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West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life
He is one of basketball's towering figures: "Mr. Clutch," who mesmerized his opponents and fans. The coach who began the Lakers' resurgence in the 1970s. The general manager who helped bring "Showtime" to Los Angeles, creating a championship-winning force that continues to this day.
Now, for the first time, the legendary Jerry West tells his story-from his tough childhood in West Virginia, to his unbelievable college success at West Virginia University, his 40-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his relationships with NBA legends like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. Unsparing in its self-assessment and honesty, WEST BY WEST is far more than a sports memoir: it is a profound confession and a magnificent inspiration.
Now, for the first time, the legendary Jerry West tells his story-from his tough childhood in West Virginia, to his unbelievable college success at West Virginia University, his 40-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and his relationships with NBA legends like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant. Unsparing in its self-assessment and honesty, WEST BY WEST is far more than a sports memoir: it is a profound confession and a magnificent inspiration.
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First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Jerry West
14 books11 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Jerry West is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. After retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers in 1974, West went on to lead the team-- first as a coach, and then as the general manager. He lives in California and West Virginia.
Jerry West is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. After retiring from the Los Angeles Lakers in 1974, West went on to lead the team-- first as a coach, and then as the general manager. He lives in California and West Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
May 19, 2021
This was an OK autobiography. I was expecting more from the legend but was still decent. In my opinion the story lacked the energy and intrigue to keep me 100% most of the time. It was good but I felt Mr. West was being modest and holding back most of time. For good basketball biographies I've read, I would suggest Pete Maravich: The Authorized Biography of Pistol Pete by Wayne Federman and Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich by Mark Kriegel. Thanks!
June 23, 2024
I initially bought this book after watching Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. I know Jerry hated the way he was portrayed in the show but I personally really enjoyed his character. I’ve always appreciated what Jerry has done for the game. No one has done more for the game than Mr. West, a true class act. He wasn’t just the logo, he was also an ally for black players.
After hearing about his passing, I came right back to this book. He was an introverted boy from West Virginia who was dirt poor, he has been through family abuse, struggled with depression, and through it all, he literally became the logo, which he was uncomfortable with.
He was the third player in league history to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). He was an All-Star every year of his career and led Los Angeles to the NBA Finals nine times, winning his first as a player in 1972.
RIP Mr. Clutch, Zeke From Caibin Creek, Tweety Bird, Mr. Outside, The Wolf..
After hearing about his passing, I came right back to this book. He was an introverted boy from West Virginia who was dirt poor, he has been through family abuse, struggled with depression, and through it all, he literally became the logo, which he was uncomfortable with.
He was the third player in league history to reach 25,000 points (after Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson). He was an All-Star every year of his career and led Los Angeles to the NBA Finals nine times, winning his first as a player in 1972.
RIP Mr. Clutch, Zeke From Caibin Creek, Tweety Bird, Mr. Outside, The Wolf..
January 26, 2012
The only reason I read this book through to the end is because of how iconic Jerry West is. Really, this was not a good book. Poorly written and reads more like a 300 page journal entry.
November 10, 2024
I can’t think of a more appropriate title to describe the life of Jerry West — the logo himself. His accomplishments are second to none. Neither is the pressure he placed on himself and the abusive childhood he overcame. There are so many life lessons embedded in spots. My only disappointment is never having a chance to have met him. Rip to Mr. West.
June 17, 2024
I'd had this book on my shelf for almost a year now, with little motivation to read it - but after the passing of West, I figured it was time to finally tackle this book. Unfortunately it didn't fully lived up to my hopes. West offers a great perspective into his experiences growing up and running the show with the Lakers. I quite enjoyed his "perfect game" and I honestly found his thoughts on the depression that plagued him for so long to be profound. A lot of work went into this, with all the people interviewed, and the books referenced within. But it just didn't fully strike a chord with me, and I think it maybe the co-writer's style of putting this book together. Especially at the start, this book is a jumbled mess, jumping rapidly from subject to subject and from time period to time period. As well, West is a bit too straightforward on how he is rather than letting the writing show you who he is. Multiple times he writes that "I am _____" which is just kinda lazy writing. I think that this book could be a lot better if it had been a bit more linear, the middle chapters specifically talking about his experiences running the Showtime and Shaq and Kobe teams are some of the most focused writing in the book, and they are awesome. Despite this, getting a good insight into an absolute legend of the game through his eyes makes this book worth reading alone. RIP Jerry.
January 25, 2025
Great read! Learned a lot more about “Mr. Clutch” himself, especially his childhood. Slowed read, but been chaotic time when I started it so took even longer! Overall I did enjoy and would recommend to all not just WVU/basketball fans
September 3, 2019
I like how it is meant for his therapy after suffering from depression
May 13, 2024
As a lifelong Lakers fan, I wanted to see if his autobiography changed his (terrible) public image. NOPE. Self-serving 30 pages turned into loop after loop redundancy.
July 30, 2025
Autobiography of 1960s Lakers superstar Jerry West with a focus on his mental health battles and the trauma he survived growing up as a shit-smeared West Virginia hillbilly (my words, not his). I really respect West as an athlete, well-intentioned boomer, and genius basketball mind (even though he did fail to bring my Clippers a championship in his brief time as the team's senior advisor right before he kicked the bucket), but the book ends before West's time engineering the Steph Curry Warriors of the 2010s, which would have been fascinating to read about. Also, West is ultimately a jock and not a poet, so his analysis of his dysfunction is ultimately a little facile. But still required reading for any of my fellow NBA armchair historians.
February 10, 2023
Jerry West is a really cool guy, and this book by the guy who is literally the logo of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is valuable for reasons you might not expect.
Jerry West is, if not chronically then certainly moderately to highly, depressed. He had a rough childhood, growing up poor in West Virginia (still one of the poorest states in the US), having a physically abusive father, and suffering the loss of his brother in the Korean War, a brother who was a hero to him and the family favorite son. By his own admission, West spent most of his life and performed many of his greatest athletic and professional accomplishments in service of making up for the death of his brother and the imagined ways he provoked his father.
The book isn't all personal physiological memoir, but West and his co-writer, Jonathon Coleman, use that context to make West's on-court and executive achievements both more impressive and more human. While basketball nuts and Lakers fans will be familiar with much of the history presented here, West offers valuable insight into his thought process and the pressures he was under, both from the situations as well as his inner demons.
What impressed me to learn about in greater detail is just how knowledgeable West is about the game at an experiential level and how well he balanced that with a sympathetic understanding of how competition affects certain egos and personalities. More than almost anyone, he understands what it's like to be a humble, pained human placed atop a pedestal. While we are in awe when an athlete such as Michael Jordan or LeBron James performs an athletic achievement, mostly because we can't understand how they do what they do; Jerry West does know and yet is still in awe. That he can communicate that makes for a compelling read.
What keeps this book from being a must read for anyone (even those unknowledgeable about West or even basketball) is that it lacks a smooth flow and the airtight cohesiveness of great biography. Especially towards the end, which contains some of the most emotional stories, the chapters feel somewhat tacked on and awkwardly placed, as if they were added late. If that's not the explanation, then perhaps it has something to do with the man himself. Perhaps West didn't want those stories edited down so they could be folded into one another yet also didn't want to say more than he does. As it is, they are like little islands of grief, and perhaps that's apt. If you were to map all of West's little islands of grief, it would likely rival the Malay Archipelago.
