Sports
How Jerry West found catharsis by speaking openly before his death in ‘The Logo’
Jerry West’s legend was so well established when he retired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 1974 that he’d already been the inspiration for the NBA’s logo. Half a century later, West remains seventh all-time in points per game and holds the points-per-game record for a playoff series, numbers even more remarkable because he did it without the three-point shot.
But, of course, West wasn’t done. As a scout and general manager, he was a key architect of the Showtime Lakers teams of the 1980s and later acquired both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to build another dynasty. West also was an executive for the Golden State Warriors in their heyday, providing crucial advice on player personnel.
Through it all, however, West struggled with depression and a sense of self-loathing, and had trouble with intimacy, much of it a by-product of a hardscrabble childhood in West Virginia with a domineering father.
That dichotomy, his outer success and inner turmoil, are the heart of “Jerry West: The Logo,” a new documentary for Prime Video, from “black-ish” creator Kenya Barris, directing his first documentary.
Kenya Barris in “Jerry West: The Logo.”
(Prime)
“I’m from L.A. and was a fan of the Showtime Lakers growing up,” Barris says, so he put his name in for the project figuring he’d at least get to meet a hero. “But we immediately hit it off and I felt a kinship with him.”
That ability to connect was part of West’s magic, as attested to by the string of NBA legends who pay tribute to him in the documentary, including Lakers such as Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Pat Riley and O’Neal, along with Steph Curry and Michael Jordan.
Vlade Divac was traded by West to secure the rights to Bryant, but he selected West to introduce him at his Hall of Fame induction. In a recent phone interview, Divac praised West as “a father figure when you needed it and a friend when you needed it. He was very honest and he cared about people and helped you achieve your goals. He’s one of the best guys I ever met. Period.”
Barris, who did extensive interviews with West before the Laker icon died in 2024, spoke by video recently about making the documentary, which also includes NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledging for the first time that West was the sport’s logo. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Jerry had already opened up about his life in his memoir, “West by West,” but do you think this was still cathartic for him?
His book really drew me to doing the documentary because it was so honest. I think the idea of him actually saying these things out loud in front of a camera with his kids and his grandkids around was a catharsis for him.
Did he feel he was nearing the end?
Jerry would say, “I feel like I’m in God’s waiting room.” He didn’t like getting old because he was so much in touch with his body as an athlete — he could jump higher and run farther than his friends. When I first met him, he was on the treadmill and jogging with weights. He was in his 80s but was saying, “I used to be able to jog with more weights.”
He was feeling old but I don’t think that he thought he was about to pass.
Was he annoyed by his depiction in HBO’s Lakers series “Winning Time,” which generated controversy in 2022?
The show was entertaining, but it really bothered him and he didn’t think it was fair. I think that series might’ve pushed him into wanting to do this, if I’m being completely honest.
“Jerry would say, ‘I feel like I’m in God’s waiting room,’” said director Kenya Barris, who conducted extensive interviews with the Lakers legend before his death in 2024.
(Prime)
He and his family talk openly on camera about his mental health issues. Was it hard to balance that tonally with his great accomplishments in basketball?
I did not want to make something that was morose or a melodrama. But it would not be complete if he didn’t talk about the struggles. When I first met him, he was just coming out of a depression and anyone who’s ever been through that understands that it is actually a struggle. So forming a whole picture of who this character was was really important. And also it was important for his family because they lived through this with him as well. They were sad to see him suffer, but they had suffered through it too.
We wanted to really talk about who this character was and what formed him. Most of who we are is formed between the ages of 0 and 12 and in those years, Jerry saw a lot and went through a lot of stuff.
When his older brother was killed in Korea and his father put the casket by the Christmas tree …
That was crazy. If we could get the audience to understand who this man was, it would give them empathy for everything after.
As a GM [general manager], he was a white guy in this predominantly Black sport, but he came in with a chip on his shoulder, too, and he saw these young players who hadn’t had strong father figures and came from socioeconomically deprived places like he did and he was able to build real relationships with them.
He didn’t want to talk about it a lot in the doc, but he did a lot for civil rights and for players’ advocacy of the NBA, for the Black players, who didn’t have the same voice that he had. But he did it quietly.
Jerry West signed Shaquille O’Neal to the Lakers in 1996 after four years with the Orlando Magic. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
Jerry West, left, Kobe Bryant and Lakers head coach Del Harris in 1997. Bryant was acquired in a trade for Vlade Divac. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
One thing the documentary avoids is the contentious relationship with Phil Jackson — who isn’t even mentioned — and the cause of West’s departure from the Lakers right after he built that dynasty. Did he not want to discuss it?
We spoke about it. You can’t have that long a career and not rack up some controversial things. But I did not want this to be a salacious look at the negative accounts. I got in there the idea of a strain with the Lakers, but I wanted to make sure to not defile that relationship based upon certain things that I wasn’t going to dig into. It was not a gotcha sort of documentary. It was more of a tribute to him.
People have wondered if he had stayed on, whether he could have stopped the relationship between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal from going south, and I would have been interested to know what he thought.
