Jerry West on Jeanie Buss' Laker Rankings: 'One of the Most Offensive Things I’ve Ever Heard in My Life'

The LA Clippers consultant was not pleased to be left off the Laker owner's list of "most important Lakers."

Mason Bissada | May 13, 2021

Current LA Clippers Consultant and former Laker Jerry West was not pleased with Laker Owner Jeanie Buss’ recent rankings of her five “most important Lakers,” which she divulged on the “All the Smoke” podcast last month.

Her list, which included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Phil Jackson, excluded West, a 14-time All Star and one-time champion with the team. West recently appeared on the “Hoop Du Jour” podcast, and expressed his disdain for the list.

“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,” West said without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I was there a lot of time, and had a lot of success. I’d 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. But I do know that when this thing fell apart, there was a lot of years where they weren’t very good.”

West ranks second all-time in points scored as a Laker, trailing only Bryant. He falls third in assists, behind Johnson and Bryant.

Beyond his playing days, West played a huge role in the organization as the team’s general manager for two decades. Under his regime, the team traded for Shaquille O’Neal and essentially drafted Bryant, leading to three straight titles.

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