June 12, 2024 • 26 mins
The NBA was rocked on the morning of Game 3 of the NBA Finals by the death of the legendary Jerry West. Chris Haynes and Marc Stein found it hard to talk about any other subject beyond sharing their remembrances of The Logo during this pre-game pod. #fsr
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of twenty
four hour NBA News.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
This's you, Chris Haynes.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
It's time, works time, It's so time you cut. This
League Uncut is underway tend on five. This should be
a good one.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Everyone, welcome in, Welcome back to the NBA Finals and
a new edition of this League Uncut. It is June twelfth,
It is the morning of Game three of these NBA Finals.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
And just have to be upfront with you from the jump.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
This was We thought this would be a very joyous
occasion because Chris Haynes and I were in the same city, which,
as you guys know, those of you who listen to
this show regularly, you know that it is rare when
Chris and I actually get to be together to hang
out to cover a game together. And we will do
(01:06):
that later tonight. But this is a very sad day
in the NBA. There is no way to get around that.
Early this morning, we got the news from the Clippers.
Jerry West, the one and only Jerry West, the logo
who has been working as a Clippers consultant for the
(01:28):
past several seasons. The Clippers announced that at the age
of eighty six. Jerry West passed away earlier today, peacefully
with wife Karen at his side. But we are talking
about one of the absolute giants of this game for
decades and decades and decades, long before Chris or I
(01:52):
started covering this league. And I can honestly say I
covered Jerry West as a Lakers beat writer. I was
there when, in the same summer he was able to
draft Kobe Bryant and sign Shaquille O'Neill just weeks later
(02:16):
what is probably still regarded as the greatest off season
an NBA executive, and maybe any sports team executive has
ever had to be able to make those two moves
in such a short span. And so I've been covering
him for a long time. I know, Chris, you got
(02:36):
to cover him when you were embedded with the Warriors
and Jerry was a Warriors executive.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
But I mean, I can just tell you.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
There's nobody in the league who I looked forward to
speaking to more than Jerry West, especially as he got older.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
The care factor, the.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Competitiveness, the intensity as he got older, the candor. I mean,
I could go on and on and on, but just
getting to speak to him and unfiltered Jerry West was
a true treat And you know, we're doing this pod
about two hours later than we thought we would because
(03:23):
I frankly needed some time to try to figure out
what to say, because obviously Jerry was in his eighties,
he was in ill health. But nothing prepares you for
the loss of a legend like this. And Bill Walton
just passed away a couple of weeks ago, and now
we lose Jerry West, and it is it's just.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Tremendously sad.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
No, indeed, it is, you know, and rest in peace
to Jerry West, and give our condoless to family and friends,
close friends of Jerry.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
He was a.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
He was an incredible individual. I enjoyed my time being
around him. As you mentioned Steinwn covering the warriors. And
you know, Star I grew up. I grew up around
a lot of senior citizens. I had them in my
family and my churches. And you know, you have some
youngsters who despise listening to the old stories from from
(04:26):
your elder statesman, and I was the opposite.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
Always. I always like hearing the stories.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
I like hearing how life seems so simple back in
the day, you know, just to have the way they
used to navigate this a life that was viewed and
told as so much more simple than what we live
in the modern era. And so I've always enjoyed, you know,
hearing stories from the elders. Jerry West was definitely somebody
(04:55):
that I always gravitated towards, because once you got to
spend some time with him, once gave you time, you
didn't know what he was going to say, and you
didn't know how he was going to say it. You know,
you you talked about Jerry West being candid, you know,
you know, I think we all when you get a
certain age, you start speaking speaking more of your mind,
(05:16):
like you.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
Give less fucks. And that was definitely Jerry. And the more.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Accomplished life you have, the more experiences you have in life,
the more interactions you have with a different group of people,
that tends to lend to having more stories and just
having these incredible, incredible times in these periods in which
you can tell And that was Jerry. And there were
(05:47):
times I find myself talking to him seeking information, you know,
seeking information on the Warriors or the NBA or whatever,
and next thing, you know, you didn't spend thirty minutes.
He's talking about the old locker room and you know,
being pissed at winning one championship.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
And all he had to go through. The It was
just man, he was just incredible.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Man. I'm going to miss those conversations. He's definitely one
of the pillars of the NBA. He's the logo for
a reason. Eight championships as an executive one, as a player,
very much accomplished basketball executive ranks.
Speaker 5 (06:32):
Just a cool, polarizing person.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Man, And I'm going to miss those conversations for sure.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, and look, he stopped playing shortly before I can
really say that I became an NBA fan, So I.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Didn't get to see him play.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Only I've watched highlights and you know, seen lots of clips.
