In a letter sent by his legal team to the network and producer, Jerry West demanded an apology for what he called a baseless and malicious assault on his character in Winning Time.
According to West's lawyers, Winning Time cruelly portrays Mr. West as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic, and ask for a retraction no later.
The portrayal of NBA icon and LA Lakers legend Jerry West in Winning Time is fiction pretending to be fact, which has caused great distress to Jerry and his family, said Skip Miller, a partner at the Miller Baron.
Jerry West was an important part of the Lakers and NBA. It is a shame that he was demeaned for his shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, the producers of the show owe Jerry a public apology and should at the very least apologize for their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him.
West's lawyers say that the series is a drama and that it does not insulate the network from liability.
West's letter was not immediately responded to or commented on by HBO.
The series is based on the book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s" by Jeff Pearlman.
West's lawyers claim that the series creators acted with legal malice because many of the scenes showing West's purported rage did not appear in Pearlman's book. The players and Lakers employees who worked with West denied in the letter that they ever saw him.
They turned him into a cartoon character to be laughed at instead of exploring his issues with compassion. Sure, those actions make dramatic moments, but they reek of facile exploitation of the man rather than exploration of character.
Jerry treated me and everyone else in the Lakers organization with dignity and respect, and he was portrayed in the series by Gabby Hoffman. I didn't hear anyone say Jerry did anything like that.
The Charlotte Hornets general manager played for the Lakers from 1981 to 1986 and worked alongside West in the front office from 1986 to 2000. During my time with the Lakers as a player and in the front office, Jerry was always professional, even-keeled and soft spoken. He was always positive with me. Jerry was honest and sincere. I never heard Jerry lose his temper. I never heard Jerry scream or yell at anyone, nor did I see or hear him go on an angry rant. That wasn't his personality. Jerry does not like confrontation. Even when he disagrees with someone, he keeps his calm. Jerry has never thrown anything in anger.
West's lawyers say he is due a retraction, apology and damages from the show's producers because they went out of their way to insult Jerry West despite his accomplishments as an executive. It shows Jerry going into a rant about the decision to draft Magic, implying that he had a personal dislike for the player. The show implies that Jerry tried to sabotage the drafting of Magic Johnson. This never happened. Jerry pointed out that Sidney Moncrief was a prolific scorer and that the Lakers should consider him. It was not Jerry's decision who to pick. The owner made the call.
If you watched the show, you would be left with the false impression that Jerry West is incompetent, because he didn't want Magic Johnson. This is not a real thing. You depict Jerry as a stupid guy who wears a fishing hat to practice, which never happened.
You don't mention that Jerry was one of the most accomplished and well-regarded NBA executives in history. You degrade him by exaggerating the fact that he urged the Lakers not to draft Magic Johnson. The book leaves readers with the impression that Jerry is a brilliant and thoughtful GM. The extreme departure from the book shows malice.
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