Jerry West is, if not chronically then certainly moderately to highly, depressed. He had a rough childhood, growing up poor in West Virginia (still one of the poorest states in the US), having a physically abusive father, and suffering the loss of his brother in the Korean War, a brother who was a hero to him and the family favorite son. By his own admission, West spent most of his life and performed many of his greatest athletic and professional accomplishments in service of making up for the death of his brother and the imagined ways he provoked his father.
The book isn't all personal physiological memoir, but West and his co-writer, Jonathon Coleman, use that context to make West's on-court and executive achievements both more impressive and more human. While basketball nuts and Lakers fans will be familiar with much of the history presented here, West offers valuable insight into his thought process and the pressures he was under, both from the situations as well as his inner demons.
What impressed me to learn about in greater detail is just how knowledgeable West is about the game at an experiential level and how well he balanced that with a sympathetic understanding of how competition affects certain egos and personalities. More than almost anyone, he understands what it's like to be a humble, pained human placed atop a pedestal. While we are in awe when an athlete such as Michael Jordan or LeBron James performs an athletic achievement, mostly because we can't understand how they do what they do; Jerry West does know and yet is still in awe. That he can communicate that makes for a compelling read.
What keeps this book from being a must read for anyone (even those unknowledgeable about West or even basketball) is that it lacks a smooth flow and the airtight cohesiveness of great biography. Especially towards the end, which contains some of the most emotional stories, the chapters feel somewhat tacked on and awkwardly placed, as if they were added late. If that's not the explanation, then perhaps it has something to do with the man himself. Perhaps West didn't want those stories edited down so they could be folded into one another yet also didn't want to say more than he does. As it is, they are like little islands of grief, and perhaps that's apt. If you were to map all of West's little islands of grief, it would likely rival the Malay Archipelago.
February 6, 2012
Jerry West was a basketball legend...one of the greatest. It's a shame that he had to tarnish that legend with this self-serving, poor-little-millionaire memoir. I suppose it was cathartic for him to participate in the creation of the book (with the help of the talented Jon Coleman) but reading it made me feel more like Jetty's shrink than one of his readers.
Drive your Ferrari out to the country club and tell you golfing pals what a rough deal life dealt you, Mr. West, 'cause your whining fell on deaf ears here.
Drive your Ferrari out to the country club and tell you golfing pals what a rough deal life dealt you, Mr. West, 'cause your whining fell on deaf ears here.
January 25, 2015
It was interesting to learn more about West's remarkable career, which was before my time. As a memoir, though, this seemed disorganized and disjointed. West (and his ghostwriter) was allowed to describe himself rather than revealing his personality in the course of telling his story. Unfortunately, it became hard for me to trust this flawed character's judgment of himself.
June 3, 2013
I enjoyed the "Sports Illustrated" excerpt a lot, enough to buy the book. The book was slightly disappointing, more of a traditional biography than I'd hoped. West does share about his depression and other illnesses, but doesn't dig as deep into his own psyche as I would have liked.
April 16, 2023
RICK “SHAQ” GOLDSTEIN SAYS: “MR. CLUTCH CHALLENGES HIS NUMBER ONE ADVERSARY… **HIMSELF!!**”
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Statement of Fact: Jerry West was my idol growing up, and I even wore his number 44 when I played in high school… and I also patterned my jump shot after his throughout my high school… junior college… military… and amateur career… but this has absolutely nothing to do with my rating and review of this book. In fact after reading this book… I now know… that the fact that I declared what I just did… would make Jerry very uncomfortable in ways that I and the rest of the public would never have known… until reading this deeply introspective autobiography.
I have read innumerable books on Jerry West’s career, but none of these previous books can hold a candle to this book. First of all Jerry is the co-author… and as such… he reveals so much of his inner turmoil as a human being… that this “inner-self” that West reveals… would never have been thought to have been examined by any other writer. I would also daresay… that if any author had ever even accidentally asked these questions… West would have stormed out.
If you’re looking for a cover to cover basketball book that is deep into game by game detail… this is not the book for you. But I can vouch for the fact that there are hundreds of prior books that provide that type of “box score” presentation. This book must have been *EXTREMELY-CATHARTIC* for Jerry. Never in a million years did I expect the epicenter of this book to be the very heart… soul… fears… shortcomings�� anguish… and the very mental “illnesses”… that Hall Of Fame basketball star Jerry West himself is still trying to come to grips with every single day of his life. West and co-author Jonathan Coleman literally use this book like a psychiatrist uses a couch. From Jerry’s impoverished West Virginia childhood with an abusive Father that Jerry has never forgiven till this day… and based on this book… will not forgive him… into the eternal thereafter. The lifelong… infinite… idolizing… love… *AND LOSS*… that Jerry has always felt for his brother David who died in the Korean War… has been worn by Jerry for a lifetime like Atlas carrying the world on his shoulder. This love… and loss… is examined so deeply… and from so many different directions… and still with no real answer as to the cumulative effect this has had… and continues to have… on literally every mental and emotional molecule that has made Jerry West… Jerry West.
Despite the World Championship Jerry won as a player on the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (Who with 33 straight wins… still hold the longest continuous winning streak of any professional team in any professional sport.) and the championships he was a part of as general manager of the Lakers… Jerry’s proudest athletic accomplishment is winning the Gold Medal as part of the 1960 United States Olympic Team. Throughout this book the author makes more poignant points, about what amount to as “FATHER-SON” relationships with individuals who are not Fathers and sons… such as his feeling that legendary basketball genius Pete Newell (Who coached the 1960 Gold Medal team.) was a Father figure to him… and he felt that he was a Father figure to Kobe Bryant… and puts way less emphasis on the actual scoring of points on the court. West is absolutely dumbfounded and clearly hurt that Kobe Bryant refused to be interviewed for his views on West for this book. Jerry also said that if he knew Shaquille O’Neal in high school… “SHAQ” would have been his best friend!
Though, actual on the court action is not the centerpiece of this masterpiece… when “MR. CLUTCH… THE NBA LOGO”… does discuss the combative nitty-gritty… any knowledgeable basketball fan listens. It was refreshing when Jerry openly… without pulling punches… states why the game used to be better. Even he imagines what he… The Big “O”… Elgin and the others could have done without “HAND-CHECKING” among other changes in the game… including… but not limited to the three point shot.
If you do lust for some real basketball related dissertation by a legend… then the chapter entitled **DREAM GAME** is worth the entire price of this book by itself. Jerry picks his all-time greatest players and divides them into an East and West team that has nothing to do with geography. He stages the game in his favorite basketball arena of all-time… Madison Square Garden… he even picks the refs… and tells you who would be in the crowd.
The reader will learn why Jerry wears number 44… and you’ll be reminded that West is the ONLY PROFESSIONAL PLAYER FROM A LOSING TEAM TO EVER BE VOTED THE UNDISPUTED MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN A CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES. (See note 1 below.) You’ll also discover parts of Jerry West the human being that Jerry himself has just discovered and doesn’t truly understand. The honesty revealed is unlike anything I’ve ever been privy to in a venue such as this.
