WPT Tribute to Jerry Buss

Photo of Jerry Buss graciously provided by photographer Melissa Hayden.

Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss (pictured above) died of natural causes earlier this week, and before play began today, Mike Sexton gave a moving tribute to the man, highlighting his connections to the poker world.

Buss was one of the most popular owners of a major sports team, bringing 10 NBA championships to Los Angeles under his ownership. A 2010 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Buss often preferred his time in the poker world — there were times Buss watched the Lakers play in the NBA Finals while sitting at a poker table.

And Buss wasn’t just a recreational player; he had several notable accomplishments on his poker resume.

Buss final tabled the first-ever WPT Celebrity Invitational back in Season I, finishing second behind Layne Flack. Sexton told a story that whenever Buss saw Flack, he would point him out to his friends and say, "That’s the guy that I made famous." Sexton pointed out that to this day, the episode with Jerry Buss remains one of the highest rated in the WPT’s 11-year history.

As a sign of Buss’s poker longevity, he also has a WSOP final table under his belt, finishing third in $2,500 Seven Card Stud back in 1991.

WPT Commentator and Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton (center) gave a fantastic eulogy for Jerry Buss before play began.

Sexton is flanked by his fellow commentator Vince Van Patten, WPT Anchor Kimberly Lansing, WPT Raw Deal Analyst Tony Dunst, and Royal Flush Girls Jeannie Duffy, Brittany Bell, Ivy Teves, and Danielle Ruiz.

At the end of Mike Sexton’s eulogy, the entire room stood up for a moment of silence in honor of Jerry Buss.