“It reminds when I used to cover baseball and some ball player would be really p***ed off at a reporter” - Jeff Pearlman says he finds Jerry West’s criticism of HBO’s ‘Winning Time’ surprising

Jerry West is critical of the LA Lakers' portrayal in "Winning Time," but that is surprising to Jeff Pearlman.

Jerry West's character has been one of the most prominent in HBO's "Winning Time" series covering the LA Lakers. However, West has recently been critical of the show, surprising to writer Jeff Pearlman.

In HBO's "Winning Time" series, the story of the LA Lakers dynasty and several of its top players is told through a lens that blends fact and fiction to create a new account. It is similar to works like "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" by Quentin Tarantino.

Despite the show's writers being clear about the story being fictional, some people have been critical of their portrayals on the show. One of the critics is none other than LA Lakers legend and NBA logo Jerry West.

During a recent appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, writer Jeff Pearlman spoke about the situation.

"I find Jerry West to be one of the more lovable characters in the show, I really do. I also saw an interview or I heard an interview recently where he actually said he hadn't watched the show and if that's true that's a little confusing that you're very angry about a show."

Overall, Pearlman can't see how West is upset about the portrayal.

"I just I can't imagine, if you're Jerry West, I just can't. You watch this show beginning to end, you're really upset about your portrayal, I just don't see it."

Part of the reason Jeff Pearlman cannot understand why West feels the way he does about the show is Pearlman's experience as a writer and connection to the show.

Jeff Pearlman compares Jerry West's reaction to that of baseball players during his time covering the game.

Jeff Pearlman wrote the book that HBO's "Winning Time" is based on.

As the original writer of the book that the show "Winning Time" is based on, Jeff Pearlman has a unique perspective on the story being told. Pearlman has also been a sports writer for years and has a solid comparison for Jerry West's critique.

"It reminds me when I used to cover baseball and some ball player would be really p***ed off at a reporter and he'd say I want to talk to Joel Sherman and Joel would come in and say why'd you write that about me and he would say, what are you talking about and he goes I heard you wrote something really bad about me and he was like did you read it? No."

Pearlman's connection to the show and experience as a writer explains his plus one to his television appearance.

Met one of my absolute idols today @ColinCowherd thanks for having me @TheHerd (you are a ⭐️ as well @JoyTaylorTalks ) !!! Also huge huge thank you to @jeffpearlman for making this sensational day happen https://t.co/pIwhwzOPSs

While Pearlman's assessment of the criticism may be legitimate, the legendary sportswriter does have a reason to be biased.