Note 1: MVP Dilemma: Bobby Richardson won the Sport Magazine 1960 World Series Most Valuable Player and Bill Mazeroski won the Babe Ruth Award for Most Valuable 1960 World Series Player.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statement of Fact: Jerry West was my idol growing up, and I even wore his number 44 when I played in high school… and I also patterned my jump shot after his throughout my high school… junior college… military… and amateur career… but this has absolutely nothing to do with my rating and review of this book. In fact after reading this book… I now know… that the fact that I declared what I just did… would make Jerry very uncomfortable in ways that I and the rest of the public would never have known… until reading this deeply introspective autobiography.
I have read innumerable books on Jerry West’s career, but none of these previous books can hold a candle to this book. First of all Jerry is the co-author… and as such… he reveals so much of his inner turmoil as a human being… that this “inner-self” that West reveals… would never have been thought to have been examined by any other writer. I would also daresay… that if any author had ever even accidentally asked these questions… West would have stormed out.
If you’re looking for a cover to cover basketball book that is deep into game by game detail… this is not the book for you. But I can vouch for the fact that there are hundreds of prior books that provide that type of “box score” presentation. This book must have been *EXTREMELY-CATHARTIC* for Jerry. Never in a million years did I expect the epicenter of this book to be the very heart… soul… fears… shortcomings�� anguish… and the very mental “illnesses”… that Hall Of Fame basketball star Jerry West himself is still trying to come to grips with every single day of his life. West and co-author Jonathan Coleman literally use this book like a psychiatrist uses a couch. From Jerry’s impoverished West Virginia childhood with an abusive Father that Jerry has never forgiven till this day… and based on this book… will not forgive him… into the eternal thereafter. The lifelong… infinite… idolizing… love… *AND LOSS*… that Jerry has always felt for his brother David who died in the Korean War… has been worn by Jerry for a lifetime like Atlas carrying the world on his shoulder. This love… and loss… is examined so deeply… and from so many different directions… and still with no real answer as to the cumulative effect this has had… and continues to have… on literally every mental and emotional molecule that has made Jerry West… Jerry West.
Despite the World Championship Jerry won as a player on the 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (Who with 33 straight wins… still hold the longest continuous winning streak of any professional team in any professional sport.) and the championships he was a part of as general manager of the Lakers… Jerry’s proudest athletic accomplishment is winning the Gold Medal as part of the 1960 United States Olympic Team. Throughout this book the author makes more poignant points, about what amount to as “FATHER-SON” relationships with individuals who are not Fathers and sons… such as his feeling that legendary basketball genius Pete Newell (Who coached the 1960 Gold Medal team.) was a Father figure to him… and he felt that he was a Father figure to Kobe Bryant… and puts way less emphasis on the actual scoring of points on the court. West is absolutely dumbfounded and clearly hurt that Kobe Bryant refused to be interviewed for his views on West for this book. Jerry also said that if he knew Shaquille O’Neal in high school… “SHAQ” would have been his best friend!
Though, actual on the court action is not the centerpiece of this masterpiece… when “MR. CLUTCH… THE NBA LOGO”… does discuss the combative nitty-gritty… any knowledgeable basketball fan listens. It was refreshing when Jerry openly… without pulling punches… states why the game used to be better. Even he imagines what he… The Big “O”… Elgin and the others could have done without “HAND-CHECKING” among other changes in the game… including… but not limited to the three point shot.
If you do lust for some real basketball related dissertation by a legend… then the chapter entitled **DREAM GAME** is worth the entire price of this book by itself. Jerry picks his all-time greatest players and divides them into an East and West team that has nothing to do with geography. He stages the game in his favorite basketball arena of all-time… Madison Square Garden… he even picks the refs… and tells you who would be in the crowd.
The reader will learn why Jerry wears number 44… and you’ll be reminded that West is the ONLY PROFESSIONAL PLAYER FROM A LOSING TEAM TO EVER BE VOTED THE UNDISPUTED MOST VALUABLE PLAYER IN A CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES. (See note 1 below.) You’ll also discover parts of Jerry West the human being that Jerry himself has just discovered and doesn’t truly understand. The honesty revealed is unlike anything I’ve ever been privy to in a venue such as this.
Note 1: MVP Dilemma: Bobby Richardson won the Sport Magazine 1960 World Series Most Valuable Player and Bill Mazeroski won the Babe Ruth Award for Most Valuable 1960 World Series Player.
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July 9, 2023Here's what I knew about Jerry West: he is the NBA symbol and... that's it.
So I cried my eyes out when I found out about his brother and when he talked about depression. Great book.
So I cried my eyes out when I found out about his brother and when he talked about depression. Great book.
November 24, 2017
I picked up West by West after reading Jack McCallum’s Golden Days which ties the current Golden State Warriors title teams to Jerry West’s 1971-72 title-winning and 33-game-win-streak having Lakers team, but feels more like a West biography than anything else. In hindsight, I would’ve preferred to read WBW first as it ends just as West was starting with the Warriors.
For those unfamiliar with West, the silhouette that makes up the NBA logo is based on him. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers his entire NBA career, scored over 25,000 points, and won a title in 1972, but also lost in the finals seven different times and is the only player in league history to win a finals MVP while playing on the losing team.
WBW is a memoir written with writer and journalist Jonathan Coleman who I was previously unfamiliar with. It’s an interesting book as West has lived a fascinating life of which he frequently reminds his reader. I kind of wish I would’ve taken notes on all the names he drops because it’s everyone from Barack Obama to George W. Bush to Jack Nicholson, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jordan, Richard Pryor, and Barron Hilton of the Hilton hotel empire – those are just the names I recall from memory; there’s a crapload more.
To call West a complicated person would be underselling complicated. His father abused him as a kid and his older brother, a golden child of sorts in the family, was killed in the Korean War. These two experiences fundamentally altered West (as I imagine they would anyone) and he spends chunks of the book exploring how. He presents himself as uncomfortably intense, unable to take joy even in the winning that drives him because he’s unable to ever live up to model set by his dead brother or gain his dad’s love.
He’s well-aware of his complication and the book is a painfully open self-examination. But even within that attempt at catharsis that the book offers, West either lacks self-awareness or intentionally ignores the conflicts between the person he presents and the actions/stories he shares.
He writes about being shy and quiet, but makes friends everywhere he goes and was even described by former teammate Elgin Baylor as a gossip. To be sure, you can both be shy and be a gossip, but West presents more as a surly social butterfly who has the power to get his own in social situations. He frequently threatened to quit the Lakers, walked out on a surprise party thrown by a longtime friend, didn’t bother attending the press conference announcing his departure from the Lakers, and other boorish behavior. All of this explained away as part of his stubborn character, but it’s also the kind of thing that only a few people have the luxury to get away with and not be held accountable for. That West, or his writer, failed to acknowledge this calls into question just how honest or introspective he was here.
Another inconsistency is how West talks about being humble and not talking about himself, but then repeatedly humble brags his way through the entire book: he name drops, boasts about how pretty his jumper was, and can’t even resist hijacking a conversation with a researcher to talk about his own injuries. He acknowledges having an ego and being thin-skinned, but fails to take any accountability for being a borderline diva.
And one section in particular left me with a bad taste: his comments on therapy. He has some strong views that therapy, at least for him, was something he felt he should be able to handle on his own and that, in his experience, people who have gone to therapy for years aren’t any different. For a person who claims to have and displays a strong amount of empathy, this felt like another area where West has either transitioned into a curmudgeon or just fails to see the callousness of his comments.
