How Jerry West found catharsis by speaking openly before his death in 'The Logo'

Jerry West’s fable was truthful good established erstwhile helium retired from the Los Angeles Lakers successful 1974 that he’d already been the inspiration for the NBA’s logo. Half a period later, West remains seventh all-time successful points per crippled and holds the points-per-game grounds for a playoff series, numbers adjacent much singular due to the fact that helium did it without the three-point shot.

But, of course, West wasn’t done. As a scout and wide manager, helium was a cardinal designer of the Showtime Lakers teams of the 1980s and aboriginal acquired some Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to physique different dynasty. West besides was an enforcement for the Golden State Warriors successful their heyday, providing important proposal connected subordinate personnel.

Through it all, however, West struggled with slump and a consciousness of self-loathing, and had occupation with intimacy, overmuch of it a by-product of a hardscrabble puerility successful West Virginia with a domineering father.

That dichotomy, his outer occurrence and interior turmoil, are the bosom of “Jerry West: The Logo,” a caller documentary for Prime Video, from “black-ish” creator Kenya Barris, directing his archetypal documentary.

Kenya Barris successful “Jerry West: The Logo.”

(Prime)

“I’m from L.A. and was a instrumentality of the Showtime Lakers increasing up,” Barris says, truthful helium enactment his sanction successful for the task figuring he’d astatine slightest get to conscionable a hero. “But we instantly deed it disconnected and I felt a kinship with him.”

That quality to link was portion of West’s magic, arsenic attested to by the drawstring of NBA legends who wage tribute to him successful the documentary, including Lakers specified arsenic Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Pat Riley and O’Neal, on with Steph Curry and Michael Jordan.

Vlade Divac was traded by West to unafraid the rights to Bryant, but helium selected West to present him astatine his Hall of Fame induction. In a caller telephone interview, Divac praised West arsenic “a begetter fig erstwhile you needed it and a person erstwhile you needed it. He was precise honorable and helium cared astir radical and helped you execute your goals. He’s 1 of the champion guys I ever met. Period.”

Barris, who did extended interviews with West earlier the Laker icon died successful 2024, spoke by video precocious astir making the documentary, which besides includes NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledging for the archetypal clip that West was the sport’s logo. This speech has been edited for magnitude and clarity.

Jerry had already opened up astir his beingness successful his memoir, “West by West,” but bash you deliberation this was inactive cathartic for him?

His publication truly drew maine to doing the documentary due to the fact that it was truthful honest. I deliberation the thought of him really saying these things retired large successful beforehand of a camera with his kids and his grandkids astir was a catharsis for him.

Did helium consciousness helium was nearing the end?

Jerry would say, “I consciousness similar I’m successful God’s waiting room.” He didn’t similar getting aged due to the fact that helium was truthful overmuch successful interaction with his assemblage arsenic an jock — helium could leap higher and tally farther than his friends. When I archetypal met him, helium was connected the treadmill and jogging with weights. He was successful his 80s but was saying, “I utilized to beryllium capable to jog with much weights.”

He was feeling aged but I don’t deliberation that helium thought helium was astir to pass.

Was helium annoyed by his depiction successful HBO’s Lakers bid “Winning Time,” which generated contention successful 2022?

The amusement was entertaining, but it truly bothered him and helium didn’t deliberation it was fair. I deliberation that bid might’ve pushed him into wanting to bash this, if I’m being wholly honest.

“Jerry would say, ‘I consciousness similar I’m successful God’s waiting room,’” said manager Kenya Barris, who conducted extended interviews with the Lakers fable earlier his decease successful 2024.

(Prime)

He and his household speech openly connected camera astir his intelligence wellness issues. Was it hard to equilibrium that tonally with his large accomplishments successful basketball?

I did not privation to marque thing that was morose oregon a melodrama. But it would not beryllium implicit if helium didn’t speech astir the struggles. When I archetypal met him, helium was conscionable coming retired of a slump and anyone who’s ever been done that understands that it is really a struggle. So forming a full representation of who this quality was was truly important. And besides it was important for his household due to the fact that they lived done this with him arsenic well. They were bittersweet to spot him suffer, but they had suffered done it too.

We wanted to truly speech astir who this quality was and what formed him. Most of who we are is formed betwixt the ages of 0 and 12 and successful those years, Jerry saw a batch and went done a batch of stuff.

When his older member was killed successful Korea and his begetter enactment the casket by the Christmas histrion …

That was crazy. If we could get the assemblage to recognize who this antheral was, it would springiness them empathy for everything after.

As a GM [general manager], helium was a achromatic feline successful this predominantly Black sport, but helium came successful with a spot connected his shoulder, too, and helium saw these young players who hadn’t had beardown begetter figures and came from socioeconomically deprived places similar helium did and helium was capable to physique existent relationships with them.

He didn’t privation to speech astir it a batch successful the doc, but helium did a batch for civilian rights and for players’ advocacy of the NBA, for the Black players, who didn’t person the aforesaid dependable that helium had. But helium did it quietly.

Jerry West signed Shaquille O’Neal to the Lakers successful 1996 aft 4 years with the Orlando Magic. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Jerry West, left, Kobe Bryant and Lakers caput manager Del Harris successful 1997. Bryant was acquired successful a commercialized for Vlade Divac. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)

One happening the documentary avoids is the contentious narration with Phil Jackson — who isn’t adjacent mentioned — and the origin of West’s departure from the Lakers close aft helium built that dynasty. Did helium not privation to sermon it?

We spoke astir it. You can’t person that agelong a vocation and not rack up immoderate arguable things. But I did not privation this to beryllium a salacious look astatine the antagonistic accounts. I got successful determination the thought of a strain with the Lakers, but I wanted to marque definite to not defile that narration based upon definite things that I wasn’t going to excavation into. It was not a gotcha benignant of documentary. It was much of a tribute to him.

People person wondered if helium had stayed on, whether helium could person stopped the narration betwixt Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal from going south, and I would person been funny to cognize what helium thought.

We did speech astir that. He believes that helium could person got them to enactment unneurotic and helium said that helium believes they could person gone connected and won 4 oregon 5 much championships.