Many fans must be wondering why Jerry West was removed from his position as the general manager for the Los Angeles Lakers. As the majority of the NBA world may have heard, West recently passed away at the age of 86. The former star was an integral part of the Los Angeles Lakers during his career as a player and continued to be involved with the organization for several years after retiring.
While one might assume that West would have been retained by the Lakers as a general manager till he no longer wanted to be associated to the league, he ended up cutting ties with the team in the early 2000s. Many fans may not know the true story behind West’s unexpected departure from the Lakers. With that being said, let us take a closer look and find out more on this subject.
Jerry West did not approve of Jeanie Buss’ relationship with Phil Jackson
It might surprise some fans to hear that former Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson had a relationship with Jeanie Buss, who is the current owner of the Lakers. Upon finding about this, Jerry West was not too pleased and made his displeasure clear. Reports revealed that Jeanie did not like the fact that West disapproved of their relationship, as did Phil Jackson.
“After Jerry Buss died, Jeanie Buss inherited the team and wholly excommunicated Jerry West from the franchise, even taking his season tickets. According to sources, the bitterness started back when West was critical of Jeanie Buss’ relationship with then Laker coach Phil Jackson. Phil won that particular battle, and ultimately the power struggle with West.”
Jeanie Buss reportedly banished Jerry West and revoked his season tickets after West took issue with her dating the team’s head coach, per @SherwoodStrauss
“After Jerry Buss died, Jeanie Buss inherited the team and wholly excommunicated Jerry West from the franchise, even… pic.twitter.com/lAK6gQ7gcw
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 21, 2024
Given that Phil Jackson and Jeanie Buss’ relationship did not last permanently, one could argue that letting Jerry West go was a bad decision by the Los Angeles Lakers. Especially since he played a pivotal role in helping the Lakers win multiple titles during his time as a member of the management.
More on West’s accomplishments after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers
Since this dispute between Jeanie Buss, Phil Jackson, and Jerry West was not made public at the time, the NBA world was stunned to hear that West was leaving the Lakers. He joined the Memphis Grizzlies and spent 5 years with the team from 2002-2007. Jerry West also won his second NBA Executive of the Year award during his time with the Grizzlies.
He then left to become a part of the Golden State Warriors and even reportedly had a minority ownership in the franchise. During his time with the Warriors from 2011-2017, West added 2 more NBA championships to his legacy as a great general manager. Finally, he went to the Los Angeles Clippers and helped the team facilitate a trade for Kawhi Leonard.
Considering that Jerry West was able to make brilliant moves for other teams after leaving the Los Angeles Lakers, fans are left wondering what he could have done with the Lakers if there was no conflict with Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson.