Westward
Westward
Westward chronicles the history of basketball in the NBA and how the city of Los Angeles not only saved the fledgling league by bringing the Lakers from Minneapolis, but gave birth to the modern NBA with “Showtime.” Told through the lens of Jerry West, who helped build the dynasty of the Lakers, “Westward” now follows the former Hall Of Famer as he attempts to build a dynasty with L.A.’s other NBA…Social links:
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Bonus Episode Two: Interview with Jerry West
At the center of the podcast series "Westward" has always been Jerry West. This bonus episode features raw audio of original interviews with the basketball legend as he talks about a variety of subjects, from his days with the Lakers and stories about some of his fondest moments with icons like Ric…
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Bonus Episode One: Michael Cooper and Sam Watson
Bobby Glanton-Smith hosts a special bonus episode with two rare interviews with Los Angeles icons, former Laker great Michael Cooper and professional boxing's Sam Watson. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
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Episode Ten: Season Interrupted
As the Clippers and Lakers head towards the 2019-20 playoffs, the unprecedented happens when the NBA suspends all games due to the Coronavirus. During the lockdown, players across the league join a crusade for social justice in the Black Lives Matter movement after a number of tragedies involving p…
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Episode Nine: The Mamba and the Mongoose
The city of Los Angeles and the world, is left in shock after the sudden death of Kobe Bryant. Friends of former superstar, George Lopez and Byron Scott, share some of their stories and Jerry West reflects on what Kobe meant to him. Episode chronicles Kobe Bryant's unlikely landing to L.A. and how …
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Episode Eight: The Guy is Kind of Weird
In 1981, while the “Showtime” era was in the early stages of launching the entire league into the stratosphere of cultural and commercial relevance the San Diego Clippers under Irv Levin, make a final play for NBA dominance when they make the ill-fated trade for center Bill Walton, a San Diego-nati…
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Episode Seven: It's Showtime
Long before Jerry Buss came up with the idea of “Showtime,” there was a coin toss that gave the Lakers the Number One pick in the 1979 Draft. Misfortune then strikes the new Jerry Buss-owned Lakers twice, but with interim coach Paul Westhead, the team goes on to make history on and off the court. …
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Episode Six: Fine by Me
The roots of the troubled Los Angeles Clipper franchise are traced back to Buffalo, where, as the Braves, the team is sold and then swapped for another franchise. The new team relocates to San Diego and rebrands itself as the Clippers. But the team continues to struggle as the NBA as a whole goes t…
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Episode Five: This Will Be a War
After losing Elgin Baylor to retirement just weeks into the ‘71-‘72 season, the Lakers go on an historic winning streak, culminated by their first championship in L.A. Jerry West bonds with Wilt Chamberlain. But while West and the Lakers were making history, the team that would become the Los Angel…
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Episode Four: In the Middle of Crenshaw and Watts
While the Laker franchise tries to heal after their sixth loss to the Celtics in the Finals, the city of Los Angeles tries to heal in the wake of the Watts Rebellion. Amidst the racial strife, the league suffers with both sponsors and national relevance. Owner Jack Kent Cooke then makes the trade t…
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Built on a Fault Line
The Lakers take a massive step forward in building a championship team when drafting Jerry West in 1960. Together with Elgin Baylor, the pair begin a furious decade-long struggle to wrest basketball supremacy from the East coast stranglehold of the Boston Celtics. In the middle of this struggle, th…
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