Current:Home > Contact-usJerry West deserved more from the Lakers. Team should have repaired their rift years ago.-LoTradeCoin
Jerry West deserved more from the Lakers. Team should have repaired their rift years ago.
View Date:2024-12-23 15:54:46
The Los Angeles Lakers’ four-sentence statement on the death of Jerry West could’ve been less perfunctory, more heartfelt – more like the warm remembrance Miami Heat president and former Lakers coach Pat Riley offered in a lovely statement.
West deserved more from the Lakers, and that day may come. It’s just not happening now for West, who was one of the franchise’s six greatest players, led the team to a title as a player, was responsible for four more titles as the team’s general manager and is one of the most influential executives in sports history.
This is less about the statement itself (it’s almost certain the Lakers deferred to family wishes) than what the statement reflects: The relationship between West and the Lakers, the team he played for and worked for from 1960 to 2000, had deteriorated.
“One disappointing thing (about my career) is that my relationship with the Lakers is horrible,” West told The Athletic two years ago. “I still don’t know why. 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.’ ”
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, whose late father, Jerry, owned the Lakers and had a close relationship with West, posted a more heartfelt message on social media that helped mitigate the statement by the team.
“I know that if my father were here, he would say that Jerry West was at the heart of all that made the Lakers great,” she wrote. “He was an icon to all – but he was also a hero to our family. We all send our sympathies to Karen (West’s wife) and the West family.”
But for the storied franchise with so much success and great relationships with players, the West dynamic is problematic.
Relationships crumble and are never rebuilt. That’s part of life, but it’s sad that the West-Lakers relationship suffered. All statements about West’s death came from the Los Angeles Clippers, where he spent the past seven years as an advisor.
West wasn't 100% innocent, and the pettiness flowed in both directions. West was pushed aside by Phil Jackson in the early 2000s, and he wasn’t welcomed back in the 2010s when he indicated he wanted to finish his career with the franchise in some capacity. West had inflammatory words about the Lakers, taking digs at staffers and their player-personnel moves.
The Lakers rescinded West’s free season tickets. They claimed they just wanted to know which games he planned to attend but West didn’t see it that way. The Lakers also parted ways with West’s son, Ryan, in 2019, and when owner Jeanie Buss didn’t name West as one of the five most important Lakers of all time, West was offended, telling people he wanted the Lakers to take down his jersey from the rafters and remove his statue from outside the arena.
Asked in the 2021 interview with The Athletic if reconciliation was possible, West replied, “No, it’s too late. It’s too late. I don’t need to do that, OK?”
It didn’t have to be that way with so many Lakers greats connected to West, Buss and the franchise. It won’t be a surprise if the Lakers at some point celebrate West’s life and legacy.
Until that day, here’s Riley:
“I loved Jerry West! We loved being Lakers together; it was sacred ground. We grew in life with each other and shared the best and worst of times together. We can only hope there is someone we meet during a crucial time in our lives that will change you in ways you could dream about. Jerry was that person for me. …
“It was like yesterday after a shootaround at The Forum that we’d hustle to Hollis Johnson’s drugstore in Westwood to eat the best burgers, drink milkshakes and savor a great custard pudding with fresh whipped cream before we headed home to nap. …
"He was smart, committed, opinionated, fearless, generous, ultra-competitive, stubborn, but with great grace. These were just some of the characteristics he embedded in my psyche. They emerged at the right time, honed by many years of self-talking Jerry reminders. ...
“Chris (Riley’s wife) and I pray the Good Lord will look after Karen and his family during this most difficult time. May peace be with them. And Jerry, one day, my good friend, we will meet again. Just save me a burger, milkshake and custard with whipped cream. The best lunch I ever had. Until then, Rest in Peace.”
veryGood! (55592)
Related
- Judge sets April trial date for Sarah Palin’s libel claim against The New York Times
- Roommates sue Maryland county over death of pet dog shot by police
- Paris Hilton Details “Beautiful” New Chapter After Welcoming Baby No. 2 With Carter Reum
- 32 things we learned in NFL Week 12: Playoff chase shaping up to be wild
- Todd Golden to continue as Florida basketball coach despite sexual harassment probe
- US closes border crossing to vehicles and limits traffic at another in response to illegal entries
- 2 men exonerated for 1990s NYC murders after reinvestigations find unreliable witness testimony
- Vanderpump Rules Alum Kristen Doute Shares She Had a Miscarriage
- 4 arrested in California car insurance scam: 'Clearly a human in a bear suit'
- Hiam Abbass’ Palestinian family documentary ‘Bye Bye Tiberias’ applauded at Marrakech Film Festival
Ranking
- Will Aaron Rodgers retire? Jets QB tells reporters he plans to play in 2025
- Vanderpump Rules Alum Kristen Doute Shares She Had a Miscarriage
- Michigan State Police places Flint post command staff on leave pending internal investigation
- A critically endangered Sumatran rhino named Delilah successfully gives birth in Indonesia
- As Northeast wildfires keep igniting, is there a drought-buster in sight?
- 2 men exonerated for 1990s NYC murders after reinvestigations find unreliable witness testimony
- Spain announces a 1.4 billion-euro deal to help protect the prized Doñana wetland from drying up
- Spain announces a 1.4 billion-euro deal to help protect the prized Doñana wetland from drying up
Recommendation
-
More than 150 pronghorns hit, killed on Colorado roads as animals sought shelter from snow
-
Finding a place at the Met, this opera sings in a language of its own
-
Walmart Cyber Monday Sale 2023: Get a $550 Tablet for $140, $70 Bed Sheets for $16 & More
-
Hamas to release second group of Israeli hostages after hours-long delay, mediators say
-
Biden EPA to charge first-ever ‘methane fee’ for drilling waste by oil and gas companies
-
Rare elephant twins born in Kenya, spotted on camera: Amazing odds!
-
Assailants in latest ship attack near Yemen were likely Somali, not Houthi rebels, Pentagon says
-
When do babies typically start walking? How to help them get there.