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19 February 2010
With apologies to Paul Harvey, author Roland Lazenby offers a new take in his book "Jerry West; The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon.''
It's the West of the story.
Lazenby's offering, set for release Tuesday, received early press for a stunning passage deep into the book concerning the locker room of the Los Angeles Lakers which West, the Cheylan native, oversaw as then-general manager.
"The team's locker room, and its sauna, had been a place where the star and other players had entertained women, even right after games. [Magic] Johnson would retire to the sauna after a game, have sex, then put on a robe and return to the locker room for his postgame media interviews.
Lazenby, in an interview for the book, asked West "how far had the team gone in condoning such questionable behavior?'' His response:
"I cared ... I did things for those guys. It was ridiculous, some of the things I did for those guys. If the public knew, they'd be outraged. It was a pretty crazy period for us.''
The book, however, offers more, especially for West's fans in West Virginia. Much more.
"In a lot of ways, this book is more for West Virginia than Hollywood,'' Lazenby said in an interview this week. "The old story of Magic Johnson and the climate around the Lakers received a lot of attention. But I kind of cringe when I hear that because West's [entire] story is more important.''
