How Jeanie Buss Paved the Way For Women in Sports

It's no wonder we can't stop hearing about Netflix's new hit show “Running Point.” In a time when women's sports is finally getting the attention it's long deserved, the show delves into what it's like to be a woman navigating sports management. Kate Hudson plays Isla Gordon, a smart, no-nonsense woman who has to elbow her way into the male-dominated field as the owner of a fictional NBA team, the Los Angeles Waves.

The 10-episode series is loosely based on the career of Jeanie Buss, the president of the Los Angeles Lakers. Similarly to the show, Buss took controlling ownership of the team after her father passed away in 2013. Hudson's character, like Buss, was the lone sister in the family, and at the helm, she had to make tough decisions between business and family, even firing her brother, Jim, in 2017 as head of basketball operations. With her leadership, she contributed immensely to the global brand and empire that is the Los Angeles Lakers today — and in 2020, she became the first woman owner of an NBA team to lead her team to a championship win.

As the show takes us on the journey of a woman leader navigating the ins and outs of the professional sports world, it opens viewers' eyes to the realities of what it's like to be a trailblazer like Buss. In fact, Buss's career has very much inspired other women in the sports business. That's why we asked women in the sports world what the show — and Buss's real-life legacy — means to them.

Ashley Cox is a director of client services for LIFT Sports Management and works with rising NBA players. For her, “Jeanie Buss's leadership is incredibly inspiring, especially in a male-dominated industry,” she says. “Her ability to successfully navigate the complexities of running the most historic NBA franchise, making tough decisions, and winning a championship shows her resilience and strategic mindset. She helped reshape the narrative around female leadership, proving that women can not only hold power in sports and excel in it.”

The show does a good job of mixing entertainment with some larger takeaways about the industry. For example, Hudson's character has to diffuse a player trade rumor, physically drive one of the players so he can check into rehab, and broker a multimillion-dollar partnership deal with Sephora — using her insights as a woman to drive the smart business decision.

“Buss's journey teaches women to lead with confidence, make bold decisions, and earn respect through competence.”

“While it's a comedy, the show does a great job highlighting some of the real challenges women face in sports leadership — whether it's being underestimated, dealing with skepticism from colleagues, or constantly having to prove their worth in a male-dominated space,” Cox says. “The humor makes it entertaining, but it gives insights into the double standards and power dynamics within sports and sports management.”

In her own words, Buss has shared the challenges of being one of the only women to run an NBA team. “The pressure is enormous in terms of becoming a role model and breaking through. That wasn't ever my intention in doing the job that I do, but I felt an enormous pressure not to fail,” she said in an interview with NPR. “And, you know, feeling that there was probably a lot of people that wanted to see me fail, just because I'm a woman in this business.”

Indeed, while “Running Point” may be a fictitious story, the success and visibility of the show have opened up a necessary conversation about what it means for women leaders to navigate the very specific world of professional sports. More often, we hear stories about women athletes, but very rarely are we able to see women in decision-making positions within professional sports. Buss's leadership, for example, was responsible for bringing LeBron James to the team in 2018 and most recently garnering one of the most blockbuster newsworthy trades in NBA history when the Lakers traded all-star Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić.

“Buss's journey teaches women to lead with confidence, make bold decisions, and earn respect through competence,” Cox says. And by learning about her story, she adds, viewers see not only what it means to be successful but to “defy expectations and create lasting impact.”

For Caitlin Thompson, founder and CEO of Racquet Magazine, a tennis magazine subscription and lifestyle brand media company, Buss's story is an example of “if you see it, you can be it.” “And that matters,” she says. “Once we have a case study, it is so much easier for us to not only replicate but also to have more viability and expand.”

It was recently announced that “Running Point” was renewed for a second season, and other women in sports hope the show will continue to spark conversations on the importance of Buss's legacy and also serve as an inspiration for young girls and women who want to pursue sports leadership.

“Whether it's in a fictionalized Netflix show or otherwise, it's a conversation starter, and we all need to be thinking this is a woman who paved the way, and what can be learned from her journey,” Thompson says. “I'm grateful for women like Buss, and I hope she's getting her due, and I know her presence has shepherded the next generation of opportunities for women.”

Ralinda Watts is an author, diversity expert, consultant, practitioner, speaker, and proven thought leader who works at the intersection of race, identity, culture, and justice. She has contributed to numerous publications such as PS, CBS Media, Medium, YahooLifestyle, and the Los Angeles Times.