HBO reminds Jerry West that Winning Time is "not a documentary"

Following basketball legend Jerry West’s legal letter demanding a retraction by HBO due its Lakers series Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty, the company has shared a resolute response on the criticism, stating that the series is “not a documentary.”

“HBO has a long history of producing compelling content drawn from actual facts and events that are fictionalized in part for dramatic purposes,” HBO says in a statement. “Winning Time is not a documentary and has not been presented as such. However, the series and its depictions are based on extensive factual research and reliable sourcing, and HBO stands resolutely behind our talented creators and cast who have brought a dramatization of this epic chapter in basketball history to the screen.”

Well, there you have it. HBO’s not wrong in the slightest, and it’s unlikely any legal challenge would stand. Nonetheless, West is very unhappy with his depiction by actor Jason Clarke, calling it “a deliberately false characterization.”

“You took a happy and super successful Lakers era and turned it into a pulpy soap opera,” West wrote in his letter to HBO. “You depicted the people in a false light, not at all who they are, to garner ratings and make money.”

Former Lakers played Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also voiced his own criticisms of the series and West’s portrayal in a recent blog post.

“[Jerry] has openly discussed his struggle with mental health, especially depression,” Abdul-Jabbar writes. “Instead of exploring his issues with compassion as a way to better understand the man, they turn him into a Wile E. Coyote cartoon to be laughed at. He never broke golf clubs, he didn’t throw his trophy through the window. Sure, those actions make dramatic moments, but they reek of facile exploitation of the man rather than exploration of character.”

Winning Time is currently airing its first season, which wraps up on May 8. The series has been renewed for a second season.