Jerry West will go down as one of the most influential figures in Los Angeles Lakers history. Unfortunately, his relationship with the organization fractured well before his death in June.
The Hall of Famer was named an All-Star in each of his 14 seasons with the Lakers. He later coached the team and oversaw two separate dynasties as an executive. However, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes recently recounted “bad blood” between West and the Lakers that spanned “nearly 30 years.”
The piece included a harrowing admission West made to ESPN in 2019.
“I almost wish that I had never played or worked for them,” West said.
In 1999, West pushed owner Jerry Buss to hire Phil Jackson as head coach over Kurt Rambis. The move sparked a three-peat, but sources feel West’s involvement caused hard feelings from Rambis and his wife, a close friend of Jeanie Buss.
West also expressed discomfort in Jeanie’s romantic relationship with Jackson. An “increasingly iced out” West stepped down from the Lakers in 2000 and became general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies two years later.
“I felt underappreciated by leadership, and leadership is ownership,” West told the L.A. Times. “As we left the Forum to Staples Center, I’d say, ‘What am I doing here? What am I doing to myself?’ Destructive feelings, a different drama every day. Leaving was the biggest relief of my life.”
Two more incidents hindered the chances of any reconciliation in 2019. West worked as an executive consultant for the Los Angeles Clippers, who edged out the Lakers in pursuit of free-agent Kawhi Leonard and acquired Paul George.
The Lakers later parted ways with West’s son Ryan, who ended a decade stint with the team as their director of player personnel. West felt they fired him as “collateral damage” in their strife.
The Lakers also took away his family’s season tickets, which Jerry Buss allegedly promised to give him for as long as he owned the team. He had died six years earlier.
West called the slight “about as low as you can go.”
In December 2020, a voicemail emerged of West calling the Lakers a “s— show.” He later took offense to Jeanie Buss omitting him when naming the top-five most important Lakers on a 2021 podcast appearance.
“One disappointing thing is that my relationship with the Lakers is horrible. I still don’t know why,” West told The Athletic in 2022. And at the end of the day, when I look back, I say, ‘Well, maybe I should have played somewhere else instead of with the Lakers, where someone would have at least appreciated how much you give, how much you cared.'”
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