In a series of unpublished interviews with ESPN, West described reaching a crossroads in life and in work.

He had been deeply wounded, he said, by events the previous summer and continuing into that fall – ones that fully and finally severed any remaining ties to the Lakers, the franchise he spent 40 years helping to build.

During that tenure, first as a player, then a coach, then an executive, West had helped lift the organization to historic heights before this coldest of wars. In the years since, he had hoped for reconciliation. Then, in 2019, after his family became involved, one of the most famous Lakers in history shared a once-unthinkable sentiment, one that he’d repeat privately and publicly in the years ahead.

“I almost wish,” West told ESPN, “that I had never played or worked for them.”

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41698701/jerry-west-los-angeles-lakers-simmering-20-year-feud

  • TheRealPdGamingBEnglish
    1·
    6 days ago

    Jeanie is a nepo baby that got lucky that lebron came in to the franchise. because before him, the lakers had a worse win percentage from 2014-2019 than the knicks who were constantly made fun of in the media during that time.

    • LiaM_CSBEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      IMO Jerry West was completely justified in criticizing/shitting on Jeannie all those years. She tore down the legendary team that he spent his entire life building up into arguably a top 3 American sports franchise, only to get bailed out by LeBron through no fault of her own.

      The fact that she let him go to the grave without attempting to mend their relationship says it all really

    • WatchOutIGotYouBEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      If the Lakers weren’t in Los Angeles and were still operated by Jerry’s failchildren, how bad would they be?

    • Parrallax91BEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      Of when LeBron leaves it’s going to be Early Dolan Knicks 2.0 unless they luck into another player that’s basically a media entity signing with their team to make movies and tv shows. So good luck finding another MJ, Kobe, Magic, or LeBron!

    • Madterps2021BEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      Lebronze won them nothing other than that regular season participation trophy. Now he’s doing LeNepotism 2.0 with people like JJ Redick and Lebronze Jr.

      • IaintyourclownbroBEnglish
        1·
        6 days ago

        Jesus Christ. Did you just arrive from 2009 with those talking points? Go back to a FB post comment section of MJ highlights

          • FrancoGYFVBEnglish
            1·
            6 days ago

            They literally won a championship with LeBron. Of course the Saltics fan would be agreeing lol.

    • deathinmidjulyBEnglish
      1·
      6 days ago

      It’s worse than that. Between 1949-2013 the Lakers had only missed the playoffs a total of 5 times, between 2014-2019 they missed the playoffs 6 season in a row.

      • yeartwelveBEnglish
        1·
        6 days ago

        it’s absolutely disgusting that they went from mikan (1949) > baylor/west/goodrich/wilt > kareem/magic > shaq/kobe (2013)

        the only funnier thing is that they got their ass whooped so many times in the 60s by bill russell lol

      • _nightgoatBEnglish
        1·
        6 days ago

        They were crap because they held on to Kobe and had zero assets.