Lakers: LA Columnist Sounds Off on the Portrayal of Jerry West in 'Winning Time'
One of the biggest stories surrounding the Lakers franchise at the moment has little to nothing to do with the current, or future state of the team. Considering the utter mess that is the Los Angeles Lakers, it has to be a pretty noteworthy story.
The portrayal of Jerry West in the HBO Series "Winning Time" has been front and center over the last few weeks. The show seems to paint Jerry West as an unhinged maniac. So much so, that last week, West, through his legal team, officially asked for an apology and a retraction of his depiction in the show.
On Friday, noted LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke stated that the show "blows it with Jerry West" and that he hopes the HBO version of Jerry West gets "cancelled".
"It mindlessly stomps all over The Logo. It needlessly chokes on the portrayal of Mr. Clutch. It takes the most revered living basketball figure in this city and recklessly paints him in such darkness that he’s unrecognizable."
Plaschke continued to admonish the show for tarnishing the legacy of a NBA and Lakers icon.
"West is one of the most admired figures in the history of Los Angeles sports, one of the most revered personalities in the history of the NBA, a gentleman icon who does not deserve fictionalized reproach or ridicule."
In his column, Plaschke also included quotes from Steve Springer who was a Lakers beat writer during the Showtime era.
“That is such nonsense, I wouldn’t recognize this guy, this guy is a cartoon. He wasn’t this monster … that wasn’t Jerry.”
As Plaschke notes, the show has already been renewed for a second season.
Due to increasing pressure, both legal and public, HBO and producer Adam McKay might be forced to make some big adjustments for the show's second season.
