Posted: Thu May 13, 2021 7:12 pm Post subject: Jerry West Offended by Jeanie Buss
Jerry West is one of the most influential players in Los Angeles Lakers history. He was the team's first superstar after moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960, spent 14 years there as a player and then almost 30 more as a coach and executive. All told, he has eight championship rings from his time with the Lakers. Yet he is still frequently ignored in discussing the team's illustrious history.
One such example? Team owner Jeanie Buss recently went on All The Smoke and named the five most important Lakers in history. Her choices? Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Phil Jackson and LeBron James. West was noticeably absent from that list, and as he revealed on the Hoop Du Jour podcast with Peter Vescey (h/t CBSLA), he was not pleased about that.
Quote:
"I saw the other day Jeanie Buss made a statement, the five most important Lakers, one of the most offensive things I've ever heard in my life. I was there a lot of times, had a lot of success," West told Vescey. "Be curious to know if they would have had that success if I hadn't been there. And I don't ever take credit for stuff, I don't. When I was around, maybe I was just a good luck charm," West continued. "But I do know, that when this thing fell apart, there were a lot of years where they weren't very good."
The irony of Buss' list is that at least two of the five people she listed were brought to the Lakers by West as an executive. He maneuvered to draft Kobe Bryant in 1996 and he hired Jackson in 2000. While he was not the organization's top decision-maker at the time, he worked as a scout for the team when they drafted Magic Johnson (though some reports have indicated he preferred Sidney Moncrief in the 1980 NBA Draft). West also brought in Shaquille O'Neal as a free agent, another player who arguably should have made this list. He won three titles in Los Angeles. To date, James has only won one.
But West and the Lakers have had a complicated relationship for quite some time. He left the team in 2002 in part because of conflict with Jackson, who, at the time, was dating Buss herself. In 2007, Bryant publicly asked that West be rehired as the team's general manager. They stuck with Mitch Kupchak. West went on to work for a number of other teams, and now consults for the rival Clippers. In 2019, he called them the best organization he had ever worked with. West's son, Ryan, previously worked for the Lakers as a scout, but left the team in 2020 to join the Detroit Pistons.
Therefore, it makes sense that Buss would rather honor someone like James, whom she is currently working with, than West, whose relationship with the Lakers appears to be fractured. But that shouldn't undermine what West accomplished in Los Angeles. The people Buss listed were extremely successful with the Lakers, but only for a single generation. But West thrived as a player and then built championship teams around Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar, Bryant and O'Neal. Every ounce of success the team had between George Mikan's retirement in the mid-1950s through Bryant's 2016 retirement can be traced back to West in some way.
The Lakers have had so many great players over the years that someone like West, widely considered a top-20 player in NBA history, might not be one of the five best players in team history. But his overall contributions to the franchise are unmatched. In truth, no single person contributed more to the Lakers becoming the historic brand that they are today than West.
The lakers as a franchise have had so much success that making top-5 or top-1o lists just is not fair. There are too many people deserving recognition. _________________ Kobe
If Jeanie was asked this again on a different day, her list might be slightly different. But it's understandable for her to be biased towards Phil over Jerry. _________________ Smrek 2, Nevitt 1, Barkley 0
Jerry West should be the 1 person that isn't on any Top 5 list pertaining to most important Laker of all time. (Him and Kobe). It's one of the most disrespectful things to me and I could understand why he feels insulted.
Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 4372 Location: Lake Nacimiento
Posted: Thu May 13, 2021 7:47 pm Post subject:
ehh it's just West being the crusty old angry man where everyone is against him once again. It's not remotely worth making a public announcement like a scorned ex though. He had a long feud with Phil and was just trashing the Lakers in that leaked clip that came out (I'm sure she's heard much, much worse that we as fans will never know about as well). He's also helped try to build the Lakers biggest threat over the last few years. It was her list and a spur of the moment question so of course Lebron was on there as he's the current face of the franchise. It was the politically correct thing to do as the last thing we need is Lebron getting in his feelings like West is.
