Jeanie Buss left Jerry West off her list of 5 most important Lakers ever

Jeanie Buss does not see Jerry West as one of the five most important Los Angeles Lakers ever.

Even though the Los Angeles Lakers have had so many important players, coaches and members in their organization, owner Jeanie Buss does not value what Jerry West did over these five men.

Buss appeared on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, discussing many topics. While her inclusions of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson were obvious, her picking Phil Jackson and LeBron James over the likes of Jerry West, Pat Riley, Shaquille O’Neal and her father Jerry Buss are certainly head-scratching. West might be the most egregious.

How can you trivialize the importance of West to Lakers lore and culture? He is the freaking logo!

Los Angeles Lakers: Jeanie Buss criminally underrates Jerry West all time

Even though the Lakers won titles in Minneapolis before with George Mikan as their star player, West was the straw that stirred the drink in the early years of Los Angeles basketball. Yes, the late Elgin Baylor will always be criminally underrated in basketball lore, but West is one of the most influential men in the history of the NBA. Without him, do the Lakers win any titles in Los Angeles?

West may have only won one during his playing career, but his work in the front office helped set up The Showtime era for success. He was also instrumental in getting O’Neal to leave the Orlando Magic in the mid-1990s. Bryant and O’Neal won three straight NBA championships in the early 2000s. West may work for another organization now, but his impact on the Lakers is undeniable.

With his reach throughout the decades, he is arguably the most important Laker of all time.