His statue sits in front of the former Staples Center. He’s one of the best players in history, and his silhouette is on the NBA logo. As manager, he brought back Shaquille O’Neal and drafted Kobe Bryant. Jerry West is a living legend in Los Angeles, and more specifically at the Lakers. And yet, he is no longer welcome at the matches…
” What disappoints me in my career is that my relationship with the Lakers is horrible confides “The Logo” to The Athletic. ” I still don’t know why. In the end, when I look back, I say to myself: “Maybe I should have played somewhere else rather than with the Lakers, somewhere where someone would have at least appreciated everything that I brought and how involved I was. I played for my teammates and for the fans. I didn’t play for a franchise.”
“No one had the guts to call me, and that’s really mean, isn’t it?” “
The words are harsh, but since he moved to the enemy, the Clippers, relations with the new management are icy. The death of Jerry Buss marked a real break, and last year, the franchise announced to him that his lifetime subscription, for him and his family, was no longer relevant. And since the Lakers felt snotty, they went through his wife…
“It was a cold text message sent to my wife” says West. “No one had the guts to call me, and that’s really mean, isn’t it?” And I love the Lakers, don’t I? I like when they are good. It’s great for basketball, and I’m proud of everything that happened there when I was there. I’m also proud of everything that happened when I wasn’t there, all the positive things. But sometimes you feel like you’ve been cast aside, like trash. And there are a few people there, not Jeanie. But there are a few people there who… I don’t understand. I don’t understand… I’ve always had a good relationship with Jeanie – or so I thought. I don’t know where it is now. “
And so precisely, Jeanis Buss, Jerry’s daughter, tried to fix things, and to reconcile him with his frankness of heart? ” No, it’s too late, it’s too late… I don’t need it. I really don’t need this. It’s just a shame how people can change so much. And I don’t understand it, but that’s not a problem. Everything is fine.”
