During his playing days, Jerry West was devastated nearly every year when his Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics. He briefly coached, but given his high-strung nature, that really didn’t suit him in his post-player career.
He worked as a scout until 1982, when he took over as GM.
The Lakers had a nice base with Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon, Michael Cooper, and the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but things changed enormously when L.A. drafted Magic Johnson, and Showtime was born.
Johnson was a 6-9 point guard who could play any position on the court. He had immense charisma, and his teams tended to win.
Los Angeles started to run, and while the main focus was winning, the Lakers introduced a level of entertainment that the basketball world had never seen.
When West took over as GM, he truly found his second career. He drafted James Worthy, but he was part of the decision, and he traded Norm Nixon for Byron Scott.
Later, he would draft A.C. Green, who also did very well.
The Lakers became a globally iconic franchise during the Showtime era, and a measuring stick for every team outside of the Celtics, who had their own identity.
Showtime started to wind down when Jabbar retired in 1989, and when Johnson abruptly retired in 1991, after being diagnosed with HIV, it ended.
It’s been 35 years since Showtime officially ended, and the NBA has still not found anything quite as much fun.
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