Below is a statement former Lakers coach Bill Sharman provided to the Daily News on the passing of Lakers owner Jerry Buss:

“Dr. Buss was the absolute best owner that I ever worked for…..and I worked for many including Jack Kent Cook and George Steinbrenner,” Sharman wrote in a statement. “He was a very remarkable person…..brilliant, but at the same time so kind and humble. He was a very loyal person to the people that he cared about, and I feel very blessed to have known him and shared such a great relationship with him all of these years. He is irreplaceable, but he has left a legacy that will last for many generations to come. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the entire Buss and Lakers family….he touched so many lives and he will be greatly missed by us all.”

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com