Incongruences aside, I enjoyed this book. There’s interesting basketball stuff here like his relationship (or lack thereof) with Phil Jackson, including his perspective on the infamous “Jerry, get the fuck out!” outburst from Phil. There’s an anecdote about Red Auerbach trying to acquire West coming out of college in exchange for Bill Sharman (eventual Lakers coach) becoming the Lakers coach which, if that happens, it makes for one hell of a butterfly effect. There’s an entire section where players from the Showtime Lakers offer what appear to be unfiltered comments on West.
The book probably has a bit less basketball than some people would like, but there’s still a compelling story here. And for all West’s attempts to exorcise some of these demons, I walked away thinking he, like most of us, is susceptible to his own blind spots – it just so happens that they’re as outsized as his life of gaudy accomplishments. That he did write this book, this attempt at sorting through his own demons, and yet still walked away with an at times brutally inconsistent view of himself makes him more compelling to me.
For those unfamiliar with West, the silhouette that makes up the NBA logo is based on him. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers his entire NBA career, scored over 25,000 points, and won a title in 1972, but also lost in the finals seven different times and is the only player in league history to win a finals MVP while playing on the losing team.
WBW is a memoir written with writer and journalist Jonathan Coleman who I was previously unfamiliar with. It’s an interesting book as West has lived a fascinating life of which he frequently reminds his reader. I kind of wish I would’ve taken notes on all the names he drops because it’s everyone from Barack Obama to George W. Bush to Jack Nicholson, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jordan, Richard Pryor, and Barron Hilton of the Hilton hotel empire – those are just the names I recall from memory; there’s a crapload more.
To call West a complicated person would be underselling complicated. His father abused him as a kid and his older brother, a golden child of sorts in the family, was killed in the Korean War. These two experiences fundamentally altered West (as I imagine they would anyone) and he spends chunks of the book exploring how. He presents himself as uncomfortably intense, unable to take joy even in the winning that drives him because he’s unable to ever live up to model set by his dead brother or gain his dad’s love.
He’s well-aware of his complication and the book is a painfully open self-examination. But even within that attempt at catharsis that the book offers, West either lacks self-awareness or intentionally ignores the conflicts between the person he presents and the actions/stories he shares.
He writes about being shy and quiet, but makes friends everywhere he goes and was even described by former teammate Elgin Baylor as a gossip. To be sure, you can both be shy and be a gossip, but West presents more as a surly social butterfly who has the power to get his own in social situations. He frequently threatened to quit the Lakers, walked out on a surprise party thrown by a longtime friend, didn’t bother attending the press conference announcing his departure from the Lakers, and other boorish behavior. All of this explained away as part of his stubborn character, but it’s also the kind of thing that only a few people have the luxury to get away with and not be held accountable for. That West, or his writer, failed to acknowledge this calls into question just how honest or introspective he was here.
Another inconsistency is how West talks about being humble and not talking about himself, but then repeatedly humble brags his way through the entire book: he name drops, boasts about how pretty his jumper was, and can’t even resist hijacking a conversation with a researcher to talk about his own injuries. He acknowledges having an ego and being thin-skinned, but fails to take any accountability for being a borderline diva.
And one section in particular left me with a bad taste: his comments on therapy. He has some strong views that therapy, at least for him, was something he felt he should be able to handle on his own and that, in his experience, people who have gone to therapy for years aren’t any different. For a person who claims to have and displays a strong amount of empathy, this felt like another area where West has either transitioned into a curmudgeon or just fails to see the callousness of his comments.
Incongruences aside, I enjoyed this book. There’s interesting basketball stuff here like his relationship (or lack thereof) with Phil Jackson, including his perspective on the infamous “Jerry, get the fuck out!” outburst from Phil. There’s an anecdote about Red Auerbach trying to acquire West coming out of college in exchange for Bill Sharman (eventual Lakers coach) becoming the Lakers coach which, if that happens, it makes for one hell of a butterfly effect. There’s an entire section where players from the Showtime Lakers offer what appear to be unfiltered comments on West.
The book probably has a bit less basketball than some people would like, but there’s still a compelling story here. And for all West’s attempts to exorcise some of these demons, I walked away thinking he, like most of us, is susceptible to his own blind spots – it just so happens that they’re as outsized as his life of gaudy accomplishments. That he did write this book, this attempt at sorting through his own demons, and yet still walked away with an at times brutally inconsistent view of himself makes him more compelling to me.
August 15, 2024
Jerry West was undeniably one of the greatest basketball players in history. His NBA resume is untouchable. A Hall of Famer, he was voted 12 times into the All-NBA First and Second Teams, was elected into the NBA All-Star Team 14 times and was chosen as the All-Star MVP in 1972, the same year that he won the only title of his career. West holds the NBA record for the highest points per game average in a playoff series with 46.3. He was also a member of the first five NBA All-Defensive Teams (one second, followed by four firsts), which were introduced when he was 32 years old. Having played in nine NBA Finals, he is also the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team (1969). He won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1960, a year after leading West Virginia University to the NCAA Final. Following his playing days he was a successful basketball executive, adding fortune to fame. One of his nicknames was, "The Logo," because the NBA logo is based on a silhouette of him.
What he also was, based on his own words (assisted by Jonathan Coleman) was one miserable bastard.
In a sense it's admitted and addressed in the "Tormented" inclusion in the title and he most definitely got off to a rough start in hardscrabble rural West Virginia. His father was both emotionally and physically abusive, his mother a distant presence and the death of a beloved brother in combat while serving in Korea did little to diminish the depression that was a constant component of his world view. Basketball was truly his savior, which he regularly reminds the reader. Depression was the other constant in his life... and yet he did nothing about it.
What he does do is hold onto petty grudges that would be beneath most men of his acclaim and stature in order to nurse career disappointments for a lifetime, particularly his eight NBA Finals losses to the Boston Celtics. It simply eats at him, there is no other way to put it. He admits it's the reason he dislikes the city of Boston and only goes there - and always under duress - when he has absolutely no choice and he repeatedly offers Rick Barry as an equal to Larry Bird (a laughable and self-serving premise). Even after the legendary UCLA coach, John Wooden, ministers the sage advice that unless you take all the credit for a victory you can't reasonably take all the blame for a loss he continues to compare the pain of each and every life downturn in comparison to his post-season history against Boston.
It is so exhaustive that in the second to last paragraph of the epilogue he shares the anecdote that when a statue of him was unveiled at the Staples Center in 2001 his son addressed honorary guest, Bill Russell, the centerpiece of those Celtics teams by saying, "I would like to thank Bill Russell for ruining my and my brother's childhood." West's response to the good natured jibe, "There was, unfortunately, a great deal of truth to what David said."
Dude, you've got to give this a rest.. or get some help.
Which is not an option to West who admits he doesn't trust the process of therapy. He trusts only himself. He is a decided know-it-all on a wide breadth of subjects from clothes (he seems to take pride in making unsolicited suggestions to other shoppers in his preferred Los Angeles haberdashery) to food and wine. Even in the moments when he struggles to articulate contentment or any emotion approaching joy, he always finds one nagging hair out of my place. Even a photo of his marriage to his second wife, who he regularly refers to as the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, is captioned, "The first and last time I ever wore a tuxedo," a gripe he had articulated along with a remarkably ill-timed pre-nuptial agreement request.
