First female controlling-owner to win an NBA championship

The first female controlling-owner to win an NBA championship is Jeanie Buss (USA), winning with the Los Angeles Lakers, on 11 October 2020.

Jeanie Buss became the first female controlling-owner to oversee a franchise winning an NBA championship, as her LA Lakers side beat the Miami Heat 4-2 in the 2020 NBA Finals. Her father Jerry Buss won 10 Championships as the owner of the Lakers and Jeanie took controlling ownership of the Lakers in 2017 after a legal battle with her brothers, 4 years after the death of her father in 2013.

The win ended a 10-year championship drought for the Lakers, the second-longest in franchise history after the lean 12 years of 1988 to 2000. Lebron James who played a pivotal role in the championship run winning the MVP award for the finals made it clear the importance he placed on Buss's role saying 'I think she is an unbelievable owner; I think she's a powerful woman...I think what she believes in is an extension of her father and continuing to build this legacy of this great franchise'.