This is simply people continuing to make a massive deal about absolutely nothing. It was a spur of the moment quick 5. That list would probably change a bit a lot depending when you ask her.
Any even casual Lakers fan knows Jerry West is a paramount figure behind the rich history of the Lakers. Just kind of makes him look petty taking it that personal imo and getting all passive aggressive in his reply. He should be more worried about the "sh*t show" of the Clippers right now.
"One of the Most Offensive Things I’ve Ever Heard in My Life" okkkkkkkk Jerry.
ehh it's just West being the crusty old angry man where everyone is against him once again. It's not remotely worth making a public announcement like a scorned ex though. He had a long feud with Phil and was just trashing the Lakers in that leaked clip that came out (I'm sure she's heard much, much worse that we as fans will never know about as well). He's also helped try to build the Lakers biggest threat over the last few years. It was her list and a spur of the moment question so of course Lebron was on there as he's the current face of the franchise. It was the politically correct thing to do as the last thing we need is Lebron getting in his feelings like West is.
This is simply people continuing to make a massive deal about absolutely nothing. It was a spur of the moment quick 5. That list would probably change a bit a lot depending when you ask her.
Any even casual Lakers fan knows Jerry West is a paramount figure behind the rich history of the Lakers. Just kind of makes him look petty taking it that personal imo and getting all passive aggressive in his reply. He should be more worried about the "sh*t show" of the Clippers right now.
"One of the Most Offensive Things I’ve Ever Heard in My Life" okkkkkkkk Jerry.
He didn't make public announcement. He was asked a question and answered it. He asked to come back to be apart of the Lakers and Jeanie denied it, twice, before being apart of the Clipper's based on their offer and being in LA.
Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 4372 Location: Lake Nacimiento
Posted: Thu May 13, 2021 8:26 pm Post subject:
Outspoken wrote:
hype wrote:
ehh it's just West being the crusty old angry man where everyone is against him once again. It's not remotely worth making a public announcement like a scorned ex though. He had a long feud with Phil and was just trashing the Lakers in that leaked clip that came out (I'm sure she's heard much, much worse that we as fans will never know about as well). He's also helped try to build the Lakers biggest threat over the last few years. It was her list and a spur of the moment question so of course Lebron was on there as he's the current face of the franchise. It was the politically correct thing to do as the last thing we need is Lebron getting in his feelings like West is.
This is simply people continuing to make a massive deal about absolutely nothing. It was a spur of the moment quick 5. That list would probably change a bit a lot depending when you ask her.
Any even casual Lakers fan knows Jerry West is a paramount figure behind the rich history of the Lakers. Just kind of makes him look petty taking it that personal imo and getting all passive aggressive in his reply. He should be more worried about the "sh*t show" of the Clippers right now.
"One of the Most Offensive Things I’ve Ever Heard in My Life" okkkkkkkk Jerry.
He didn't make public announcement. He was asked a question and answered it. He asked to come back to be apart of the Lakers and Jeanie denied it, twice, before being apart of the Clipper's based on their offer and being in LA.
Still went wayyyyy too deep and just made himself look bad imo. He could have just chuckled at the list or made a quick sly response and would have looked much better but still got the message across. He's basically that guy that wrote an overly long 3 paragraph response to his ex while his ex just ignored it and continued on with her new life.
I'm good with the current FO honeslty.. Would have been nice to have him as a consultant of course but there's obviously some bad blood between him and Jeanie which is another entire thing.
Joined: 27 May 2010 Posts: 49019 Location: LA to the Bay
Posted: Thu May 13, 2021 9:16 pm Post subject:
Outspoken wrote:
hype wrote:
ehh it's just West being the crusty old angry man where everyone is against him once again. It's not remotely worth making a public announcement like a scorned ex though. He had a long feud with Phil and was just trashing the Lakers in that leaked clip that came out (I'm sure she's heard much, much worse that we as fans will never know about as well). He's also helped try to build the Lakers biggest threat over the last few years. It was her list and a spur of the moment question so of course Lebron was on there as he's the current face of the franchise. It was the politically correct thing to do as the last thing we need is Lebron getting in his feelings like West is.
