Former Los Angeles Lakers manager Jerry West, in a letter his legal team sent to the network and producer Adam, called for a retraction and apology for what he described as a “baseless and malicious attack” on his character on the show HBO series “Winning Time” referred to McKay Tuesday night, which was obtained by ESPN.
West’s attorneys allege that “Winning Time misrepresented and cruelly portrayed Mr. West as a runaway, drunken rage-aholic,” and say that “bearing no resemblance to the real man,” and are asking for a retraction within two weeks from 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 mischaracterization that has been of great concern to Jerry and his family,” said Skip Miller, a partner at Miller Barondess, LLP law firm in Los Angeles and attorney for West. “Contrary to the unsubstantiated portrayal in the HBO series, Jerry had nothing but love and harmony with the Lakers organization and particularly with 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 success of the Lakers and the NBA. It’s a sham that HBO knowingly demeaned him for his shock value and drive for ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology should at the very least retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him.”
West’s attorneys say HBO’s disclaimer that the series is a dramatization doesn’t absolve the network of liability.
HBO did not immediately respond or comment on West’s letter.
The series, which will air Sunday nights on HBO this spring, is based on author Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.
West’s attorneys allege that the show’s creators acted with “legal malice” because many of the scenes in the show depicting West’s alleged anger did not appear in Pearlman’s book and did not happen. The letter includes testimony from players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper and Jamaal Wilkes, as well as Lakers employees such as Claire Rothman, Charlene Kenney, Bob Steiner and Mitch Kupchak, who worked with West during the period covered on the show to make it happen deny they ever saw him commit any of the angry acts or drink alcohol in the office as portrayed in the series.
“Rather than examining his issues with compassion to better understand the man, they turn him into a Wile E. Coyote cartoon to poke fun at,” Abdul-Jabbar said in a statement. “He never broke golf clubs, he never threw his trophy through the window. Sure, these actions make for dramatic moments, but they smack more of frivolous exploitation of the man than character exploration.”
Rothman, who chaired the Great Western Forum for over 20 years and is portrayed on the series by Gabby Hoffman, said, “Jerry treated me and everyone else in the Lakers organization with dignity and respect. I have never seen Jerry break anything or throw anything in a rage or rage, nor have I ever heard anyone say he did such things.
Kupchak, now general manager of the Charlotte Hornets, played for the Lakers from 1981 to 1986 and then 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 has always been professional, balanced, and quiet,” Kupchak said. “He was always positive and encouraging to me. I also found Jerry honest and genuine. I have never seen or heard of Jerry losing his temper with anyone. Seeing or hearing Jerry yell or yell at anyone. That wasn’t his personality. Jerry speaks softly and dislikes confrontation. He always maintains his composure and remains calm even when he has a disagreement with someone. Lately, I’ve never heard or seen Jerry ever break or throw anything out of anger.
West’s attorneys say he deserves a retraction, apology and damages from HBO and the show’s producers because “the show goes out of its way to disparage Jerry West despite his leadership accomplishments.”
The letter goes on to cite West’s portrayal of the series’ role in the creation of Magic Johnson, saying that this implies that West had “personal animus” against Johnson and attempted to “sabotage” his selection. West’s lawyers say he was only pointing out Sidney Moncrief’s scoring chances and saying the Lakers should consider him, while then-owner Jack Kent Cooke had the final decision.
“So instead of seeing the real Jerry West — a brilliant GM who was the architect of one of the great NBA dynasties — anyone watching the show would be left with the wrong impression that West is incompetent, which is not what he wanted Magic to do.” Johnson. It’s an invention,” the letter said.
“Unlike the show, the book gives readers the true impression of Jerry as a brilliant and thoughtful GM. Your extreme deviation from the book shows malice in your misrepresentation.”