If you were surprised to learn that Amazon Prime Video’s Jerry West: The Logo was directed by Kenya Barris, he completely understands.
Barris, best known as the creator of the ABC sitcom Black-ish, didn’t expect this to be his documentary debut either. However, all the stars aligned, resulting in an impressive look at the Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer and legendary executive. The documentary features West’s final extensive interviews before his death in 2024.
We caught up with Barris to discuss Jerry West: The Logo.
Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
Awful Announcing: Could you ever imagine the subject of your documentary filmmaking debut would be Jerry West?
Kenya Barris: “It was crazy. It was as if you happened to get into golf and Tiger asked if you wanted to play a round. It was beyond mindblowing. I felt I owed him a lot for trusting me. And when he passed, I felt I owed a lot to his family.”
How did all this come about?
“Brian Dobbins, who was my manager at the time and a great friend, put me in touch with Propagate and put me up for this project, which I thought I would never get. I met Jerry, and there was a connection between us that I can’t quite explain. He saw something in me, believed I could do this, and let me do it. I will always be thankful to him for that…
“I never thought I’d be in a position to do that. But I’m a lifelong fan of Jerry West, and the iconography he represents is really special to me. It was a lifelong dream of mine to direct documentaries. So to be able to do it for someone I held so close to my heart meant everything.”
How much time did you spend with Jerry West?
“We spent almost four years doing this, and he was with us almost until the end. We would meet with Jerry on and off over the years. We would talk on the phone. We’d speak in person. We’d speak on camera at games, and we had hours and hours and hours of conversations. We went all around the country meeting people. Went to West Virginia. Went to New York. Went to Arizona. Went to Miami. We went everywhere we could to get people who were more than willing to talk to us about someone they respected.”
What kind of person was he?
“The thing people who don’t know Jerry don’t know about him is that he’s so funny. He can be funny with your kids in the most charming, affable way. He can be blue and a guy’s guy. He’s very charismatic and very respectful around women. It was very charming. I got to meet his family, including his lovely wife, Karen, and his sons. He did an amazing job. He’s an amazing person who has built an amazing tribe around him.”
Did you have any idea that these would be his final interviews?
“No, not at all. I mean, he had some health (issues). When I first met Jerry, he was on the verge of 80 and jogging on the treadmill with weights. He had just gotten out of the hospital for a little procedure. He was like, ‘I’m so mad. I’m used to having more weights. My body’s not responding the way I’m used to.’ I was like, ‘Dude, if you ever saw me jogging with weights, that’s probably my jog for the month.’ Jerry was always very much in tune with his body.”
What are the differences between directing a TV show and directing a documentary?
“That is like asking what’s the difference between putting a pot pie in the oven and going to The French Laundry. Documentary filmmaking is something different. The time and passion it takes to make a documentary, I cannot explain. You have to put so much time and work around so many people’s different schedules, and you don’t have the pathway you do in film and television. When I write a script, I know what I’m going to shoot. Now, there may be hard scenes, and there might be a lot of things that have to come together and money spent, but I know what I’m going to shoot. When you’re doing a documentary, you may have an idea of what you want your documentary to be, but you don’t really know what it’s going to be until you’re done.”
What do you consider the most fascinating detail? Is it the story about the Christmas tree and the casket?
“That was it for me, too. This amazing animator, Marc Davis, animated it, and he even said it was hard for him. That anecdote is so dark. It’s also so telling. If that doesn’t give you a picture of where this man came from, I don’t really know what could. I was so happy to have the animation because it really resonated with you.”
Was it difficult to get Jerry West to discuss his mental health?
“In Jerry’s book, he talks very openly about it, so I didn’t feel like I was on eggshells because he was open about it. He understood that this was something he suffered from and that it was something his family had to suffer through as well. I think that was something that made him a great spokesman for mental health. I think that’s the underlying part of this documentary. That means a lot to me. People need to understand that mental health is something we don’t pay enough attention to.”
https://youtu.be/tnqW2_qrRIY?si=KTJFgeGsLkAmvLPw
Did Jerry West comment on the unflattering portrayal of him in Winning Time, and did you consider including it in the documentary?
“I didn’t need to include it in the documentary. It was really about celebrating the life and telling the true story of this guy. But he had a very open battle and beef with HBO. I found the show entertaining, but in getting to know Jerry, I do think they missed the mark on who Jerry West was as a man.”
Do you have another documentary in mind?
“I do. I want to do something for Amazon. I’ll keep it under wraps. I’m doing a sports documentary for them soon. I want to talk about the financial world around sports.”
About Michael Grant
Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.