Why Did Jerry West Leave The Lakers? Revisiting NBA Legend’s Controversial Exit During Shaq & Kobe’s Reign

“One disappointing thing is that my relationship with the Lakers is horrible,” Jerry West had stated back in 2022. The Logo’s death yesterday left a big mark on the world of basketball. He was involved with the NBA seemingly forever and most of that time was spent with the famous purple and gold. From winning a ring as a player, becoming the GM during the iconic Showtime era to masterminding the creation of the Kobe-Shaq duo, one cannot think about the Lakers without talking about West’s contributions.

Then how did the situation and relationship get so bad between the Lakers and West that he wished he had not played only for them throughout his career? And why did he leave the franchise during Shaq and Kobe’s reign? 

Jerry West left the Lakers in 2002

Considering West’s successful run winning 6 titles as an executive and, most importantly, 4 decades with the franchise, his move to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002 was quite a surprising one. The reason behind West’s sudden decision was always said to be his desire to take up new challenges in a new environment. He wanted to build a team from the ground up and make an even bigger impact. However, his decision to become leave the Lakers was highly controversial. 

West had a special relationship with the Lakers, ushering in the ‘Showtime’ era. He was largely responsible for creating the Shaq and Kobe duo. “All Jerry West did was tell the truth. When I was leaving Orlando, he brought me here and told me the truth. I would have a young team and a guy named Kobe. That guy’s going to be good, but in a couple of years, ‘You’re going to have championships.’ It wasn’t no ‘Get you this’ or ‘Get you that.’ Jerry’s not that type of guy,” the Big Aristotle recalled the conversation he had with West in 1996.

Let’s not forget the controversial master plan he hatched to acquire Bryant for the franchise. It was a historic moment for the Lakers with the Kobe and Shaq duo as they won their first championship but that is when West decided to retire and come back in 2002 to revitalize a different team. After leaving the Lakers in 2002, West made a significant impact with the Grizzlies until 2007. In 2011, he joined the Lakers’ rival team, the Golden State Warriors, winning two championships with them in 2015 and 2017. 

The relationship between Jerry West and the Lakers got bitter

While nothing is mentioned on this, there’s a chance that West teaming up with a rival team must have upset the Lakers. The franchise was no longer interested in taking their former veteran back when West expressed his desire to rejoin the Lakers as he neared the end of his career in 2017. As Mr. Clutch believed, his son was also left out of the team for the same reason.

It only kept getting worse with the Lakers revoking West’s season tickets, which were promised to him by the late Dr. Jerry Buss. The 14x NBA All-Star was upset when Jeanie Buss did not include his name while mentioning 5 Lakers greats on All The Smoke Podcast in 2021. West considered it “one of the most offensive things” he’s heard in his life. The 1969 NBA Finals MVP seemed deeply upset by the snub. 

Then, in an interview with The Athletic in 2022, The Logo expressed his regrets about playing for the Lakers, which caused a stir. “One disappointing thing [about my career] is that my relationship with the Lakers is horrible,” West noted. 

He further expressed his wish that he had joined another franchise where he would have received more respect. “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,” West concluded. As per fans, even the eulogy from the Lakers organization for the legend was seemingly a mere PR activity rather than an actual tribute he deserved.

Even if the Los Angeles Lakers‘ relationship with West deteriorated, his value always remained the same to the Lakers veterans. And as O’Neal mentioned in the eulogy, West truly deserves to be The Logo!

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.