But I mean, he he was. He just did everything.
He was a textbook player. He was a two way player.
People didn't talk enough about what a rugged and effective
defender he was. But shooting the ball, dribbling the ball,
I mean, he just did it in absolute textbook fashion.
(07:16):
But I did get to cover Jerry the executive very
very closely.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
And look we are talking about.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
He was openly anguished and tormented his whole life. He
did a book in twenty eleven with Jonathan Coleman, and
the book is called West by West My Charmed Tormented Life.
I mean this is someone he was tightly wound, tortured perfectionist.
(07:44):
He openly said that it was really hard for him
to find satisfaction, but that just kept driving him.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
He was just never satisfied.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
And as an executive he won everything as an executive
that eluded him as a players said he only won
one championship as a player, made the finals nine times,
lost eight and that after a very difficult childhood upbringing.
I mean that shaped him in ways that he would
say he couldn't even control. He was very open about
(08:18):
depression and his demons, but just the Jerry I knew,
like he was just so driven to win.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Nothing was enough. But I would also.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Say in public, you know, he carried himself in this
regal fashion.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I mean he was always.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Dressed, immaculately, hair never out of place. I can remember
the All Star Game in Cleveland twenty twenty two when
the NBA that was the All Star weekend, when the
NBA announced its seventy five team, the seventy five greatest
players in league history, and I was staying in the
(09:02):
same hotel as a lot of the NBA alumni, the
older players who were going to be celebrated as part
of this. I can still see Jerry walking into that
hotel lobby and just everything stopped. I mean, he was
just absolutely magnetic. And you know, again just we're talking
about one of the giants, giants of.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
The game, and.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Like I said, I'm kind of a scattered mess this morning,
because you know I was. I really feel fortunate that
when I broke into the league in the nineties, first
I was a Clippers beat writer for two years, and
then I was a Lakers beat writer for two years.
So I didn't get to see Algin Baylor play and
I didn't get to see Jerry West play. And in
those days, I've told this story that when I started
(09:52):
in the nineties, just even getting highlights of those guys
was so hard. The history of the game in the fifties, sixties,
the seventies, it.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Wasn't preserved well.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
So I remember when I got on the Clipper beat,
I said, do you guys have.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Any footage of Elgin Baylor?
Speaker 3 (10:08):
And the Clippers actually called the league and asked the
league to put together an Elgin Baylor highlight reel. Just
so I could see it, just so I could get
a better feel for it. So to cover Elgin as
the Clippers GM, and then to cover Jerry as the
Lakers GM. In my first few years covering the league,
I mean, it was it was really an education. And look,
(10:32):
I think you probably remember this when the HBO series
Winning Time came out.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
I know you remember this, and I was certainly not alone.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
A lot of us really were bothered by the portrayal
of Jerry West because, yes, in private, he certainly had
a temper and would certainly erupt on you on occasion.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
And I think.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Every Beat writer who covered the Lakers has that kind
of story. But they portrayed West as violently angry in public,
and it was just like in public, Jerry West was
again like royalty walking into a room. He wasn't like that,
you He would never show that side in public. And
(11:20):
the other thing that just bothered me so much about it,
Jerry West was such a decisive executive and he made decisions.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Hard decisions.
Speaker 5 (11:32):
You know.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Again, my first experience writing about the NBA was writing
about the Lakers drafting Vlade Devots in nineteen eighty nine,
and you know, Jerry was the one in that Laker
front office. He was obviously the lead decision maker, but
that was his call. The other voices in the Lakers
organization were not saying, let's draft Vlade Devots from Europe,
(11:54):
a player none of us have really seen. But that
was Jerry's call. Jerry had the gumption to do it,
and those were the kind of moves that he made.
And just I just remember when the HBO show came out,
so many people were so upset by the way West
was portrayed, because you know, he was not this rage
(12:15):
aholic in public.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
You know, he still.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Moved as just gracefully as he did as a player.
And so, like I said, I can go on and
on and on, I have to say that, like I'm
I'm going to try to gather my thoughts here. You know,
we've got this finals game tonight and the series is
in my city. But you know, I am definitely going
to when I can step back and write a more
(12:40):
polished tribute to Jerry, because, like I said, I've been
doing this for more than thirty seasons myself, and in
all that time, there is literally no one I more
looked forward to speaking with than Jerry West. A conversation
with him. Was that absorbing and entertaining.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
You know, you brought up that that All Star weekend
a few years ago. What was it Cleveland? I believe
it was in Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Yeah, Cleveland was the Yeah, All NBA seventy five All NBA.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
So I was the couple of things. I was one
of the lone reporters that had access that the NBA
gave access to be in the backstage.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Which I am extremely jealous of extra. I mean, don't
get me started on that Stein.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
That was a That was an experience, man, that was
an experience that It was actually the first time I
was in the same room with Michael Jordan.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
I was I've never met Michael Jordan until that day.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
And just being around those guys seventy five, being around
the legends, and you know, Dame made the team as well,
you know, you know, so that was just a cool
experience to be around all those iconic figures. But that
All Star weekend was the last time that I had
an extended conversation with Jerry West.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
Do you remember Stein? We did T and T. It
was pretty cool too.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
We did a it was like a draft drafting of
the top seventy five players.
