Following Jerry West’s demise, more and more information is coming out about his split with the Lakers. The Legend turned his back on the Lakers after questionable decisions by the franchise in 2000, and since then, he never looked back at the institution he used to be a pivotal part of. Many reasons have been speculated over the years, and now another reason has come to light that involves current Lakers’ supremo Jeanie Buss.
According to Ethan Strauss, Jerry West’s rift with Jeanie was the final nail in the coffin of the once much-maligned relationship. “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-Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson. Phil won that particular battle, and ultimately the power struggle with West,” the insider wrote.
Jeanie started dating Phil Jackson in 1999. Jerry West was critical of the relationship because it mixed business with personal life. After Jerry Buss’s passing, Jeanie became the controlling force of the Lakers, which led to West’s freezing out.
Jeanie was in a relationship with Jackson till 2016 and was engaged to the legendary coach for 4 years. Former Lakers trainer Gary Vitti recently opened up about the franchise’s behavior towards West and deemed them “hurtful.” After Strauss’ report appeared, the Lakers fans took to social media and called out Jeanie Buss’ reported decision-making.
Social Media Calls Out Jeanie Buss Over Jerry West Decision
The Lakers’ front office’s decision-making has been scrutinized for a while now. Apart from winning the NBA In-Season tournament, there’s not much to show for the Gold and Purple. The Lakers’ recent underwhelming playoff performance also caused considerable fan discontent. The news of Jerry West’s unceremonious snubbing added fuel to the flames, as the fans expressed their foul views on Jeanie Buss.
An X (formerly known as Twitter) user commented, “Jerry West was right, you don’t mix business and relationships. Jeanie is a horn dog and she will never run a business as great as her father did. She shoulda just stuck with play boy and make a career from that. Lakers downfall will always start with Jeanie.”
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Another one added, “Smh get Jeanie buss outta here.”
“Anddddd time has showed Jerry West was indeed correct…” wrote a fan.
A far-from-happy X user commented, “Imagine blackballing a Laker Legend from being part of the organization because you can’t keep things professional. Your father would’ve been disgusted.”
“Probably shouldn’t be dating the teams head coach when you’re an owner of the franchise… That’s pretty insane,” a fan wrote about Jeanie Buss.
After months of speculation, the Lakers front office finally decided on the vacant HC seat by giving former Magic guard JJ Redick the opportunity. Only time will tell how the decision shapes the franchise’s future, as the decision regarding West was disastrous, to say the least.
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