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Report: Lakers' West may be out
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Jerry West says he's going fishing -- possibly for good. West, whose nervous condition kept him from watching Game 6 of the NBA Finals when the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship, is reportedly set to retire as the team's executive vice president. "On Saturday, I'm flying to Alaska for five days with my family to do a little fishing," West told the Long Beach Press-Telegram for a story Friday. He refused to comment further about his reported resignation. Lakers spokesman John Black said Friday the team had no comment on the reports. The former West Virginia University star and native of Cabin Creek, W.Va., has informed Lakers owner Jerry Buss that he is retiring, the Press-Telegram said, citing two NBA general managers it didn't name and several other unspecified league sources. The newspaper said West has been negotiating a severance pact with attorneys for the Lakers, who would like him to remain until at least Aug. 1, when free agent signings begin.
West has a four-year contract extension that runs through the 2002-2003 season that reportedly is worth $3.5 million annually. West has repeatedly talked about leaving, most recently after the team won the NBA championship last month. At the time, West said that he was worn down by the pressure to succeed and by complaints. The Press-Telegram said West, a notorious perfectionist, is plagued by an irregular heartbeat caused by nervous tension. Because of the condition, he did not attend any of the Lakers' championship round games against the Indiana Pacers. He only learned the outcome of the sixth game -- which gave the team its first title in 12 years -- from a friend who called on a cellular telephone. West had planned to have a defibrillation procedure on his heart at a Burbank hospital two days later but his heartbeat returned to normal, the newspaper said. West starred for the Lakers for 14 seasons and also coached the team for three years.
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