After the first episode of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” people who knew Jerry West came to his defense.
West was shown as a rage-filled, alcoholic who was prone to angry outbursts. West is a complex man who has battled depression but is a sweet person who rarely, if ever, drinks, according to anyone who knows him or has read Jeff Pearlman’s book “Showtime,” on which “Winning Time” is loosely based.
West and his lawyer have now sent HBO and the show’s creators a letter requesting an apology and retraction. The letter was obtained by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, as well as the Los Angeles Times, and sections were published.
West’s lawyers allege that “Winning Time falsely and cruelly portrays Mr. West as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic,” saying that “bears no resemblance to the real man.” They ask for a retraction no later than two weeks from the receipt of the letter.
“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.”
West has confessed that he suffers from depression, but says he deals with it by internalizing everything. With others, he is always gentle. While West eventually had issues with the Lakers and left the organization, those disagreements were not with late owner Jerry Buss.
