy industry it is today.

But as the story goes, 46 years later -
A few days ago, the Lakers were sold for a legendary, unprecedented amount of $10 BILLION.

And that's just the money - without all the fun, adventures and fulfillment this journey brought Jerry Buss (and his children, who also inherited the Lakers from him after he died).

Even more than that - Jerry completely changed the history and trajectory of basketball, and some would say sports at large.

Because Jerry saw what others couldn't see, and did what everyone thought could not be done, and stuck with that vision and that mindset even in the hardest times.

He envisioned packed arenas, celebrity fans, championship banners, and a cultural phenomenon that would transcend sports. He knew it was more than just the game, more than just the sport - it was a means for entertainment, and for that, it needs to be an experience that will give that entertainment, well beyond the basketball game itself.

Resourcefulness Born from Necessity

Growing up with nothing taught Jerry to make something from everything.
When he couldn't match other teams' budgets, he created better experiences.
When conventional wisdom said "that won't work," Jerry found ways to make it work.

He turned the Forum arena into Hollywood's playground.
He made basketball games into must-see entertainment events, not just a basketball game.
Every innovation came from the same place: the resourcefulness he learned as a poor kid who had to figure things out.

Dedication That Never Wavered

Through an incredible era of no less than 10 NBA championships under his leadership (and another one under his daughter's), Jerry never forgot where he came from.
He maintained the same work ethic that got him out of that Wyoming cabin. The same determination that earned his PhD. The same vision that turned poverty into possibility.

He didn't just want to win games – he wanted to build something that would outlast him. Something worthy of the struggle that shaped him.

Your Moment of Choice

"But what's that got to do with me, Eldad?"

We all face our own challenges. Maybe they feel overwhelming. Maybe the odds seem impossible. Maybe people are telling you it can't be done. Maybe your mind is telling you you can't do it.

Jerry Buss would tell you: That's exactly where champions are born.

The Lakers weren't Jerry Buss's biggest triumph. 
His real victory was a mindset victory:
His unwavering resilience and dedication.

That's how he transformed himself from an abandoned child living in poverty to a champion who made things happen from nothing.
The external wins only reflect his internal wins and were a result of that.

Just like Jerry, your current circumstances are not your final destination.
Circumstances are temporary. 

Your past struggles are not your permanent address.
They're the foundation of your strength, the source of your resourcefulness, and the fuel for your determination.

The question isn't whether you have advantages – it's whether you have the courage to create them.

Jerry proved that with enough resilience, vision, and unwavering dedication to your cause, you don't just overcome adversity – you transform your life (and the lives of those around you).

What Will You Build? (... With a Twist)

From a one-room cabin to championship glory.
From nothing to everything.
From poverty to creating a dynasty that still dominates today.

That's the power of refusing to accept limitations.
That's what happens when you combine vision with unbreakable determination.

Remember Jerry's words: "The only way to overcome adversity is to walk through it with your head held high and your vision focused on what's possible, not what's probable."

So...

Your challenges are not your ceiling – they're your training ground. 
And you can turn them into your advantage.

Jerry proved, like others before him, that your circumstances don't determine your destiny.
And he used his struggles as fuel and as something to use for growth and learning, both of which led to transformation. 

Jerry's childhood poverty became his greatest teacher. 
And he decided he would learn and emerge stronger from life's challenges.

It's the same principle I always point out: Learn-> Practice-> Experience-> Transform.

What will emerge from your struggles?

Or more importantly - what kind of "you", what version of yourself, will emerge from them?