In honor of the late, great Jerry Buss, commemorative “JB” patches will adorn Lakers jerseys for the remainder of the season. (A televised memorial service for Dr. Buss will be held on Thursday at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles.) Kobe Bryant — along with other Laker players, coaches and and front-office types — reflected on the owner’s lasting impact. Per the team website: “Q: On the impact Dr. Buss had on him and if he finds it ironic the Lakers will be facing the team he most wanted to beat the most on Wednesday (Boston): Bryant: ‘Yeah, I do. To me, personally, he obviously believed in me since Day 1 being a 17-year-old kid to where I am now. His competitive spirit, his vision where this organization should be and how it should go beyond basketball with the global outreach that he had on his mind. We talked quite a bit about that and we talked about the old times. He’s obviously had a profound impact on me, to say the least. […] Q: On if he’s concerned about the future of the organization: Bryant: ‘It’s tough. It’s tough to follow in those shoes. I think the important thing to do is to take the lessons he’s taught – and I’m sure there are many – and things that they’ve learned from him, and try to carry it on to the future.’ Q: On if there a sense of the team going all in because of their offseason knowing Dr. Buss’ health and is it something that he was cognizant of as the season has progressed: Bryant: ‘I know I have, and that’s part of the reason why I drive so hard. When we talked, we talked about getting another championship and trying to put the Celtics in the rearview mirror. That’s something that was driving him and that’s something that continues to drive me.’ Q: On a particular memory or two of Dr. Buss from a personal aspect: Bryant: ‘The last meeting that we had, I had a chance to visit him in the hospital, he was in good spirits, he was feeling fine physically, it was a really good day for him. He went on a couple walks. We just talked, and talked about my career, we talked about Magic (Johnson), the Showtime Lakers, the Celtics and all kinds of stuff. That was a good day.'”
