HBO's "Winning Time" Cast and Their Real-Life Counterparts

Buss used the money he made in real estate to buy the Los Angeles Lakers in 1979. The deal also included ownership of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team, which he later sold. Buss had a vision for a flashier, more exciting game, inspired by the college basketball games he loved so much. When the WNBA formed in 1996, he became the owner of the Los Angeles Sparks. Buss died in 2013 after a battle with cancer.