Speaker 5 (14:21):
It was only the top seventy five players, and.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
They were there were teams as symbol like it was
a team of Chuck the inside.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
The Yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
It was me and Shams on teams together. It was
Dominique Wilkins had had a team.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
It was a draft. We all picked.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
You got the GM with Jerry West.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Yeah, that was but the thing he stole the show.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
So I would encourage people to go go back and
check out that show redrafting of the top seventy five players.
And what I mean by Jerry West still in the show,
he had all these iconic stories. You know, he talked
about rating for Kobe Bryant, you know, getting the rights
to trade for Kobe Bryant, and what went into that
(15:07):
Magic Johnson, the stories he had about Magic Johnson, Like
he was the star of the show, which is very
hard to do when the show cast consists of Charles Barkley.
Speaker 5 (15:19):
Jerry West stole the show. He was the star of
that show. So please y'all go check that out. Man.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Jerry dropped some legendary gems. He was just he was
just himself, man. So that was a great time. That
was actually the last time that again, I was able
to have a conversation with him extensively, and so I
appreciate being able to have that.
Speaker 5 (15:42):
Moment with him.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I know that as soon as I get the chance,
I'm going to take a step back, as I said,
and put together a proper written tribute to the man.
But you know, again, I was so looking forward to tonight.
This is the first Finals game in Dallas since twenty eleven.
(16:04):
I didn't get to cover the first two games of
the series in Boston, and you just got here and
I was so psyched to see you later tonight and
cover this game. But honestly, now I'm really thinking of
what is it going to be like when the NBA
does that moment of silence tonight, and I just this
(16:26):
just I had similar feelings. I was away in London
when Bill Walton passed away, and that was the first
thing I thought of when I knew I was going
to miss the next game. I really wanted to be
in the arena for that moment. It's both I want
to be in the arena for the moment, but I'm
(16:46):
also a little bit afraid about losing my composure on
press row because again for me, personally. I don't want
to make this about me, but it's I think it's
hard when we lose figures like this, just legends of
the game. It's hard not to think about what they
meant to you personally and how your interactions were with them.
(17:10):
And I've always said, like, I just feel so lucky
having to be able to do this for the past
three decades that I didn't get to see Bill Walton
at his best, I didn't get to see Jerry West
at his playing best, but to get the chance to
cover them for so long in their post playing careers,
and obviously Bill Walton had such an impact as a broadcaster.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
And look, Jerry West.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I've always said this, and you could fill the debate
shows for hours with this one, but Jerry West might
be the greatest Laker we've ever seen. And that's a
big thing to say when you're talking about a franchise
that featured Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neil
(17:55):
and Wilt Chamberlain for a spell and all the Laker
greats that we can go.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
On on and on and on about.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
But Jerry did it as both a player and as
an executive and he only won the one championship as
a player because he and Algend Baylor, another Lakers legend,
they had to deal with the buzz saw that was
the Bill Russell Celtics. But for Jerry, he tried coaching
but found his calling as a front office person and
(18:25):
the championship teams he built as an executive. And again
nineteen ninety six, a much younger and much skinnier Mark
Stein Laker beat writer in the press conference and they
work the draft day trade to get Kobe Bryant. A
(18:45):
few weeks later, they complete the signing of Shaquille O'Neil
away from the Orlando Magic. I don't know that any
front office executive in any sport is ever going to
have a better offseason than when Jerry West was able
to bring both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neil to Lakerland.
(19:06):
So it certainly gives him a claim in the argument
to greatest Laker of all time. It's going to be
Magic for a lot of Laker fans. It's going to
be Kobe for a lot of Laker fans, younger Laker fans.
But I mean, Jerry West was and enduring force of
(19:31):
nature before you or I were even born. Man, we
had all kinds of plans for this podcast previewing Game four.
I know people want to talk about the Lakers coaching search.
I am admittedly struggling to think about anything else right now.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I'm just being honest with you.
Speaker 5 (19:49):
Yes, it's a tough time, you know.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
I'm looking at the statements that are being released by
several teams and individuals. You know, Adam Silver, the commissioner
in released the statement as well.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Did you see what Michael Jordan said.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
I'm gonna reader Stein quote.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
I am so deeply satin at the news of Jerry's passing.
