The new HBO series “Winning Time” is a fictional account of the Los Angeles Lakers’ “Showtime” dynasty of the 1980s and the personalities behind the team that grew into arguably the greatest in NBA history.
However, some have criticized the series for not being accurate.
One of those critics is Jerry West, the Hall of Fame guard for the Lakers in the 1960s and early 1970s who was a pivotal member of their front office in the ’80s.
Through his attorney, West has demanded a retraction and an apology because the series has depicted him “as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic” that “bears no resemblance to the real man.”
Via ESPN.com:
“The portrayal of NBA icon and LA 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, a partner at the Miller Barondess LLP law firm in Los Angeles and attorney for 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.”
After retiring as a player in 1974, West spent three seasons as the Lakers’ head coach from 1976 to 1979. Early in the team’s Showtime dynasty, he was given the role of general manager, and in that capacity, he helped take the squad from a great team to a transcendent and iconic one.