"Wholly excommunicated Jerry West" - NBA insider sheds light on The Logo's acrimonious Lakers split after Jeanie Buss' inheritance 

The split between Hall of Famer Jerry West and the LA Lakers was a particularly ugly one. So much so that according to NBA insider Ethan Strauss, West was involved in a spat with Phil Jackson back in 2000. When Jackson's then-girlfriend Jeanie Buss took control of the franchise in 2013, she got the last laugh on LA legend Jerry West.

At the time of West's initial spat with Phil Jackson in 2000, during the reign of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, Jackson and Buss had just begun their relationship. The two were together from 1999 until 2016 when they split after 17 years together, with a four-year engagement.

In 2013, when her father Jerry Buss died, ownership of the team was divided among his six kids, with Jeanie Buss eventually assuming control of the franchise. According to NBA insider Ethan Strauss, when Buss ascended to power, she used her power to quote-unquote excommunicate Jerry West.

In a recent Substack post, relayed by NBA Central, he shed light on the situation:

“After Jerry Buss died, Jeanie Buss inherited the team and wholly excommunicated Jerry West from the franchise, even taking his season tickets.

"According to sources, the bitterness started back when West was critical of Jeanie Buss’ relationship with then Laker coach Phil Jackson. Phil won that particular battle, and ultimately the power struggle with West.”

"It was a cold phone text to my wife," - Jerry West once recalled how he found out that the Lakers revoked his season tickets

Back in 2022 before his death, Jerry West spoke in an interview with The Athletic to discuss his career. In it, he revealed that one of the disappointing things about his career is how his relationship with the Lakers played out.

When his season tickets, which he stated were promised to him by Jeanie Buss' father Dr. Jerry Buss, were revoked, he got the news via a text to his wife.

"It was a cold phone text to my wife. No one had the nerve to call me, but that's how petty they are, OK? And I love the Lakers, OK? I love to see them do well. It's great for basketball. I'm proud of everything that happened when I was there. I'm proud of everything that happened when I wasn't there — the positives.

Despite that, because of how things fell apart between the two sides, West was left to wonder if he had made a mistake by spending so much of his career with the Lakers. As he revealed, things between the two sides had become damaged beyond repair.

At the time West had his season tickets revoked, he was serving as an executive with the Golden State Warriors, a position he held from 2011-2017. Following his tenure with the franchise, West sought to return to the Lakers in 2017, however, he ultimately wound up landing with the LA Clippers.

The Hall of Famer then held the position with the Lakers' crosstown rivals until his death earlier this month, with he and the Lakers never reconciling.