He was truly a friend and mentor, like an older
brother to me. I valued his friendship and knowledge. I
always wish I could have played against him as a competitor,
but the more I came to know him, I wish
I had been a teammate. I admired his basketball insights,
(20:29):
and he and I shared many similarities to how we
approach the game. He will be forever missed. My condolences
to his wife, Karen and his sons. Rest in peace logo. Yeah,
that speaks volumes right there.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
When Michael Jordan offers that level of praise, I think
that tells you.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
Yes, it speaks volumes, you know.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Like I said, we're getting figures like Michael Jordan, Adam
Silver issuing statements, teams issuing statements. The Lakers, who we know,
you know, he had it ended up having a strained
relationship with that organization. They have yet to issue a statement,
but they did tweet honoring the legendary Jerry West and
(21:15):
just put a picture of him with the the year
was born and the year he passed. So be interested
to see what they do moving forward, because we know
they you know, it was kind of a rocky road
towards the end for those two.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
You mentioned that strained relationship with the Lakers, and there's
no question that in recent years there was a complete
breakdown in Jerry's relationship with the Lakers, which is just
so difficult to process still because he's meant so much
to that franchise. But obviously he was a consultant and
(21:57):
part of a championship brain trust in Golden State. Steve
Balmer went all out to bring Jerry to the Clippers,
and the Clippers obviously have not won a championship to
match Golden State, but Balmer brought Jerry into the Clippers'
front office in hopes that his wisdom and experience could
(22:18):
help them finally break through and win it all. In
twenty eighteen, I was assigned to write a long piece
on Jerry for the New York Times, and that was
at the end or approaching the end of his first
season with the Clippers, And that was a story that
meant a lot to me to go to La and
(22:38):
spend some time with him and chronicle that move to
the Clippers. But there's so much we could and should
and thought we'd be talking about in this podcast today.
Obviously the Finals, the Celtics are up two to zero,
the series shifts now to Dallas. We're not sure if
Christaps Porzingis is going to play in this Game three,
(23:00):
so a huge game in.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
The series tonight.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
And obviously the Lakers coaching search and their inability to
convince Dan Hurley to leave Yukon. There is so much
we could be talking about on those fronts. But on
the Finals front, we're so close to Game three game
time now, we're gonna come back tomorrow or Friday with
(23:23):
a podcast before Game four. That just makes more sense,
I think for us to be able to react to
where the series is instead of saying a bunch of
stuff now that might be invalidated by what happens in
this game three and depending on whether porzingis played. And again,
I know there's great interest in the state of the
Lakers coaching search, and we will get into all that
(23:44):
next time, because it just I gotta be honest, man,
it just doesn't feel right to try to pay tribute
to the logo a legend, a player, coach executive of
Jerry west stature, and then to transition to the coaching
search that his former franchise is going to.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
That's all over the map right now.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
So I think those topics we can get back to
them in the next pod. They'll still obviously both the
finals and the Lakers coaching search will be ongoing, and
we can get into those then. But I hope you
guys can understand to me, and I think, Chris, I
hope you agree with me.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
I think you agree with me.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
It just doesn't feel doesn't feel easy to transition into
strict basketball matters right now.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Yeah, there's a time and place, and right now I
think the time is for us to mourn the loss
and remember and give our proper tributes and condolencence to
the family.
Speaker 5 (24:46):
Of Jeri West.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Absolutely well said condolences to Karen, to everyone in the family.
We both know, Johnny and Ryan, both executives in today's NBA.
Just hurting for everyone who knew and loved Jerry West
and for basketball fans everywhere because what he meant to
(25:10):
this league. There are just few individuals who have contributed
as much to this game, to this sport, to this
league as the one and only Jerry West.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Everyone.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Thanks a mil for joining us on this. I know
it turned out to be a very melancholy edition of
this League Uncut.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Appreciate your understanding. I hope you.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Enjoyed with us though, reminiscing in some of the stories
we've told about Jerry West because he was such an
iconic figure in this game. Chris and I, as I said,
we are in the same city for the next two
games the next few nights, so we will be back
together again very soon here on this league uncut to
(25:55):
get into everything going on in the series, update you
on this crazy Lakers coaching search. We will do all
of that next time. Thanks again for listening. We will
be back with you very very soon
Welcome to this League Uncut in the rule of twenty
four hour NBA News.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
This's you, Chris Haynes.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
It's time, works time, It's so time you cut. This
League Uncut is underway tend on five. This should be
a good one.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Everyone, welcome in, Welcome back to the NBA Finals and
a new edition of this League Uncut. It is June twelfth,
It is the morning of Game three of these NBA Finals.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
And just have to be upfront with you from the jump.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
This was We thought this would be a very joyous
occasion because Chris Haynes and I were in the same city, which,
as you guys know, those of you who listen to
this show regularly, you know that it is rare when
Chris and I actually get to be together to hang
out to cover a game together. And we will do
(01:06):
that later tonight. But this is a very sad day
in the NBA. There is no way to get around that.
