The former Los Angeles Lakers player and executive has asked to resign and apologize to HBO, saying the series describes him as “out of control, angry drunk.” ESPN.
Vest’s lawyer sent a letter to HBO and producer Adam McKay on Tuesday night, in which the show’s representative called the attack on him “baseless” and “evil.” A winning letter to ESPNO, in addition to the public apology, asks for a denial.
“The portrayal of NBA icon and LA Lakers legend Jerry West in Winning Time is a fiction, a deliberate misrepresentation that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family,” said Skip Miller, West’s attorney.
Victory Time describes the rise of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty in the late 1970s and early 1980s. West served as head coach and general manager of the team at the time. During his reign in the West, Los Angeles won six championship rings.
Jerry West was crucial to the success of the Lakers and the NBA. It’s a parody that HBO deliberately put down because of its surprising value and seeking rating. “As a matter of universal decency, HBO and its producers owe an apology to Jerry and, at the very least, should reject his baseless and defamatory portrayal,” Miller said.
West’s lawyers said HBO’s denial of responsibility that the series was a staging does not exclude the network from liability.
West left the Lakers to manage the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002 and has since moved on to work for the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors.
Source: Huffpost
