Jerry West
* Executive vice president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Home Away From Home: During the NBA season, many of my Friday and Sunday nights are spent at the Great Western Forum with my family. My two younger boys--Ryan, 19, and Jonnie, 10--attend most every game, and my older boys--David, 38; Michael, 36; and Mark, 35--come to as many games as they can.
Home Team: When we have a Friday evening free, my wife, Karen, and I go out to an early dinner by ourselves or with good friends to Toscana in Brentwood. We are generally home by 10 p.m. We are pretty much a stay-at-home family, and Jonnie and Ryan like to have their buddies spend the weekend. We often refer to our house as the YMCA, as we normally have sleeping bags and beds full.
Sports Center: Saturdays are usually spent going to the boys’ games. I’ll usually slip away in the afternoon to Bel-Air Country Club for a few hands of cards or to hit golf balls. The boys and I really enjoy WWF wrestling, so whenever there is a match in town, we go. We haven’t been able to talk Karen into going to a match. She’s not quite cultured enough!
On the Town: We always go out to dinner with the boys on Saturday night. Our favorite place to eat is Dan Tana’s, but the boys also like Il Forno, Ivy at the Shore and Benihana.
Quiet Time: Sunday is a real lazy day for us. When Karen can talk us into it, we go out for breakfast, sometimes at the kids’ favorite spot, IHOP, but she rarely gets us moving once the TV goes on. I like to watch sports while working out the first thing in the morning. On nice days I enjoy reading the newspaper or a good book--I’m an avid reader--in the backyard. We sometimes all go to a matinee on Sunday, but not as often as we’d like.
Winding Down: We normally have dinner at home on Sundays, and more often than not we barbecue. We usually enjoy the company of one or more of the older boys and their wives, or other family members and friends. We try to make Sunday a fairly early evening. We flop on the bed in our room with the younger boys to read, play a board game or watch TV.