HBO Breaks Silence on 'Winning Time' Criticism From Jerry West

HBO is firing back at the criticism towards its show Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty from Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West. "In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, HBO is standing by its series, saying that the show is based on "extensive factual research." This comes after West, who is played by Jason Clarke in the series, sent a legal letter to HBO demanding a retraction and apology for the portrayal of him. 

"HBO has a long history of producing compelling content drawn from actual facts and events that are fictionalized in part for dramatic purposes. Winning Time is not a documentary and has not been presented as such," HBO's statement read. "However, the series and its depictions are based on extensive factual research and reliable sourcing, and HBO stands resolutely behind our talented creators and cast who have brought a dramatization of this epic chapter in basketball history to the screen."  

"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."  

West is not the only Lakers legend to sound off on the show. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have taken shots at the series that takes a look at the Lakers dynasty during the 1980s. "There is only one immutable sin in writing: Don't Be Boring! Winning Time commits that sin over and over," Abdul-Jabbar wrote in a blog post as he called out executive producer Adam McKay. "I'll start with the bland characterization. The characters are crude stick-figure representations that resemble real people the way Lego Han Solo resembles Harrison Ford. Each character is reduced to a single bold trait as if the writers were afraid anything more complex would tax the viewers' comprehension." Despite the controversy surrounding the show, HBO has renewed Winning Time for a second season.