The Tao of Legacy: How the Yin–Yang of Success and Family Led to the $10 Billion Sale of the Los Angeles Lakers

A Transformation Guide on Power, Paradox, and the Price of Ownership

There are few symbols in human history as deceptively simple—and as profoundly accurate—as the Yin–Yang. At a glance, it appears calm, balanced, even serene. But embedded within that flowing circle is one of life’s most uncomfortable truths: nothing purely good exists without the seed of its opposite.

This is the essence of the Tao.

And nowhere is this principle more vividly illustrated than in the rise—and eventual unraveling—of the Buss family’s stewardship of the Los Angeles Lakers.

At the center of this story is Jerry Buss, a visionary owner who transformed a basketball franchise into a global dynasty. He had two great loves: his family and the Lakers. His dream was simple in spirit, yet monumental in ambition—to keep the Lakers not just successful, but family-owned for generations.

Yet, according to the Tao, what we cling to most tightly often becomes the very thing that undoes us.

This Transformation Guide explores how the Yin–Yang principle is embodied in the Buss family infighting, and what this story teaches us about legacy, control, attachment, and the hidden costs of success.

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Understanding the Tao: Why Every Blessing Carries a Shadow

The Tao, often translated as “The Way,” is not a doctrine of moral absolutes. It does not say good is good and bad is bad. Instead, it teaches that life is cyclical, relational, and paradoxical.

The Yin–Yang symbol itself contains:

• Light within dark

• Dark within light

• Motion rather than stasis

• Balance, not perfection

This philosophy is rooted in the ancient wisdom of Laozi, traditionally credited with authoring the Tao Te Ching.

One of its central insights is this:

“Misfortune is what fortune depends upon. Fortune is where misfortune hides.”

In other words, success carries within it the conditions for struggle. And the greater the success, the more potent the hidden tension.

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Jerry Buss: The Yang of Vision, Power, and Triumph

Jerry Buss was the embodiment of Yang energy:

• Visionary

• Decisive

• Bold

• Competitive

• Unapologetically ambitious

When he purchased the Lakers in 1979, he didn’t just buy a team—he built an empire of excellence, glamour, and dominance.

Under his leadership:

• The Lakers became synonymous with Showtime

• Championships stacked like crown jewels

• The brand transcended sports into culture

This was Yang at its peak—expansion, visibility, conquest, and control.

But the Tao reminds us: Yang unchecked eventually demands Yin to restore balance.

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Family as Yin: Love, Continuity, and Vulnerability

If the Lakers were Jerry Buss’s Yang, his family was his Yin.

Family represents:

• Continuity

• Soft power

• Emotional bonds

• Vulnerability

• The desire to preserve rather than expand

Jerry Buss wanted the Lakers to remain in the family trust, believing shared ownership would unify his children under a common purpose.

This intention was loving. Noble. Human.

But here is where Taoist wisdom becomes uncomfortable:

Good intentions do not override natural forces.

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When One Crown Has Too Many Heirs

In Taoist thought, conflict arises when balance is forced rather than allowed.

By placing six children into shared ownership of one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world, Jerry Buss unintentionally created:

• Competing visions of leadership

• Power struggles disguised as stewardship

• Emotional family dynamics colliding with billion-dollar business decisions

The Lakers became more than a team. They became:

• A symbol of validation

• A source of leverage

• A measuring stick for legacy

What was meant to unite became the wedge.

This is the Yin within the Yang.

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The Seed of Division Hidden in Success

The Lakers’ immense success amplified everything:

• Praise became comparison

• Responsibility became entitlement

• Legacy became ownership

Taoism teaches that the bigger the structure, the more pressure it places on those within it.

Jerry Buss’s greatest achievement—the Lakers’ dominance—created conditions his family could not harmonize under shared control.

The Tao was at work.

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Why the Sale Was Inevitable According to the Tao

From a Taoist perspective, the eventual sale of the Lakers was not betrayal—it was rebalancing.

When:

• Family harmony deteriorates

• Ownership becomes a battlefield

• Legacy turns into litigation

• Control eclipses connection

The Tao seeks resolution through release.

The $10 billion sale wasn’t just financial—it was energetic.

The family could no longer carry both:

• The weight of legacy

• The burden of unresolved relationships

Something had to give.

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Attachment: The Hidden Enemy of Legacy

One of the Tao’s clearest warnings is against attachment.

Jerry Buss’s deepest desire—to keep the Lakers in the family forever—was also his greatest attachment.

The Tao teaches:

• Hold, but don’t cling

• Lead, but don’t possess

• Build, but don’t chain the future to the past

By anchoring legacy too tightly to ownership, the Buss family became trapped by it.

The Tao always asks:

Are you serving the Way—or trying to command it?

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Transformation Lesson #1: Legacy Is More Than Assets

True legacy is not what you own—it is what remains whole after you’re gone.

The Buss story reminds us:

• Money can be divided

• Businesses can be sold

• Titles can be transferred

But family fractures are far more expensive than any valuation.

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Transformation Lesson #2: Shared Power Requires Shared Consciousness

In Taoist philosophy, balance requires awareness.

Shared ownership without:

• Shared values

• Shared emotional maturity

• Shared clarity of roles

Creates chaos.

Power divided without alignment invites struggle.

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Transformation Lesson #3: Letting Go Is Also Leadership

The Tao teaches wu wei—effortless action.

Sometimes the highest form of leadership is:

• Stepping back

• Releasing control

• Allowing transformation rather than resisting it

The Lakers sale, painful as it may have been, restored balance by ending a cycle that had grown unsustainable.

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The Yin–Yang Symbol Revisited

Look again at the Yin–Yang:

• There is no victory without vulnerability

• No dominance without dependency

• No success without sacrifice

Jerry Buss achieved immortality in sports.

But immortality always comes with a price.

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A Final Reflection for Kings & Queens

If you are building:

• A business

• A brand

• A family empire

• A creative legacy

The Tao whispers a quiet warning:

Do not confuse control with continuity.
Do not confuse ownership with love.
Do not confuse success with harmony.

Because within every triumph lies the seed of its undoing—and within every undoing lies the chance for transformation.

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Closing Thought

The Buss family story is not a tragedy.

It is a teaching.

A living Tao.

A reminder that even dynasties must bow to balance—and that sometimes, the most faithful way to honor a dream… is to let it go.

Lateef Warnick is the founder of Onassis Krown. He currently serves as a Senior Healthcare Consultant in the Jacksonville FL area and is a Certified Life Coach, Marriage Counselor, Keynote Speaker and Author of "Know Thyself," "The Golden Egg" and "Wear Your Krown." He is also a former Naval Officer, Licensed Financial Advisor, Insurance Agent, Realtor, Serial Entrepreneur and musical artist A.L.I.A.S.