Early this morning, we got the news from the Clippers.
Jerry West, the one and only Jerry West, the logo
who has been working as a Clippers consultant for the
(01:28):
past several seasons. The Clippers announced that at the age
of eighty six. Jerry West passed away earlier today, peacefully
with wife Karen at his side. But we are talking
about one of the absolute giants of this game for
decades and decades and decades, long before Chris or I
(01:52):
started covering this league. And I can honestly say I
covered Jerry West as a Lakers beat writer. I was
there when, in the same summer he was able to
draft Kobe Bryant and sign Shaquille O'Neill just weeks later
(02:16):
what is probably still regarded as the greatest off season
an NBA executive, and maybe any sports team executive has
ever had to be able to make those two moves
in such a short span. And so I've been covering
him for a long time. I know, Chris, you got
(02:36):
to cover him when you were embedded with the Warriors
and Jerry was a Warriors executive.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
But I mean, I can just tell you.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
There's nobody in the league who I looked forward to
speaking to more than Jerry West, especially as he got older.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
The care factor, the.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Competitiveness, the intensity as he got older, the candor. I mean,
I could go on and on and on, but just
getting to speak to him and unfiltered Jerry West was
a true treat And you know, we're doing this pod
about two hours later than we thought we would because
(03:23):
I frankly needed some time to try to figure out
what to say, because obviously Jerry was in his eighties,
he was in ill health. But nothing prepares you for
the loss of a legend like this. And Bill Walton
just passed away a couple of weeks ago, and now
we lose Jerry West, and it is it's just.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Tremendously sad.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
No, indeed, it is, you know, and rest in peace
to Jerry West, and give our condoless to family and friends,
close friends of Jerry.
Speaker 5 (04:00):
He was a.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
He was an incredible individual. I enjoyed my time being
around him. As you mentioned Steinwn covering the warriors. And
you know, Star I grew up. I grew up around
a lot of senior citizens. I had them in my
family and my churches. And you know, you have some
youngsters who despise listening to the old stories from from
(04:26):
your elder statesman, and I was the opposite.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
Always. I always like hearing the stories.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
I like hearing how life seems so simple back in
the day, you know, just to have the way they
used to navigate this a life that was viewed and
told as so much more simple than what we live
in the modern era. And so I've always enjoyed, you know,
hearing stories from the elders. Jerry West was definitely somebody
(04:55):
that I always gravitated towards, because once you got to
spend some time with him, once gave you time, you
didn't know what he was going to say, and you
didn't know how he was going to say it. You know,
you you talked about Jerry West being candid, you know,
you know, I think we all when you get a
certain age, you start speaking speaking more of your mind,
(05:16):
like you.
Speaker 5 (05:16):
Give less fucks. And that was definitely Jerry. And the more.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Accomplished life you have, the more experiences you have in life,
the more interactions you have with a different group of people,
that tends to lend to having more stories and just
having these incredible, incredible times in these periods in which
you can tell And that was Jerry. And there were
(05:47):
times I find myself talking to him seeking information, you know,
seeking information on the Warriors or the NBA or whatever,
and next thing, you know, you didn't spend thirty minutes.
He's talking about the old locker room and you know,
being pissed at winning one championship.
Speaker 5 (06:04):
And all he had to go through. The It was
just man, he was just incredible.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
Man. I'm going to miss those conversations. He's definitely one
of the pillars of the NBA. He's the logo for
a reason. Eight championships as an executive one, as a player,
very much accomplished basketball executive ranks.
Speaker 5 (06:32):
Just a cool, polarizing person.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Man, And I'm going to miss those conversations for sure.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yeah, and look, he stopped playing shortly before I can
really say that I became an NBA fan, So I.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
Didn't get to see him play.
Speaker 3 (06:51):
Only I've watched highlights and you know, seen lots of clips.
But I mean, he he was. He just did everything.
He was a textbook player. He was a two way player.
People didn't talk enough about what a rugged and effective
defender he was. But shooting the ball, dribbling the ball,
I mean, he just did it in absolute textbook fashion.
(07:16):
But I did get to cover Jerry the executive very
very closely.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
And look we are talking about.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
He was openly anguished and tormented his whole life. He
did a book in twenty eleven with Jonathan Coleman, and
the book is called West by West My Charmed Tormented Life.
