Lakers Legend Jerry West Decries ‘Egregious And Cruel’ Portrayal In ‘Winning Time’ Series

etcanada.com:

An NBA legend wants a retraction from HBO. In a letter to executive producer Adam McKay and executives at the network, former Los Angeles Lakers star Jerry West has decried the series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”. READ MORE: Magic Johnson Is ‘Not Looking Forward’ To ‘Winning Time’ TV Series About The Lakers Calling the series, which was recently renewed for a second season, “a deliberately false characterization” of himself and other real-life figures portrayed in the series, West and his lawyers have demanded a legal retraction from HBO within two weeks, Variety reported.

The letter stated that the series “has caused great distress to Jerry and his family” and “contrary to the baseless portrayal in the HBO series, Jerry had nothing but love for and harmony with the Lakers organization, and in particular owner Dr.

Jerry Buss.” West said the depiction was “so egregious and cruel” that many others portrayed in the show have weighed in with their own criticism, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. READ MORE: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Hits Out At HBO Series ‘Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty’ In Brutally Honest Review Writing on his personal blog this week, Abdul-Jabbar said of the depiction of West, “Instead of exploring his issues with compassion as a way to better understand the man, they turn him into a Wile E.

Coyote cartoon to be laughed at. He never broke golf clubs, he didn’t throw his trophy through the window. Sure, those actions make dramatic moments, but they reek of facile exploitation of the man rather than exploration of character.” West’s letter concluded, “Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA’s success.