Jerry Buss empowered West One of West's defining qualities is his resilience. After all, this was a man who had lost in the NBA Finals eight times before finally winning one in 1972.

"Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA's success. It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings.

"You have to start with Kareem and Kobe and LeBron" - When Jeanie Buss crowned her top-five most influential Lakers originally appeared on Basketball Network.

With first Bill Sharman and then Jerry West procuring the talent, and Pat Riley creating his own Hall of Fame case in coaching four of those five ’80s title teams, Showtime wasn’t so much a ...