Jerry West demands retraction after portrayal in 'Winning Time'

There are TV viewers out there who are enjoying the new HBO series "Winning Time: The Rise Of The Lakers". Jerry West is definitely not one of them.

According to ESPN, the former Los Angeles Lakers executive is demanding a retraction and an apology in a letter sent by his legal team this week, calling his portrayal in the series "a baseless and malicious assault" on his integrity.

"The portrayal of NBA icon and L.A. Lakers legend Jerry West in 'Winning Time' is fiction pretending to be fact -- a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family," Skip Miller, an attorney for West, said in the letter obtained by ESPN. 

"Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA's success. It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology and at the very least should retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him."

Fans of the show have praised Jason Clarke's portrayal of The Logo, calling him one of the top reason's to watch the new series from Adam McKay. West's legal team, on the other hand, is saying the show "falsely and cruelly portrays Mr. West as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic" instead of the real person.