Posted on 10/16/2002 12:34:32 AM PDT by HAL9000
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss collapsed and was rushed to a hospital after apparently tearing a neck muscle while attending a fund-raising dinner Tuesday night.Buss, 69, was in stable condition at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and was expected to be released within a few hours. Hospital spokesman Johnny Hagerman declined to release any other details on Buss' condition.
"He turned his head really quickly and either tore or partially tore a muscle in his neck," team spokesman John Black said.
Black added that the pain was so severe that Buss put his head down between his legs, prompting panicked guests to call for paramedics.
Buss was at the Carousel of Hope Ball in Beverly Hills when he collapsed at about 10 p.m. Black said Buss was conscious as he was taken away by ambulance.
CNN's Larry King said he was sitting across from Buss when the owner was injured while blues musician B.B. King was performing.
"I looked down and suddenly he turned white and sort of keeled over," King told KCAL-TV. "Oprah Winfrey and I and others started jumping up, trying to get him to stop playing and get some attention for Dr. Buss, who was obviously in big trouble. I mean he had turned total white."
King said two doctors at the ball rushed to Buss' aid and emergency crews arrived soon after.
"Then they got him on the stretcher and brought him out here," King said as he stood outside the party.
Buss, a self-made millionaire with a doctorate in physical chemistry, is widely known to Lakers fans as Dr. Buss. He bought the team in 1979 after making his fortune in real estate, starting with a $1,000 investment in a West Los Angeles apartment building.
A high-profile owner, he is seen frequently around town and at Lakers games. He was a constant presence at the Staples Center in recent years as the team embarked on its run of three consecutive NBA championships.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press.
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