I mean this is someone he was tightly wound, tortured perfectionist.
(07:44):
He openly said that it was really hard for him
to find satisfaction, but that just kept driving him.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
He was just never satisfied.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
And as an executive he won everything as an executive
that eluded him as a players said he only won
one championship as a player, made the finals nine times,
lost eight and that after a very difficult childhood upbringing.
I mean that shaped him in ways that he would
say he couldn't even control. He was very open about
(08:18):
depression and his demons, but just the Jerry I knew,
like he was just so driven to win.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Nothing was enough. But I would also.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Say in public, you know, he carried himself in this
regal fashion.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
I mean he was always.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Dressed, immaculately, hair never out of place. I can remember
the All Star Game in Cleveland twenty twenty two when
the NBA that was the All Star weekend, when the
NBA announced its seventy five team, the seventy five greatest
players in league history, and I was staying in the
(09:02):
same hotel as a lot of the NBA alumni, the
older players who were going to be celebrated as part
of this. I can still see Jerry walking into that
hotel lobby and just everything stopped. I mean, he was
just absolutely magnetic. And you know, again just we're talking
about one of the giants, giants of.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
The game, and.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Like I said, I'm kind of a scattered mess this morning,
because you know I was. I really feel fortunate that
when I broke into the league in the nineties, first
I was a Clippers beat writer for two years, and
then I was a Lakers beat writer for two years.
So I didn't get to see Algin Baylor play and
I didn't get to see Jerry West play. And in
those days, I've told this story that when I started
(09:52):
in the nineties, just even getting highlights of those guys
was so hard. The history of the game in the fifties, sixties,
the seventies, it.
Speaker 2 (10:01):
Wasn't preserved well.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
So I remember when I got on the Clipper beat,
I said, do you guys have.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Any footage of Elgin Baylor?
Speaker 3 (10:08):
And the Clippers actually called the league and asked the
league to put together an Elgin Baylor highlight reel. Just
so I could see it, just so I could get
a better feel for it. So to cover Elgin as
the Clippers GM, and then to cover Jerry as the
Lakers GM. In my first few years covering the league,
I mean, it was it was really an education. And look,
(10:32):
I think you probably remember this when the HBO series
Winning Time came out.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
I know you remember this, and I was certainly not alone.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
A lot of us really were bothered by the portrayal
of Jerry West because, yes, in private, he certainly had
a temper and would certainly erupt on you on occasion.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
And I think.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Every Beat writer who covered the Lakers has that kind
of story. But they portrayed West as violently angry in public,
and it was just like in public, Jerry West was
again like royalty walking into a room. He wasn't like that,
you He would never show that side in public. And
(11:20):
the other thing that just bothered me so much about it,
Jerry West was such a decisive executive and he made decisions.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Hard decisions.
Speaker 5 (11:32):
You know.
Speaker 3 (11:32):
Again, my first experience writing about the NBA was writing
about the Lakers drafting Vlade Devots in nineteen eighty nine,
and you know, Jerry was the one in that Laker
front office. He was obviously the lead decision maker, but
that was his call. The other voices in the Lakers
organization were not saying, let's draft Vlade Devots from Europe,
(11:54):
a player none of us have really seen. But that
was Jerry's call. Jerry had the gumption to do it,
and those were the kind of moves that he made.
And just I just remember when the HBO show came out,
so many people were so upset by the way West
was portrayed, because you know, he was not this rage
(12:15):
aholic in public.
Speaker 2 (12:17):
You know, he still.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Moved as just gracefully as he did as a player.
And so, like I said, I can go on and
on and on, I have to say that, like I'm
I'm going to try to gather my thoughts here. You know,
we've got this finals game tonight and the series is
in my city. But you know, I am definitely going
to when I can step back and write a more
(12:40):
polished tribute to Jerry, because, like I said, I've been
doing this for more than thirty seasons myself, and in
all that time, there is literally no one I more
looked forward to speaking with than Jerry West. A conversation
with him. Was that absorbing and entertaining.
Speaker 4 (13:03):
You know, you brought up that that All Star weekend
a few years ago. What was it Cleveland? I believe
it was in Cleveland.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Yeah, Cleveland was the Yeah, All NBA seventy five All NBA.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
So I was the couple of things. I was one
of the lone reporters that had access that the NBA
gave access to be in the backstage.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Which I am extremely jealous of extra. I mean, don't
get me started on that Stein.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
That was a That was an experience, man, that was
an experience that It was actually the first time I
was in the same room with Michael Jordan.