There's an adage known by everyone, "Money can't buy happiness." It must be even harder when you're intent on not making the purchase. West ends the body of the book with this, "I, Jerry West, have found, at long last, what everyone I know has been convinced, and worried for years, would always elude me - some weird and tenuous semblance of peace."
I don't believe that for a second.
What he also was, based on his own words (assisted by Jonathan Coleman) was one miserable bastard.
In a sense it's admitted and addressed in the "Tormented" inclusion in the title and he most definitely got off to a rough start in hardscrabble rural West Virginia. His father was both emotionally and physically abusive, his mother a distant presence and the death of a beloved brother in combat while serving in Korea did little to diminish the depression that was a constant component of his world view. Basketball was truly his savior, which he regularly reminds the reader. Depression was the other constant in his life... and yet he did nothing about it.
What he does do is hold onto petty grudges that would be beneath most men of his acclaim and stature in order to nurse career disappointments for a lifetime, particularly his eight NBA Finals losses to the Boston Celtics. It simply eats at him, there is no other way to put it. He admits it's the reason he dislikes the city of Boston and only goes there - and always under duress - when he has absolutely no choice and he repeatedly offers Rick Barry as an equal to Larry Bird (a laughable and self-serving premise). Even after the legendary UCLA coach, John Wooden, ministers the sage advice that unless you take all the credit for a victory you can't reasonably take all the blame for a loss he continues to compare the pain of each and every life downturn in comparison to his post-season history against Boston.
It is so exhaustive that in the second to last paragraph of the epilogue he shares the anecdote that when a statue of him was unveiled at the Staples Center in 2001 his son addressed honorary guest, Bill Russell, the centerpiece of those Celtics teams by saying, "I would like to thank Bill Russell for ruining my and my brother's childhood." West's response to the good natured jibe, "There was, unfortunately, a great deal of truth to what David said."
Dude, you've got to give this a rest.. or get some help.
Which is not an option to West who admits he doesn't trust the process of therapy. He trusts only himself. He is a decided know-it-all on a wide breadth of subjects from clothes (he seems to take pride in making unsolicited suggestions to other shoppers in his preferred Los Angeles haberdashery) to food and wine. Even in the moments when he struggles to articulate contentment or any emotion approaching joy, he always finds one nagging hair out of my place. Even a photo of his marriage to his second wife, who he regularly refers to as the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, is captioned, "The first and last time I ever wore a tuxedo," a gripe he had articulated along with a remarkably ill-timed pre-nuptial agreement request.
There's an adage known by everyone, "Money can't buy happiness." It must be even harder when you're intent on not making the purchase. West ends the body of the book with this, "I, Jerry West, have found, at long last, what everyone I know has been convinced, and worried for years, would always elude me - some weird and tenuous semblance of peace."
I don't believe that for a second.
August 24, 2024
'West by West' is actually the first biography of any basketball player I have ever read (ok actually an autobiography). I found it in a Little Free library and thought why not? Jerry West was a iconic name from my childhood but as an east coaster, the LA Lakers were never my favorite. That was the NY Knicks in those days, especially the short glory years. I knew he was from West Virginia as I saw a sign 'Jerry West, NBA Great born here' near Chelyan, WV in my travels. He is a legend in our neighboring state (or former state if you prefer). The book is different than what I expected and the subtitle seems apt. He was tormented and charmed too, beyond what I for one imagined. Having recently completed a massive history of the Korean War, I was absorbed by the tragic story of his older brother David who was killed in combat in 1951 which nearly destroyed Jerry and and his family, especially his mother. It conveyed the impact of one life lost more than that entire history book. Interestingly, Jerry expresses a visceral hatred for Douglas MacArthur as somehow culpable for his brother's death. Jerry was apparently a big reader and and mentions reading a fair number of books, but if he had taken the time to read 'The Forgotten War' by Clay Blair or T.R. Fehrenbach's 'This Kind of War', he would have learned that Harry Truman (not MacArthur) was profoundly responsible for the reduced state of readiness in the U.S. military that permitted the Korean debacle. Anyway.
This is not a standard sports autobiography, I expected more on the big games (usually losses) vs. the Celtics in the 60s and matchups with or teammates from the greats of his playing era--Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Walt Frazier, Willis Reed and others. There is some of that but as hard as he took losing he does not dwell on it on his playing career, nor on the only championship he won as player (1972). There is more about his life as an executive mainly with the Lakers and the icons of that era, both front office (Jack Kent Cooke, Jerry Buss), broadcast booth (Chick Hearn, a legend) and of course the many great Laker players--Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe, James Worthy, and many others. The list of his injuries in the appendices is as impressive as his amazing statistics, the NBA was much rougher back then! The books does bounce around a bit and there are a lot of names and anecdotes from a really busy life. But much of it is also an unflinching and introspective account of his own tortured soul, stemming I suppose from his rough childhood and perhaps his own genetic makeup. At the end of the day we all walk alone. 3.5 stars rounded up. RIP, Jerry!
This is not a standard sports autobiography, I expected more on the big games (usually losses) vs. the Celtics in the 60s and matchups with or teammates from the greats of his playing era--Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell, John Havlicek, Walt Frazier, Willis Reed and others. There is some of that but as hard as he took losing he does not dwell on it on his playing career, nor on the only championship he won as player (1972). There is more about his life as an executive mainly with the Lakers and the icons of that era, both front office (Jack Kent Cooke, Jerry Buss), broadcast booth (Chick Hearn, a legend) and of course the many great Laker players--Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe, James Worthy, and many others. The list of his injuries in the appendices is as impressive as his amazing statistics, the NBA was much rougher back then! The books does bounce around a bit and there are a lot of names and anecdotes from a really busy life. But much of it is also an unflinching and introspective account of his own tortured soul, stemming I suppose from his rough childhood and perhaps his own genetic makeup. At the end of the day we all walk alone. 3.5 stars rounded up. RIP, Jerry!
Read
January 25, 2021I bought this back when I didn't have shelves, and it sat on my floor in a stack until I moved, then returned to the floor until my bookcase was delivered. I picked it off the shelf this week while in a dark mood -- or a depressive fugue state, depending on how dramatic I want to sound -- looking for some guidance or solace, knowing that West has long battled depression.
Did it help?
I found some commonalities between West's experiences and mine, particularly his obsessive nature, hatred of conflict, and desire to be loved by all. The root causes of his feelings are different from mine; my father, for instance, loves me very much. It is the roaming I've done throughout my life, moving from one place to another, always struggling to fit in, that causes most of my issues... or at least adds to the self-doubt I can't seem to shake from growing up an obese teenager.
By Friday, a rejuvenated focus on my work saved me, as work often saved West (there's a reason he's been unable to ever fully retire from basketball).
As for the book itself, I don't know that it is a great book... it is above average for a memoir, especially a celebrity memoir, given West's willingness to probe dark recesses, admit his faults, and take part in self-criticism. And yet West restates the same core problems with himself over and over within a narrative that lacks structure... I suspect a podcast interview or a long piece in The Athletic could have accomplished much of the same. Without a doubt, the book is at its best when West isn't dissecting the game, and thankfully, for the reader, he spends very little time on that.