This is simply people continuing to make a massive deal about absolutely nothing. It was a spur of the moment quick 5. That list would probably change a bit a lot depending when you ask her.
Any even casual Lakers fan knows Jerry West is a paramount figure behind the rich history of the Lakers. Just kind of makes him look petty taking it that personal imo and getting all passive aggressive in his reply. He should be more worried about the "sh*t show" of the Clippers right now.
"One of the Most Offensive Things I’ve Ever Heard in My Life" okkkkkkkk Jerry.
He didn't make public announcement. He was asked a question and answered it. He asked to come back to be apart of the Lakers and Jeanie denied it, twice, before being apart of the Clipper's based on their offer and being in LA.
So was she.
This was a meaningless silly sauce Top List on a podcast. Shaq brushed it off as the “whatever” that it is. This is pretty much the one of the least important Lakers things ever lol
Agreed, West has moved into crotchety old man territory. He took it way too seriously. Meanwhile Jeanie is living her best life, caring for this team the way it needs to be. Respect to Jerry for past contributions, but I'm riding with Jeanie all the way on this.
If I recall, West had a falling out with Dr. Buss. Wasn't close with Phil either. But I really doubt those were factors. If you asked Jeanie to name the 6th, she'd probably say Jerry West.
If she named Jerry and left Phil off the list, the media would go running to Phil for a quote. That's their game. _________________ Smrek 2, Nevitt 1, Barkley 0
Its Lakers we are speaking about here. Biggest franchise ever with 17 titles. It is not easy to list only 5 people most important in franchise history. Its actually impossible. So West shouldn't be so offended. Its unfair maybe. But for me the list should go like this. Order does not show importance.
Dr.Buss
Kobe
Magic
West
Phil
But I am sure everyone has their own opinions. And its normal, because its impossible to deacide.
So just to be clear...the owner of the teaam... a woman...who led us back to greatness...with the help of someone who didnt have to come here...can't have her own opinion...and is being disrespectful...to a man who hasnt been affiliated with the organization for 20 years...left on bad terms with her dad and her man...has talked mad ish behind the scenes for years...and doesnt take credit but clearly wants to be acknowledged by her?
Am I seeing this right Mr. Logo?
Because if I am...it's not an endearing look.
Now watch Jeannie come out and do the right thing because she's genuinely a nice person and acknowledge him.
Hey Mr. Logo...how about an apology for talking ish about a team you seem to love but with an owner you seem to have no respect for? _________________ "If You're Afraid To Fail...Then You're Probably Going To Fail."
- Kobe
Kobe Bryant
Magic Johnson
Pau Gasol
LeBron James
Derek Fisher
Hmm nice to see someone mention Gasol. Near seamless fit chemistry wise and the team became instant title contenders. Very few players could have pulled that off. _________________ Smrek 2, Nevitt 1, Barkley 0
Move on, Logo. She also didn't mention Chick. Just move on. And she had to mention Brawn who's a notorious diva himself, not to mention CURRENTLY WITH THE TEAM. You've been away long enough and you were happy to leave at the time instead of trying to fix the situation back then. And now you're w/ the enemy after using a term about the Lakers she probably didn't like all that much considering she was in management during the shh-show period. You think she didn't take that personally? And she had an intimate relationship (or has?, dunno, don't care) with Phil. She's obviously not gonna gloss over him. She also didn't mention Pat Riley. Just move on now that you're on the other side of town and wanting to do the Lakers ill. If the Clipps should eliminate the Lakers, you know West will be there w/ a sh-eating smile on his face while he gleefully talks about it to the assgoblin media who would be utterly thrilled at such a storyline. It would be vile. And why would a 70+ yr old even care about some throwaway comment like that? He knows damn well why she said every one of those names.