Speaker 5 (13:42):
I was I've never met Michael Jordan until that day.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
And just being around those guys seventy five, being around
the legends, and you know, Dame made the team as well,
you know, you know, so that was just a cool
experience to be around all those iconic figures. But that
All Star weekend was the last time that I had
an extended conversation with Jerry West.
Speaker 5 (14:09):
Do you remember Stein? We did T and T. It
was pretty cool too.
Speaker 4 (14:13):
We did a it was like a draft drafting of
the top seventy five players.
Speaker 5 (14:21):
It was only the top seventy five players, and.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
They were there were teams as symbol like it was
a team of Chuck the inside.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
The Yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
It was me and Shams on teams together. It was
Dominique Wilkins had had a team.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
It was a draft. We all picked.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
You got the GM with Jerry West.
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Yeah, that was but the thing he stole the show.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
So I would encourage people to go go back and
check out that show redrafting of the top seventy five players.
And what I mean by Jerry West still in the show,
he had all these iconic stories. You know, he talked
about rating for Kobe Bryant, you know, getting the rights
to trade for Kobe Bryant, and what went into that
(15:07):
Magic Johnson, the stories he had about Magic Johnson, Like
he was the star of the show, which is very
hard to do when the show cast consists of Charles Barkley.
Speaker 5 (15:19):
Jerry West stole the show. He was the star of
that show. So please y'all go check that out. Man.
Speaker 4 (15:26):
Jerry dropped some legendary gems. He was just he was
just himself, man. So that was a great time. That
was actually the last time that again, I was able
to have a conversation with him extensively, and so I
appreciate being able to have that.
Speaker 5 (15:42):
Moment with him.
Speaker 3 (15:43):
I know that as soon as I get the chance,
I'm going to take a step back, as I said,
and put together a proper written tribute to the man.
But you know, again, I was so looking forward to tonight.
This is the first Finals game in Dallas since twenty eleven.
(16:04):
I didn't get to cover the first two games of
the series in Boston, and you just got here and
I was so psyched to see you later tonight and
cover this game. But honestly, now I'm really thinking of
what is it going to be like when the NBA
does that moment of silence tonight, and I just this
(16:26):
just I had similar feelings. I was away in London
when Bill Walton passed away, and that was the first
thing I thought of when I knew I was going
to miss the next game. I really wanted to be
in the arena for that moment. It's both I want
to be in the arena for the moment, but I'm
(16:46):
also a little bit afraid about losing my composure on
press row because again for me, personally. I don't want
to make this about me, but it's I think it's
hard when we lose figures like this, just legends of
the game. It's hard not to think about what they
meant to you personally and how your interactions were with them.
(17:10):
And I've always said, like, I just feel so lucky
having to be able to do this for the past
three decades that I didn't get to see Bill Walton
at his best, I didn't get to see Jerry West
at his playing best, but to get the chance to
cover them for so long in their post playing careers,
and obviously Bill Walton had such an impact as a broadcaster.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
And look, Jerry West.
Speaker 3 (17:35):
I've always said this, and you could fill the debate
shows for hours with this one, but Jerry West might
be the greatest Laker we've ever seen. And that's a
big thing to say when you're talking about a franchise
that featured Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neil
(17:55):
and Wilt Chamberlain for a spell and all the Laker
greats that we can go.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
On on and on and on about.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
But Jerry did it as both a player and as
an executive and he only won the one championship as
a player because he and Algend Baylor, another Lakers legend,
they had to deal with the buzz saw that was
the Bill Russell Celtics. But for Jerry, he tried coaching
but found his calling as a front office person and
(18:25):
the championship teams he built as an executive. And again
nineteen ninety six, a much younger and much skinnier Mark
Stein Laker beat writer in the press conference and they
work the draft day trade to get Kobe Bryant. A
(18:45):
few weeks later, they complete the signing of Shaquille O'Neil
away from the Orlando Magic. I don't know that any
front office executive in any sport is ever going to
have a better offseason than when Jerry West was able
to bring both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neil to Lakerland.
(19:06):
So it certainly gives him a claim in the argument
to greatest Laker of all time. It's going to be
Magic for a lot of Laker fans. It's going to
be Kobe for a lot of Laker fans, younger Laker fans.
But I mean, Jerry West was and enduring force of
(19:31):
nature before you or I were even born. Man, we
had all kinds of plans for this podcast previewing Game four.
I know people want to talk about the Lakers coaching search.
I am admittedly struggling to think about anything else right now.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
I'm just being honest with you.
Speaker 5 (19:49):
Yes, it's a tough time, you know.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
I'm looking at the statements that are being released by
several teams and individuals. You know, Adam Silver, the commissioner
in released the statement as well.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Did you see what Michael Jordan said.