Tell people how you feel about them when you can. West hasn't. He knows he should; he still doesn't. Take this advice with you, if nothing else.
Did it help?
I found some commonalities between West's experiences and mine, particularly his obsessive nature, hatred of conflict, and desire to be loved by all. The root causes of his feelings are different from mine; my father, for instance, loves me very much. It is the roaming I've done throughout my life, moving from one place to another, always struggling to fit in, that causes most of my issues... or at least adds to the self-doubt I can't seem to shake from growing up an obese teenager.
By Friday, a rejuvenated focus on my work saved me, as work often saved West (there's a reason he's been unable to ever fully retire from basketball).
As for the book itself, I don't know that it is a great book... it is above average for a memoir, especially a celebrity memoir, given West's willingness to probe dark recesses, admit his faults, and take part in self-criticism. And yet West restates the same core problems with himself over and over within a narrative that lacks structure... I suspect a podcast interview or a long piece in The Athletic could have accomplished much of the same. Without a doubt, the book is at its best when West isn't dissecting the game, and thankfully, for the reader, he spends very little time on that.
Tell people how you feel about them when you can. West hasn't. He knows he should; he still doesn't. Take this advice with you, if nothing else.
April 6, 2024
As the title suggests, this book is an autobiography of Jerry West, one of the NBA legends who played for Los Angeles Lakers, whose feats earned him a place in history as the only player in NBA history who earned the Finals MVP title despite losing the game, and having his silhouette used as NBA logo. Hailing from Chelyan, West Virginia, Jerry had to endure an unhappy childhood with parents who were distant from him and abusive to some extent, while his favorite elder brother, David, lost his life in Korean War.
Throughout the book, Jerry described himself as a restless, and tormented soul who are unable to settle down, troubled by his failure to beat Boston Celtics in NBA Finals 6 times, managing to win his first and only NBA Champions Title with Los Angeles Lakers in 1972, shortly before retiring as player. After that, he served as Lakers’ head coach and much later, as the Executive, presiding over the Showtime era of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. After managing to recruit Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to Lakers, he moved to Memphis Grizzlies, helping the team finding its place in its new home and attracting star players.
This books also deals with How Jerry sees his friends around him, and how they see him, making this book not a mere self-glorification project, putting importance of Jerry West the human, not Jerry West the NBA legend. In the end, I only give this book 4 stars, because I find myself being tormented by Jerry West’s troubled mind, although I am glad he managed to find a way, fascinated by his shunning of spotlights despite his obvious talents of playing basketball, earning himself a well-deserved place as one of basketball legends in history.
Throughout the book, Jerry described himself as a restless, and tormented soul who are unable to settle down, troubled by his failure to beat Boston Celtics in NBA Finals 6 times, managing to win his first and only NBA Champions Title with Los Angeles Lakers in 1972, shortly before retiring as player. After that, he served as Lakers’ head coach and much later, as the Executive, presiding over the Showtime era of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy. After managing to recruit Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to Lakers, he moved to Memphis Grizzlies, helping the team finding its place in its new home and attracting star players.
This books also deals with How Jerry sees his friends around him, and how they see him, making this book not a mere self-glorification project, putting importance of Jerry West the human, not Jerry West the NBA legend. In the end, I only give this book 4 stars, because I find myself being tormented by Jerry West’s troubled mind, although I am glad he managed to find a way, fascinated by his shunning of spotlights despite his obvious talents of playing basketball, earning himself a well-deserved place as one of basketball legends in history.
January 28, 2022
This is an interesting read. Jerry West, certainly one of the best basketball players ever, shares what drove him to excellence. Along the way he shares how internally tortured he's been/is. In today's world where we talk about how we should talk about mental health more, well, Jerry West shares his flaws. He shares the causes of his pain and depression. He tells some about his successes, but he wants to stay humble and not brag. Yet he also wants the reader to know he's worked hard and been at the top of his profession. But not as much as he would want. And, honestly, he's not sure he could ever achieve enough to satisfy his drive, or to heal his wounds. All that said, this is a poorly written book. I don't know who is to blame. Jonathan Coleman is a well-educated writer, a man who has written some very good books. But if he was tasked with helping Jerry West put his story into writing, it seems like he would be expected to make it a smooth read. It is not. Is Jerry West to blame? Did he demand Mr. Coleman merely transcribe whatever Mr. West said, exactly as he said it? I don't know. What I do know is this: Rare is the paragraph in this book that doesn't have a parenthetical and/or em dashes. Essentially these are breaks in sentences that severely disrupt thoughts. It would be easy and much better to separate these into their own sentences. As a youngster I had a very high opinion of Jerry West. This book gives that opinion more depth. It shows me he's deeply flawed, but still possesses traits to be admired and celebrated. In summary, it's a clumsy but interesting read.
April 1, 2022
I guess I better mention right off the bat that I’ve only been a Lakers fan since the Kobe Bryant era. I was too young to even really see Magic Johnson play, so almost all of the events in this book were way before my time. Maybe my opinions on this don't matter as much. But everyone knows Jerry West was one of the greats, and he’s the one who even made that Kobe era possible in the first place, so I was really looking forward to reading this.
I recently read another celebrity autobiography (Inside Out by Nick Mason) that I felt had glossed over many of the negative events in the author’s life. West By West is the polar opposite; this really is the “warts and all” approach. Be careful what you wish for! West is absolutely brimming with negativity, and is hypercritical of himself and others. Being near Hollywood, the Lakers have long been associated with drama, something I’ve never enjoyed. This book is an uncomfortable read for the drama-averse. He mentions early on that some of his family members didn’t want him to publish it. Kobe wanted nothing to do with this, either, and declined to be interviewed for it. I can see why! This is a bad look.
West’s complaints about his parents seem more than understandable, and I want to empathize because I definitely identified with a lot of the stuff he said about his upbringing. But for some reason West became extremely over-sensitive and stayed that way, which made the rest of his life much more difficult than it needed to be, and perhaps less fulfilling than it could have been.
I think forgiveness is a key ingredient that West forgot to add. West bears a lot of grudges, even against people who he has never known personally, like General Douglas MacArthur. Jerry's older brother David was killed in the Korean War, and this further damaged his already-dysfunctional household dynamic and left him with a lifetime of resentment towards the man in charge of the U.S. forces. Although West insists that he doesn't see himself as better than anyone else, it still feels like he expects perfection from himself and others (even when it comes to stuff he's not exactly an expert on, like waging war). This probably makes him very difficult to be around most of the time, but diamonds can be formed under the right kind of pressure.
It deserves mention that Kobe - a notoriously prickly and solitary man who made few friends - gave West a lot of credit and even thought of him as a father figure. Even though it feels that this book exposes way too much, maybe there's yet another layer here that you just won't see unless you get to know Jerry West really, really well. That's what I keep trying to tell myself, but...