We did talk about that. He believes that he could have got them to stay together and he said that he believes they could have gone on and won four or five more championships.
Sports
Draymond Green refuses to let Charles Barkley bury the Warriors, delivers cutting Rockets jab on air
Wednesday night on “Inside the NBA” was less of a pregame show and more of a roast session as Draymond Green joined the desk.
The Golden State forward started going at it with Charles Barkley as the Mound Round of Rebound poked fun at the sinking ship that is the Warriors dynasty.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors reacts during a game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Rocky Widner/NBAE)
The tension started when Sir Charles decided to eulogize the Dubs while looking Green dead in the eye.
“It’s over for the Warriors. No disrespect. It ends for every old team,” Barkley said.
“You had your run; you get old; you let Klay go. You and Steph are on the backside of your careers; it just passed you by.”
WARRIORS’ STEPH CURRY GETS CANDID ABOUT EVENTUAL NBA RETIREMENT
Barkley kept his foot on the gas.
While he gave the Warriors credit for “one of the greatest runs ever,” he made it clear that Father Time remains undefeated in the paint.
“Sports … listen, sports are for young people,” Barkley added. “You hope to have a great long career, but sports … nobody wins when they’re 37, 38.”
NBA TV analysts Charles Barkley and Chris Webber speak to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green after Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 7, 2017. (John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated)
In predictable fashion, Draymond was unable to stomach the banter.
He waited for the opening and went for the jugular, referencing Barkley’s infamous sunset years in Texas.
“Yeah, I mean, I think the goal is just to not look like you in the Houston Rockets uniform,” Green fired back.
The jab was a direct hit on Barkley’s ring-chasing era in Houston, where the Hall of Famer was famously a shell of his MVP self.
Green then shifted into a rare moment of veteran self-awareness and admitted the Warriors are in a transitional phase, but insisted the pedigree matters more than the box score.
“I think understanding what is success at this point is key for us,” Green explained. “Knowing and understanding that it may not be realistic to win a championship, but can we continue to build to that so that once we leave this organization, it’s still in a great space?”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Despite Draymond’s talk about maintaining a winning pedigree, this year was a harsh wake-up call for the Golden State faithful.
Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors react during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., on March 21, 2026. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
The Warriors’ season went out with a whimper as they finished 10th in the West and were bounced immediately in the play-in tournament.
Barkley might think the light is fading, but Draymond is clearly going to keep swinging on his way out.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
There will be no Triple Crown winner in horse racing this year. There won’t even be an attempt.
Trainer Cherie DeVaux on Wednesday announced Golden Tempo, the horse that made her the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby, would skip the Preakness Stakes next week at its temporary home, Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.
Just hours after Golden Tempo returned to the racetrack at Keeneland for the first time since his victory Saturday at Churchill Downs, DeVaux posted a statement on X.
“After much thoughtful discussion as a team, we have decided that Golden Tempo will bypass the Preakness Stakes,” the statement read.
“We are incredibly appreciative of the excitement and support surrounding the possibility of a Triple Crown run. The enthusiasm from racing fans, our owners, and our entire team has meant more to us than we can properly express. Golden gave us the race of a lifetime in the Kentucky Derby, and we believe the best decision for him moving forward is to give him a little more time following such a tremendous effort. His health, happiness, and long-term future will always remain our top priority.”
The Preakness, set for May 16, is the second leg of the Triple Crown, followed June 6 by the Belmont Stakes, which for the third straight year will be contested in Saratoga, N.Y. Since 1978, the only horses to sweep all three races are American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018.
Golden Tempo is the second straight horse and third in the last five years not to run in the Preakness. Sovereignty, who did not participate last year, won the Belmont and later the Travers and was voted Horse of the Year.
Unlike in the past, trainers almost never run horses with just two or even three weeks’ rest. That has prompted talk that the Preakness — which has been run 14 days after the Derby since 1950 — and Belmont could be moved back to allow horses more time between races. Sports Business Journal reported last month that the Preakness was “set to make a historic shift to one week later,” though many trainers have said that won’t make a difference.
DeVaux was asked the day after the Derby if having the Preakness four weeks after the Derby would make her decision easier.
“I mean, it would make anyone’s decision easier, but that’s not the Triple Crown,” she said. “So, the Triple Crown is hard to win for a reason. And I appreciate the history of it.
“You know, the horses are definitely different. They’re not built the same. They’re not trained the same as back then, but current times have shown that it can be done with the right horse.”
There is no shortage of horses aiming for the Preakness, which is limited to 14 starters. One of those — and the likely favorite if he runs — is Crude Velocity, who won the Pat Day Mile on Saturday at Churchill Downs in just his third career start. But trainer Bob Baffert, who has won the Preakness a record eight times, has yet to decide whether he wants to run the horse in two weeks.
“I’m still on fence,” Baffert said Wednesday via text. “Tempted but I’m not leaning yet.”
