Lakers Legend Jerry West Takes Action Against HBO for 'Winning Time' Portrayal

Jerry West is not happy with his portrayal in the HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. According to ESPN, the Lakers legend is demanding a retraction and an apology for "a baseless and malicious assault" on his character in a letter sent to HBO and executive producer Adam McKay. West's Lawyers allege that "Winning Time falsely and cruelly portrays Mr. West as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic," saying that "bears no resemblance to the real man."

"The portrayal of NBA icon and L.A. Lakers legend Jerry West in Winning Time is fiction pretending to be fact — a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family," Skip Miller a partner at Miller Barondess LLP law firm in Los Angeles and attorney for Mr. West, said. "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, during an era in which he assembled one of the greatest teams in NBA history."

Miler continued: "Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA's success. It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology and at the very least should retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him."

ESPN says HBO has not responded or commented on West's letter. Winning Time airs on HBO on Sunday nights and tells the story of the Lakers' rise to stardom in the 1980s. In the series, West is played by Jason Clarke who is known for his roles in films such as Zero Dark Thirty, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Terminator Genisys. Newsweek recently spoke to Clarke about his portrayal of West, and he said, "I've been on sets where there's so much pressure, like someone's gonna get sacked because of this scene here, or this or that. But you've got to be given that impetus to go and feel the edge of the frame or go 'okay. Well, I've gone through now. Too far' and that was prevalent." 

West, 83, played for the Lakers from 1960 to 1974 and was the coach from 1976 to 1979. He then became a scout and general manager for the Lakers and helped the team win six championships. He also won two championships as an executive member of the Golden State Warriors.