As the story goes on, West subjects the reader to bellyaching about much more inconsequential matters such as not getting enough playing time in his rookie year, paying higher taxes than his teammates, and his ex-wife getting drunk and embarrassing him in public. (Oh, and don't ever throw him a surprise party, he hates surprises.) This is seriously awful to behold, because he had already left West Virginia behind and accomplished so much when these things happened. His childhood tragedies were extremely serious and I know fair well that you can be scarred for life by that kind of stuff, but he was still acting like a perpetual victim and taking every slight as a grievous injustice. I'm always shocked when adults (especially successful ones) act like this because you figure they would have the most perspective out of everyone, especially if they came from nothing. He still seems so miserable and easily wounded, and when you read this book, you don't really get the sense that he's moved on. You never see anything along the lines of "it seems silly now, but back then I was really bitter about this for a while," so I can only conclude that he is still upset about all of these things.
Money sure can't buy you happiness, but this is such an extreme example. The overall tone of this book is so jarring because of this. It must have been excruciating to actually write! I really want to like West because he pushes himself so hard and is never complacent, and although he might not always take his own advice, he is very self-aware and recognizes his own flaws. I'd like to think that we have a similar mindset, but if I live to age 70, I hope I am not still seething about every little thing that's happened to me, because I won't have such a long track record of success and triumph to balance it out.
Why didn’t the co-author/editor Jonathan Coleman try to reign him in a little? Why not focus more on the highs of his playing career rather than the lows? As it turns out, Coleman is a Celtics fan! (The Lakers lost six NBA finals to the Celtics in the 1960s, which still bothers West). This is all starting to make sense now. A Celtics fan sat back and watched as a Lakers legend pulls back the curtain, then tears it off the wall and sets fire to the stage. Reading this is like watching a train wreck, you’re cringing the whole time but you can’t avert your gaze.
I’ll forever be grateful to Jerry for bringing Kobe and Shaq to L.A. but, after reading this I can't look at him the same way again, similar to how I see Magic after his mercifully brief stint as a Lakers exec. These guys were both amazing players (and Jerry was a completely brilliant and successful executive, perhaps the best ever), but maybe they're not the greatest role models. If anything, this is a cautionary tale. I think it's worth reading to try to have an understanding of someone who pushes themselves too hard and demands so much, but I'm seriously unnerved by some of the admissions in here. I don't feel inspired reading this, I just feel bad.
The overall structure of the book is a little odd since it jumps around in time a lot and he frequently goes off on tangents and doesn't really spend very much time talking about his day-to-day life during his playing career. It’s not poorly written though. It is certainly compelling, even if I find some of the content to be appalling and embarrassing. Since it’s the Lakers, I bet none of this was even exaggerated for shock value. This is just what being rich in L.A. does to people. Mercifully, this book mellows out a bit in the later chapters. I can only hope that Jerry has done the same.
I recently read another celebrity autobiography (Inside Out by Nick Mason) that I felt had glossed over many of the negative events in the author’s life. West By West is the polar opposite; this really is the “warts and all” approach. Be careful what you wish for! West is absolutely brimming with negativity, and is hypercritical of himself and others. Being near Hollywood, the Lakers have long been associated with drama, something I’ve never enjoyed. This book is an uncomfortable read for the drama-averse. He mentions early on that some of his family members didn’t want him to publish it. Kobe wanted nothing to do with this, either, and declined to be interviewed for it. I can see why! This is a bad look.
West’s complaints about his parents seem more than understandable, and I want to empathize because I definitely identified with a lot of the stuff he said about his upbringing. But for some reason West became extremely over-sensitive and stayed that way, which made the rest of his life much more difficult than it needed to be, and perhaps less fulfilling than it could have been.
I think forgiveness is a key ingredient that West forgot to add. West bears a lot of grudges, even against people who he has never known personally, like General Douglas MacArthur. Jerry's older brother David was killed in the Korean War, and this further damaged his already-dysfunctional household dynamic and left him with a lifetime of resentment towards the man in charge of the U.S. forces. Although West insists that he doesn't see himself as better than anyone else, it still feels like he expects perfection from himself and others (even when it comes to stuff he's not exactly an expert on, like waging war). This probably makes him very difficult to be around most of the time, but diamonds can be formed under the right kind of pressure.
It deserves mention that Kobe - a notoriously prickly and solitary man who made few friends - gave West a lot of credit and even thought of him as a father figure. Even though it feels that this book exposes way too much, maybe there's yet another layer here that you just won't see unless you get to know Jerry West really, really well. That's what I keep trying to tell myself, but...
As the story goes on, West subjects the reader to bellyaching about much more inconsequential matters such as not getting enough playing time in his rookie year, paying higher taxes than his teammates, and his ex-wife getting drunk and embarrassing him in public. (Oh, and don't ever throw him a surprise party, he hates surprises.) This is seriously awful to behold, because he had already left West Virginia behind and accomplished so much when these things happened. His childhood tragedies were extremely serious and I know fair well that you can be scarred for life by that kind of stuff, but he was still acting like a perpetual victim and taking every slight as a grievous injustice. I'm always shocked when adults (especially successful ones) act like this because you figure they would have the most perspective out of everyone, especially if they came from nothing. He still seems so miserable and easily wounded, and when you read this book, you don't really get the sense that he's moved on. You never see anything along the lines of "it seems silly now, but back then I was really bitter about this for a while," so I can only conclude that he is still upset about all of these things.
Money sure can't buy you happiness, but this is such an extreme example. The overall tone of this book is so jarring because of this. It must have been excruciating to actually write! I really want to like West because he pushes himself so hard and is never complacent, and although he might not always take his own advice, he is very self-aware and recognizes his own flaws. I'd like to think that we have a similar mindset, but if I live to age 70, I hope I am not still seething about every little thing that's happened to me, because I won't have such a long track record of success and triumph to balance it out.
Why didn’t the co-author/editor Jonathan Coleman try to reign him in a little? Why not focus more on the highs of his playing career rather than the lows? As it turns out, Coleman is a Celtics fan! (The Lakers lost six NBA finals to the Celtics in the 1960s, which still bothers West). This is all starting to make sense now. A Celtics fan sat back and watched as a Lakers legend pulls back the curtain, then tears it off the wall and sets fire to the stage. Reading this is like watching a train wreck, you’re cringing the whole time but you can’t avert your gaze.
I’ll forever be grateful to Jerry for bringing Kobe and Shaq to L.A. but, after reading this I can't look at him the same way again, similar to how I see Magic after his mercifully brief stint as a Lakers exec. These guys were both amazing players (and Jerry was a completely brilliant and successful executive, perhaps the best ever), but maybe they're not the greatest role models. If anything, this is a cautionary tale. I think it's worth reading to try to have an understanding of someone who pushes themselves too hard and demands so much, but I'm seriously unnerved by some of the admissions in here. I don't feel inspired reading this, I just feel bad.
The overall structure of the book is a little odd since it jumps around in time a lot and he frequently goes off on tangents and doesn't really spend very much time talking about his day-to-day life during his playing career. It’s not poorly written though. It is certainly compelling, even if I find some of the content to be appalling and embarrassing. Since it’s the Lakers, I bet none of this was even exaggerated for shock value. This is just what being rich in L.A. does to people. Mercifully, this book mellows out a bit in the later chapters. I can only hope that Jerry has done the same.