The Daily Racing Form reported Ocelli, the maiden who finished third in the Derby, is now expected to run in the Preakness. Trainer Whit Beckman told the Form he had Ocelli jog Wednesday and “he looked better than great.”
Added Beckman: “You wouldn’t know this horse ran Saturday. He’s made of something different. Every indication he’s given me is to point to this race. … We’re having fun, the horse is having fun. If everybody’s having fun, why stop the fun?”
According to a news release from the Preakness, other horses under consideration who didn’t run in the Derby are Chip Honcho, Corona de Oro, Crupper, Express Kid, Great White, Iron Honor, Napoleon Solo, Pretty Boy Miah, Silent Tactic, Taj Mahal, Talkin, Talk to Me Jimmy and The Hell We Did.
The Racing Form reported jockey Jose Ortiz, who rode Golden Tempo to his Derby win, will ride Chip Honcho in the Preakness.
Sports
Joey Chestnut reflects on return to hot dog eating contest after contract dispute, temporary ban
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest two years ago was unusual in that it was missing the greatest competitive eater of all time.
Joey Chestnut, a 16-time winner of the event, was not eligible to participate in 2024 after he signed a deal with Nathan’s rival Impossible Foods. Chestnut was still on the outs months before the 2025 competition when he announced that he and the organizers had found common ground on sponsorships.
That brought Chestnut, now a 17-time winner after taking the belt again last year, back to Coney Island.
Joey Chestnut wins the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returned to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
“It was great. The audience is awesome, it’s electric. It’s good to be back after mending some fences,” Chestnut recently told Fox News Digital. “I do what I love. I got the best job in the world. I get to eat, travel, beat the heck out of people, and meet happy people. So it was great to be back.”
Chestnut’s return to the grand stage was, well, grand. Credit is due to Patrick Bertoletti, who downed 58 dogs and buns in Chestnut’s absence to take home the title two years ago. But Chestnut hasn’t posted a number that “low” since 2010. And while the Coney Island Nathan’s still had a decent crowd, it doesn’t compare to when Chestnut is on stage.
For the greatest of all time, though, it was never about a comeback — just winning and celebrating Independence Day.
“It’s never about me. It’s not even about the hot dogs. It’s the Fourth of July. It’s an eating contest, but really, it’s a Fourth of July celebration, it’s a celebration in New York. And that contest, it’s hard to describe exactly,” Chestnut said.
Joey Chestnut prepares to compete in the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returns to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
JOEY CHESTNUT REVEALS FOODS HE WON’T EAT IN COMPETITION AS HE TOURS MINOR LEAGUE STADIUMS FOR LOCAL DELICACIES
“It’s an event, it’s more than just an eating contest. It’s part of the Fourth of July celebration for New York City, and I’m just a very little part of it. And when it comes to that celebration, I’m very happy that I was able to come back and be part of people’s Fourth of July.”
Chestnut won his first title in 2007, taking down the dynastic eater that was Takeru Kobayashi. Since then, he’s won 17 of the last 18 events he has competed in. Matt Stonie pulled off an upset in 2015.
In his return to Coney Island, Chestnut downed 70 hot dogs, an improvement from the 62 he ate in 2023. So clearly, there are no signs of slowing down. But Chestnut knows time is ticking, and he wants to make the most of it.
“When I was younger, I could gain weight and then lose it really quick. Now, it’s a lot more work, but I still love it. And I know my body,” Chestnut said. “But as long as I’m competitive, as long as it’s fine, and I’m healthy. I’m going to be involved. I was just talking to a guy who, he’s 58 years old and he’s been doing this since I got started. And so he’s still able to do it. I’m like, ‘All right, I can do this.’ I got a couple more years, and we’ll see.”
Joey Chestnut wins the men’s competition at Nathan’s Annual Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City on July 4, 2025. He returned to compete for a 17th win after missing the 2024 event due to a sponsorship dispute with Major League Eating. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“It really is, like, I really feel like it’s one of the best gigs that there is. I get to travel, eat, and, dude, it’s the funniest thing,” Chestnut said. “After I do this eating, I’m all sweaty, greasy, messy, and then people want to take pictures with me. It’s the funnest thing in the world.”
“As long as I can, I’m gonna be doing it.”
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
-
Arizona4 minutes agoWhere to watch Pittsburgh Pirates vs Arizona Diamondbacks: TV channel, start time, streaming for May 7
-
Arkansas10 minutes agoHUNTING: Turkey hunters have more success | Arkansas Democrat Gazette
-
California16 minutes agoCalifornia under pressure — again — as partisan redistricting wars escalate
-
Colorado22 minutes agoRockies’ Michael Lorenzen says he can pitch at Coors Field, despite Mets scoring seven runs on 11 hits in five innings
-
Connecticut28 minutes agoTurning sunny today with a spotty shower tomorrow
-
Delaware34 minutes agoBill to create film tax credit clears Delaware House committee
-
Florida40 minutes agoAre lovebugs coming back to Central Florida!?
-
Georgia46 minutes agoAmerica at 250: Georgia cities like Eatonton restore our faith in democracy