Los Angeles Lakers legend and current Los Angeles Clippers consultant Jerry West has demanded a retraction and an apology from HBO due to his portrayal in the series "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," according to ESPN. West's attorney sent a letter to HBO and producer Adam McKay arguing that the show portrayed him as an "out-of-control, intoxicated rage-a-holic."
"The portrayal of NBA icon and L.A. Lakers legend Jerry West in 'Winning Time' is fiction pretending to be fact -- a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family," said Skip Miller, an attorney representing West. "Contrary to the baseless portrayal in the HBO series, Jerry had nothing but love for and harmony with the Lakers organization, and in particular owner Dr. Jerry Buss, during an era in which he assembled one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
"Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA's success. It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology and at the very least should retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him."
In the series, which is based off Jeff Pearlman's book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty," West vehemently argued against the selection of Magic Johnson, threw his Finals MVP trophy through a window and attempted to replace interim head coach Paul Westhead with former teammate Elgin Baylor in the middle of a road trip. As the series thus far has taken place exclusively during the 1979-80 season, it has not yet covered West's historic tenure as the team's general manager, which began before the 1982-83 season and lasted until 2002.
HBO released a statement after West's attorney spoke out, saying "'Winning Time' is not a documentary and has not been presented as such."
HBO has issued a statement in response to Jerry West’s complaints about his portrayal in “Winning Time.” pic.twitter.com/eKvJDLSRpK
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) April 26, 2022
West left the Lakers to take over the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002, and has since gone on to work for the Clippers and Golden State Warriors. At least publicly, his relationship with the Lakers has been somewhat frosty ever since. Last spring, he said that he was offended when owner Jeanie Buss left him off of her list of top-five Lakers ever. Earlier this season, West revealed that the team had revoked his lifetime season-tickets. In 2007, Kobe Bryant publicly asked the Lakers to bring West back with full authority over basketball decisions. They declined to do so.
