In a series of unpublished interviews with ESPN, West described reaching a crossroads in life and in work.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
You act like if the West family notified the Lakers they wished to attend a game they wouldn’t do everything possible to accommodate them perfectly. This whole “season tickets rescinded” story is such a non issue. Who knows what was going on. Maybe sections got rearranged. We also know corporate sponsors are buying into seats. Some people really desperate for any angle to shit on the Lakers. The relationship soured like any other relationship can in the real world. All we have is always Jerry’s side of the story as Dr. Buss/Jeanie never spoke about it. I think it’s fair to assume both sides fucked up. Jerry West passed away. Let’s not dig up drama now. Just insensitive and frankly disgusting.