JEANIE BUSS

Chief Executive, Controlling Owner & Governor Los Angeles Lakers

The team’s 74 seasons in the NBA and 62 in Los Angeles showed its age this past season. LeBron James and Anthony Davis watched Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and other veterans added to the roster, yet the team missed the playoffs, two seasons removed its 17th NBA title. Buss has the final say how this will move forward, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver once said of her: “Her views carry enormous weight, both with the other owners and the players. She is NBA royalty.” Buss took the Lakers’ ownership reins following the death of her father, Jerry Buss, in 2013. The team was valued at $1 billion then. Today, it is $5.5 billion.