The Real-Life Exec Who Inspired Running Point Actually Fired Her Brothers—See How Much Jeanie Buss Is Worth
Kate Hudson’s Running Point was just released on Netflix to a lot of hype and a lot of interest for the story behind the Mindy Kaling-created sports comedy. Running Point follows Hudson’s character, Isla Gordon, a reformed party girl who must prove she’s got what it takes when she’s unexpectedly put in charge of her family’s professional basketball team.
It sounds like a story that could only happen in fiction, but it’s actually inspired by Lakers president Jeanie Buss’ real-life story of taking the reins of her family’s business. The story is, of course, heavily fictionalized, but with Buss herself serving as an executive producer and with the similarities to her real-life story, it’s fair to say this is supposed to be about Buss taking over the team after her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, died of kidney failure in 2013.
Related: Which player got the biggest NBA contract?
But how well has Buss done as the head of the Lakers? How much is she worth these days? Is she still in charge? And how much does she make? We’ve got the answers.
What is Jeanie Buss’ Net Worth and How Much Does the Real Running Point Exec Make?
Jeanie Buss is the controlling owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association, and co-owner and promoter of the U.S. women’s professional wrestling promotion Women of Wrestling. As such, her net worth, per Celebrity Net Worth is approximately $700 million. How much she earns a year for the work she actually puts in on the day-to-day hasn’t been reported, but that’s still a pretty big number.
When Jerry Buss died, Jeanie and her five siblings inherited his 66% stake in the Lakers, with each of them reportedly owning an equal share of the franchise. Considering the Los Angeles Lakers were valued at $6.5 billion in 2024, that comes out to around $715 million each.
Unlike the character in Running Point, Buss did not drop out of college. Instead, she graduated from the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business with honors in 1985. She also had previous experience running a team before she took over the Lakers, as she worked for her father’s tennis team, the Los Angeles Strings, at 19, and afterward was the General Manager of the Angeles Blades, a roller hockey team. By 1999, when her father was still alive, Buss was overseeing business operations for the Lakers as executive vice president.
Buss’ father praised his daughter back in 1998, telling Sports Illustrated that of all his children she was “the one who turned out most like me.” Former NBA commissioner David Stern also praised Buss at the time, saying, she “has a complete knowledge of the interplay of sports marketing, building management and TV. If she took over the Lakers from her father, I don’t think anything would be lost in the transition.”
His words came true. In 2017, following a battle with her brothers Jim and Johnny Buss that saw Jeanie Buss fire Jim as head of basketball operations and executive vice president, Buss gained greater control of the Lakers, becoming the controlling owner for the rest of her life.
