Shocking Reason for Lakers' Banishment of Jerry West Revealed

The reported reason for this bad blood is unacceptable.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jerry West lived one of the greatest lives a basketball player ever could. From being a legendary player, to a legendary GM that drafted Kobe Bryant, West had done in everything in the world of basketball.

One of the only regrets West seemed to have before passing away was the falling out that he had with the Los Angeles Lakers. The team couldn't even call him when revoking his season tickets. West never quite knew why he had been forsaken by the only team he'd ever played for, but reporter Ethan Strauss seems to have the reason why.

Jerry West reveals the Lakers revoked his lifetime season tickets that Dr. Jerry Buss promised him many years ago.

“It was a cold phone text to my wife. No one had the nerve to call me.”

(via The Athletic) pic.twitter.com/ZXT2Y1jWdP

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 1, 2022

According to a report from Ethan Strauss, the biggest reason why the Lakers blacklisted Jerry West was that West took issue with owner Jeanie Buss dating then-head coach Phil Jackson. Here is the exact excerpt from Strauss' article.

“After Jerry Buss died, Jeanie Buss inherited the team and wholly excommunicated Jerry West from the franchise, even taking his season tickets," Strauss said. "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.”

If that's the true reason why the Lakers seemed to have banished West, that's just incredibly unfortunate and unacceptable. The way that the Lakers treated West legitimately affected him mentally, even to his last days. In an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, West even said he regretted playing for the Lakers his whole career.

"One disappointing thing [about my career] is that my relationship with the Lakers is horrible," West said. "I still don't know why. And at the end of the day, when I look back, I say, 'Well, maybe I should have played somewhere else instead of with the Lakers, where someone would have at least appreciated how much you give, how much you cared.'"

It's an incredibly sad story to one of the greatest Lakers and greatest players of all time. Hopefully, this makes the Lakers organization look themselves in the mirror, and stop being petty.