Jerry West looks on during the 2019 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony at Symphony Hall on September 06, 2019 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Omar Rawlings / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
NBA all-time great Jerry West said being left off Los Angeles owner Jeanie Buss’ list of top five most important Lakers ever was “one of the most offensive things I’ve ever heard in my life.”
West, whose silhouette is the NBA logo, made the comments Wednesday during a podcast interview when asked about Buss’ list from a month ago. During an interview on the “All The Smoke” podcast, Buss offered her top five Lakers of all time:
- Kobe Bryant
- Magic Johnson
- LeBron James
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Phil Jackson
“I saw the other day Jeanie Buss made a statement, the five most important Lakers, one of the most offensive things I’ve ever heard in my life. I was there a lot of times, had a lot of success,” West told Peter Vescey on his podcast. “Be curious to know if they would have had that success if I hadn’t been there.
“And I don’t ever take credit for stuff, I don’t. When I was around, maybe I was just a good luck charm,” West said. “But I do know, that when this thing fell apart, there was a lot of years where they weren’t very good.”
It’s notable that Buss and Jackson — who coached the Lakers to five titles — dated for 17 years.
West won one title as a player for the Lakers in 1972 and later served as general manager from 1982-2000.