Magic is sensitive to not being mentioned in those Rushmore lists and they're siblings and all that there.
Kareem is '' '' '' '' '' '' Rushmore lists and still attends Laker events.
Phil = obvious
Kobe = obvious and he's no longer with us, so she's not gonna leave him unmentioned for anything.
Brawn = Diva with capital diva.
Fer crissakes she didn't even mention her FATHER and West takes that foul. Please. That kinda thing gives you some insight about how raw his need for appreciation is. She also didn't mention Shaq. She also glossed over NPZ, which I find personally offensive.
Jerry drew Laker paychecks for 40 years. He decided to leave the Lakers - not the other way around - and they don't owe him a thing. They've employed his kids and treated him like family even after he took a dump on them. When Chick, Dr. Buss, Kobe, Elgin, etc., passed, they let Jerry represent as part of the Lakers even though he was getting paid by other teams.
Jerry West did great things for this organization from 1960 to 2000. Having said that . . . EFF Jerry West. _________________ On Lakersground, a concern troll is someone who is a fan of another team, but pretends to be a Lakers fan with "concerns".
She was asked about this on the fly. And she struggled to answer it. I think this is just Jerry West overreacting. It isn't really surprising, and imo he deserves to be in that top 5. But Shaq, Elgin, Wilt were left off that list, as well.
Now if she were doing a presentation of the 5 greatest Lakers that's one thing but she was asked and had to come up with an answer quickly. It's not surprising she said Lebron, he's the current star who just brought her the first title since her Father died. She has to pamper to him. West should have been over Phil due to his history as a hall of fame player and then as a GM. But Phil brought the team 5 championships and was her long time boyfriend, where West has been less than supportive while assisting her cross-town rivals. Is it really that surprising that Phil popped into her head instead of Jerry?
ehh it's just West being the crusty old angry man where everyone is against him once again. It's not remotely worth making a public announcement like a scorned ex though. He had a long feud with Phil and was just trashing the Lakers in that leaked clip that came out (I'm sure she's heard much, much worse that we as fans will never know about as well). He's also helped try to build the Lakers biggest threat over the last few years. It was her list and a spur of the moment question so of course Lebron was on there as he's the current face of the franchise. It was the politically correct thing to do as the last thing we need is Lebron getting in his feelings like West is.
This is simply people continuing to make a massive deal about absolutely nothing. It was a spur of the moment quick 5. That list would probably change a bit a lot depending when you ask her.
Any even casual Lakers fan knows Jerry West is a paramount figure behind the rich history of the Lakers. Just kind of makes him look petty taking it that personal imo and getting all passive aggressive in his reply. He should be more worried about the "sh*t show" of the Clippers right now.
"One of the Most Offensive Things I’ve Ever Heard in My Life" okkkkkkkk Jerry.
He didn't make public announcement. He was asked a question and answered it. He asked to come back to be apart of the Lakers and Jeanie denied it, twice, before being apart of the Clipper's based on their offer and being in LA.
So was she.
This was a meaningless silly sauce Top List on a podcast. Shaq brushed it off as the “whatever” that it is. This is pretty much the one of the least important Lakers things ever lol
I don't get the point of "so was she," if he was offended by the opinion, when there are facts to importance. Jerry West helped mold the franchise to what it is and that is brushed of as "whatever." Her own father might be offended by her leaving West off.
Last edited by Outspoken on Fri May 14, 2021 2:44 am; edited 1 time in total
She was asked about this on the fly. And she struggled to answer it. I think this is just Jerry West overreacting. It isn't really surprising, and imo he deserves to be in that top 5. But Shaq, Elgin, Wilt were left off that list, as well.
This is clearly overreacting. On the other hand, her list of 5 was not bad considering that the names on that list probably had more public influence outside of the basketball court than others.
Making lists like that is stupid anyway, or we have to define "top 5" very precisely before we make the list and then compare data (which we don't have)
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