Hall of Fame guard and Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West recently took a shot at the franchise for revoking his season tickets.
Many years ago, West had been promised lifetime season tickets by the late Jerry Buss.
“It was a cold phone text to my wife,” West told The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “No one had the nerve to call me, but that’s how petty they are, OK? And I love the Lakers, OK? I love to see them do well. It’s great for basketball. I’m proud of everything that happened when I was there. I’m proud of everything that happened when I wasn’t there — the positives.”
West, who is one of the most storied players in Lakers history, has seen his relationship with the franchise sour after moving to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers as an executive.
As impressive as his run was as a player, West was also an amazing executive for the Lakers. He was part of the team’s front office during the “Showtime” era as well as the Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal years of dominance in franchise history.
It’s sad that the Lakers’ relationship with West has become so broken, as he is one of the greatest players in NBA history.
During his storied career, West made 14 All-Star teams and won one NBA title. He averaged 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game for his career while shooting 47.4 percent from the field.
It appears that West’s relationship with the team is beyond repair, as the revoking of his season tickets, and the manner in which it was done, rubbed the franchise icon the wrong way.
Still, there is no way one can write the history of the Lakers without mentioning West’s enormous impact. He will forever be one of the greatest players to wear a Lakers uniform, even if he no longer holds the organization in great standing.
