Chapter 5 Foxbat

Many years later, Jerry West mentioned in his autobiography that he was drawn to Ah Gan's powerful personal charm and decided to go to Portland to carve out a new career.

He also claimed that as long as Ah Gan was in Portland, he would be in Portland; if Ah Gan left, he no longer wished to stay in Portland.

However, Tang Jianguo argued that there were two main reasons for Jerry West's move to Portland.

One was financial, as West had given most of his assets to his ex-wife, Jane, during their divorce, and was raising his three sons on his own.

This put a great financial strain on West, and from 86-89, the Lakers had not won a championship, so West hadn't received the bonuses and dividends promised by Buss.

Tang Jianguo was willing to offer West a very high salary, believing the benefits West would bring would far exceed his wages.

The other was a public relations issue, where Jerry Buss showed his fickle nature in dealing with West.