Jerry West demands apology, retraction stephen curry jersey icon over Jason Clarke's portrayal in HBO's 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty'
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There have been a number of standout performances in HBO's "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," Adam McKay's retelling of the story of the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980s. Quincy Isaiah, Adrien Brody and John C. Reilly all reinvent themselves.
But few have stood out as much as Jason Clarke. The Australian-born actor has impressed by using a West Virginia drawl and flared bell bottoms to recreate the enigmatic persona of Lakers legend — and NBA logo inspiration — Jerry West.
Clarke's portrayal has drawn the ire of one specific person, though: West himself. The former Lakers executive has demanded a retraction and apology from the "Winning Time" showrunners for what he termed "a baseless and malicious assault," ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reports.
West's legal team sent McKay and the network a letter Tuesday, Shelburne reports. In the letter, West's team claims the show denigrates West's legacy as an executive, instead portrayi ha Tim Duncan waii warriors jersey ng him as an "out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic" who "bears no resemblance to the real man." West's team asks for the retraction to be made not more than two weeks after McKay and the network receive the letter, per Shelburne.
"The portrayal of NBA icon and LA Lakers legend Jerry West in 'Winning Time' is fiction pretending to be fact — a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family," said Skip Miller, stephen curry jersey youth 14-16 a partner at the Miller Barondess, LLP law firm in Los Angeles and an attorney for West golden state warriors jersey mens large .
"Winning Time" paints West as a flawed man, one whose love for his longtime franchise would at times put him at odds with key Lakers staff — namely, the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss. West's lawyers say th Jayson Tatum is portrayal is wholly incorrect.
"Jerry had nothing but love for and harmony with the Lakers organization, and in particular owner Dr. Jerry Buss, during an era in which he assembled one of the greatest teams in NBA history," Miller said.
The series is based on Jeff Pearlman's book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s." West's lawy golden state warriors stephen curry jersey large ers assert that the showrunners acted with "legal malice" by creating scenes that were not a part of Pearlman's book.
"Winning Time" features an ensemble cast, including Sally Field, Jason Segel, Wood Harris and Devaughn Nixon, who plays his father, Norm, in the show. It has become a cultural phenomenon of sorts — according to Variety, Sunday's episode drew 1.4 million viewers, a series high.
Despite the serie nba jerseys for men stephen curry s' popularity, some who are portrayed in the show have expressed Demar Derozan frustration with their depiction. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar slammed the show in a blog post, saying it is "lacking in substance and humor."
Meanwhile, the Lakers, under the stewardship of current owner Jeanie Buss, opted against getting involved in the project, Reilly said in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" last month.
One of the most damning claims the series made is that West did not want Magic Johnson, a claim West's legal team flatly denied. The lawyers instead emphasize that West was enamored with Sidney Moncrief's scoring talent and encouraged the Lakers to scout Moncrief. The final draft decision was left to then-owner Jack Kent Cooke.
"Anyone who watched the show would be left with the false impression that West is incompetent, that he didn't want Magic Johnson. This is a fabrication," the letter says.
"Contrary to the show, the book leaves readers with the true impression of Jerry as a brilliant and thoughtful GM. Your extreme departure from the book shows malice in your false portrayal."
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