March 14, 2023
I bought this used book based on the Lakers miniseries on HBO. I was curiously amused by the Jerry West character and the fact he is the NBA logo, and Jerry, as much as you may protest, you are the guy on the show, based on your own words. His words reflects his "charmed, tormented life" as he has met all his heros except maybe Monet and Picasso, had every opportunity based on his hard work, got to know the best basketball players of our time, and will never have to worry about money. Sounds pretty charmed. But, he's unhappy, tortured and still angry about parts of his life as most of us are, but his pain still directs his life- specifically his relationships, and his outlook
His idiosyncrasies are reflected in his writing as he changes settings or time frames mid- paragraph, and will eventually get back to the original topic on his time. You can see how his mind works in his writing. I also feel for his family as he admits to going silent for days without explanation. He did not share enough about his kids/parenting in this memoir and barely mentions his kids from his first marriage as compared to his two sons from his second marriage.....hmmm. Since his Dad was such a barrier for him one would have thought he would look at his own parenting more critically Also, how can he have scores of close friends mentioned throughout the book and then state it's hard for him to be close to anyone?? He is also, at times, cutting to others when he could be the bigger person, such as saying x was a better player than y referring living players, or failing to invite his youngest sister to his dream game--- which was my favorite chapter.
This book confirmed he is the guy, in part, on the HBO series (which I admit is a kick) and one can have everything others wish for and still be ground to a halt over petty disputes.
His idiosyncrasies are reflected in his writing as he changes settings or time frames mid- paragraph, and will eventually get back to the original topic on his time. You can see how his mind works in his writing. I also feel for his family as he admits to going silent for days without explanation. He did not share enough about his kids/parenting in this memoir and barely mentions his kids from his first marriage as compared to his two sons from his second marriage.....hmmm. Since his Dad was such a barrier for him one would have thought he would look at his own parenting more critically Also, how can he have scores of close friends mentioned throughout the book and then state it's hard for him to be close to anyone?? He is also, at times, cutting to others when he could be the bigger person, such as saying x was a better player than y referring living players, or failing to invite his youngest sister to his dream game--- which was my favorite chapter.
This book confirmed he is the guy, in part, on the HBO series (which I admit is a kick) and one can have everything others wish for and still be ground to a halt over petty disputes.
March 13, 2025
Even though Jerry West the player and Showtime architect was before my time, he has always been one of my favorite basketball personalities since I fell in love with the game as a kid in the late 90s. A stoic yet accepting figure of the newer players from the era I grew up on. Chalking this up as just another run-of-the-mill "sports autobiography" would be a disservice to anyone interested in reading it. Basketball is merely a backdrop in this book of reflections. Instead of just writing a mundane memoir celebrating his feats, West and his cowriter attempt to provide a glimpse into the man behind all the glory with much vulnerability and a sickening amount of humility. They examine how devastating his tumultuous upbringing was on him emotionally and mentally, the price he paid to reach greatness, and the toll it ultimately took on his long term well being. There are obviously scars that are way too deep for him to reveal in writing, but this is just enough to get a good sense of who the man was and what made him tick. For a truly tortured soul, he achieved just that. RIP Logo.
May 19, 2021
Certainly honest, but repetitive. Additionally, he jumps all over the place--from the start, his life & family in West Virginia are woven between stories of BB games & relationships & stories from different times in his life. This pattern repeats itself chapter after chapter. Would have benefited from some editing, to clean & tighten up the story, which is an amazing thing to say given Jerry had a co-author. Chalking that up to a very large ego, (Jerry's), which likely didn't make it easy for the co-author. All that aside, it was definitely an inside look at the NBA, which was interesting, and so much history about the American Basketball League that I didn't know. I kept Googling all these players names that I sorta remembered. Quite a cast of characters over the years. Learned of this book from the podcast Death At the Wing, which I do recommend!
December 7, 2022
I have mixed feelings. Jerry West deliberately wrote a different kind of sports memoir. Very light on the on-court stories - something I always enjoy when done well, though it's the most formulaic approach (hey, it's sports!). He opted instead for a fairly in-depth recounting of his emotional life, and a less in-depth account of his personal life. The subtitle, "My Charmed, Tormented Life," should just read, "My Tormented Life." He never lets pass an opportunity to remind that he is a tortured soul, and he doesn't know why (most of the time), and when he does know why, he says that he just can't change.
Although I did enjoy this book, and read it rapidly, I came away with the impression that West just wanted to "apologize" for the many times he's been difficult, has hurt people, and has made mistakes - all while taking virtually no responsibility for any of it.
Although I did enjoy this book, and read it rapidly, I came away with the impression that West just wanted to "apologize" for the many times he's been difficult, has hurt people, and has made mistakes - all while taking virtually no responsibility for any of it.
August 6, 2024
Jerry West was one of my favorite basketball players when I was growing up in the 1960's, but I never would have read this book if it hadn't been given to me. Actually, I haven't finished the book and don't know if I will. There is a great deal of detail that doesn't interest me. As an aside, back in the day, I wrote a postcard to Chick Hearn, the Lakers broadcaster, claiming that Jerry West was as good or better than Oscar Robertson, who was then considered the best player in the league. Chick read my postcard on the air and thought I made some good points. Of course, I was prejudiced towards Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, my other favorite player. Jerry West was a perfectionist from the word "go", and it was his finest and worst quality simultaneously. We ask so much of our athletic heroes, which isn't fair to them or to us.
April 1, 2020
This is an autobiography by the silhouetted figure of the NBA logo, though he isn't particularly comfortable with that. Here we have a book that is about far more than his life in basketball. Hes explains himself and shares his story and his journey in life and basketball.
We learn about his lingering insecurities and internal struggles, and how his relationship with his father and his feelings and anger toward him, as well as the death of his brother in Korea, forged his character.
Based a lot on interviews as the primary source material, the book is very disorganized, neither by time nor by subject. And his poor opinion of himself, which brings him great unhappiness, seems little justified, so it's hard to empathize with him.
We learn about his lingering insecurities and internal struggles, and how his relationship with his father and his feelings and anger toward him, as well as the death of his brother in Korea, forged his character.
Based a lot on interviews as the primary source material, the book is very disorganized, neither by time nor by subject. And his poor opinion of himself, which brings him great unhappiness, seems little justified, so it's hard to empathize with him.
November 3, 2017
The strangest sports autobiography I've read, and I've read quite a few. West is one of the greatest basketball players and executives in history, and this book gives insight into essentially none of that. Want to know details behind the Lakers 33-game winning streak in '71-'72? His philosophy behind building championship teams? Won't get that. You will get a long list of his petty grievances and slights he can't get over. Not arranged in chronological order, and barely organized by theme. I ended up feeling so sad for him, that someone so much can be so deeply unhappy. It takes some courage to bare that in a book. But that alone doesn't make the book any good.
September 27, 2019
One of the best sports autobiographies I have read.
The book was written as if Jerry West was sitting in my home and talking to me as a trusted friend. He was open and honest about his life that many people would find very hard to do. We sports fans tend to see our favorite athletes as only people who play sports and we do not stop to consider that they are just like us - human beings with real human issues. He is one of my all-time favorite basketball players even though I was a Boston Celtic fan during all of their heated NBA Championship Finals. West is the Best.
The book was written as if Jerry West was sitting in my home and talking to me as a trusted friend. He was open and honest about his life that many people would find very hard to do. We sports fans tend to see our favorite athletes as only people who play sports and we do not stop to consider that they are just like us - human beings with real human issues. He is one of my all-time favorite basketball players even though I was a Boston Celtic fan during all of their heated NBA Championship Finals. West is the Best.
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