Jerry West once expressed that he wished he had never worked or played for the Lakers. After the logo man, his son Ryan joined the franchise as an executive. But during the last days of Mr. West’s life, neither he nor his son was part of the Lakers. However, even with West’s longstanding involvement, the NBA legend believed he was the reason his son was ultimately forced out of the franchise. Sources close to Ryan suggest that his father might not have been wrong about that.

After all that West contributed to the Lakers, his son Ryan joined the organization as a Director of player personnel executive but left shortly thereafter. Now, as the franchise prepares to honor the late legend with a No. 44 jersey patch, fans are reminded of the rift between West and the team, as well as Ryan’s exit. 

What happened between Ryan West and the Lakers 

In a past interview, the NBA legend expressed deep disappointment with the Lakers. Speaking of his son after a week of Ryan’s exit, Mr. West frustratingly shared, “They let him go because of me.” 

A former longtime Lakers executive shared that Ryan might have had to get the brunt of his father’s feud with the Lakers’ ownership. “It’s like a soap opera. There is fallout, which is hurtful. Ryan, to me, it looks like he paid the price for all this pettiness,” the executive said. However, the official sources suggested that it was a mutual decision due to there being no room for growth. Notably, Ryan’s exit came around the same time that Jerry West joined the Clippers.

Ryan had worked for the franchise for 10 years. After leaving the Lakers, he joined the Detroit Pistons. He was one of the Lakers’ biggest assets, with a remarkable ability to scout top talent. Ivica Zubac, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma, and Svi Mykhailiuk were all part of his Finals draft class.

What made Jerry West unhappy?

His father’s connection with the team ran even deeper. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 14 years, made nine Finals appearances, and won one championship. As an executive, he won eight titles, six of which were with the Lakers. Despite such an extraordinary career, he was upset that Jeanie Buss snubbed him from the list of top 5 All-Time Lakers greats. This got even worse with the Los Angeles Lakers taking his family’s season tickets.

“Those were always Jerry’s seats. (Buss) always wanted to make sure Jerry was taken care of,” a longtime staff of the franchise told ESPN. After bringing Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant to the Lakers, he made history with the team. However, he wasn’t there to enjoy the victory. 

The late legend made history with the Lakers both as a player and an executive. It’s hard to imagine the franchise or the NBA without West’s immense contributions. But that wasn’t the whole story. The feud escalated when he joined the Lakers’ rivals, the Golden State Warriors, where he won two more championships in 2015 and 2017.

During the end of his career, West expressed his desire to return to the Lakers and end his career with the team, but they seemingly did not agree. Mr. West was working for the Clippers at the time. It was heartbreaking when he said “I almost wish that I had never played or worked for them,” to ESPN.

There’s currently not much information on Ryan. However, both West and his son are currently in the spotlight after the Lakers made the decision to honor The Logo.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.