Speaker 5 (20:04):
I'm gonna reader Stein quote.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
I am so deeply satin at the news of Jerry's passing.
He was truly a friend and mentor, like an older
brother to me. I valued his friendship and knowledge. I
always wish I could have played against him as a competitor,
but the more I came to know him, I wish
I had been a teammate. I admired his basketball insights,
(20:29):
and he and I shared many similarities to how we
approach the game. He will be forever missed. My condolences
to his wife, Karen and his sons. Rest in peace logo. Yeah,
that speaks volumes right there.
Speaker 3 (20:43):
When Michael Jordan offers that level of praise, I think
that tells you.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
Yes, it speaks volumes, you know.
Speaker 4 (20:51):
Like I said, we're getting figures like Michael Jordan, Adam
Silver issuing statements, teams issuing statements. The Lakers, who we know,
you know, he had it ended up having a strained
relationship with that organization. They have yet to issue a statement,
but they did tweet honoring the legendary Jerry West and
(21:15):
just put a picture of him with the the year
was born and the year he passed. So be interested
to see what they do moving forward, because we know
they you know, it was kind of a rocky road
towards the end for those two.
Speaker 3 (21:33):
You mentioned that strained relationship with the Lakers, and there's
no question that in recent years there was a complete
breakdown in Jerry's relationship with the Lakers, which is just
so difficult to process still because he's meant so much
to that franchise. But obviously he was a consultant and
(21:57):
part of a championship brain trust in Golden State. Steve
Balmer went all out to bring Jerry to the Clippers,
and the Clippers obviously have not won a championship to
match Golden State, but Balmer brought Jerry into the Clippers'
front office in hopes that his wisdom and experience could
(22:18):
help them finally break through and win it all. In
twenty eighteen, I was assigned to write a long piece
on Jerry for the New York Times, and that was
at the end or approaching the end of his first
season with the Clippers, And that was a story that
meant a lot to me to go to La and
(22:38):
spend some time with him and chronicle that move to
the Clippers. But there's so much we could and should
and thought we'd be talking about in this podcast today.
Obviously the Finals, the Celtics are up two to zero,
the series shifts now to Dallas. We're not sure if
Christaps Porzingis is going to play in this Game three,
(23:00):
so a huge game in.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
The series tonight.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
And obviously the Lakers coaching search and their inability to
convince Dan Hurley to leave Yukon. There is so much
we could be talking about on those fronts. But on
the Finals front, we're so close to Game three game
time now, we're gonna come back tomorrow or Friday with
(23:23):
a podcast before Game four. That just makes more sense,
I think for us to be able to react to
where the series is instead of saying a bunch of
stuff now that might be invalidated by what happens in
this game three and depending on whether porzingis played. And again,
I know there's great interest in the state of the
Lakers coaching search, and we will get into all that
(23:44):
next time, because it just I gotta be honest, man,
it just doesn't feel right to try to pay tribute
to the logo a legend, a player, coach executive of
Jerry west stature, and then to transition to the coaching
search that his former franchise is going to.
Speaker 2 (24:06):
That's all over the map right now.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
So I think those topics we can get back to
them in the next pod. They'll still obviously both the
finals and the Lakers coaching search will be ongoing, and
we can get into those then. But I hope you
guys can understand to me, and I think, Chris, I
hope you agree with me.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
I think you agree with me.
Speaker 3 (24:25):
It just doesn't feel doesn't feel easy to transition into
strict basketball matters right now.
Speaker 4 (24:33):
Yeah, there's a time and place, and right now I
think the time is for us to mourn the loss
and remember and give our proper tributes and condolencence to
the family.
Speaker 5 (24:46):
Of Jeri West.
Speaker 3 (24:48):
Absolutely well said condolences to Karen, to everyone in the family.
We both know, Johnny and Ryan, both executives in today's NBA.
Just hurting for everyone who knew and loved Jerry West
and for basketball fans everywhere because what he meant to
(25:10):
this league. There are just few individuals who have contributed
as much to this game, to this sport, to this
league as the one and only Jerry West.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Everyone.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
Thanks a mil for joining us on this. I know
it turned out to be a very melancholy edition of
this League Uncut.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
Appreciate your understanding. I hope you.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Enjoyed with us though, reminiscing in some of the stories
we've told about Jerry West because he was such an
iconic figure in this game. Chris and I, as I said,
we are in the same city for the next two
games the next few nights, so we will be back
together again very soon here on this league uncut to
(25:55):
get into everything going on in the series, update you
on this crazy Lakers coaching search. We will do all
of that next time. Thanks again for listening. We will
be back with you very very soon
Hosts And Creators
Chris Haynes
Marc Stein
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