“The logo” has sadly passed away at 86 years old.
Jerry West, one of the greatest and most important figures in NBA history, passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home.
West, one of basketball’s most accomplished players and executives, was a staple of the sport across eight decades, winning nine championships as a player, scout, coach, executive, and consultant.
He played a pivotal role in constructing the Los Angeles Lakers’ 10 titles in the 1980s and 2000s and served as an adviser to the dynastic Golden State Warriors.
Regarded as one of the greatest general managers in NBA history, West’s playing career was just as impressive.
A legend of West Virginia high school and college basketball and co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, West made the All-Star Game each season of his 14-year career, earning 12 All-NBA selections and five All-Defensive nods.
West won a single title in nine trips to the NBA Finals, heartbreakingly losing six title series to Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics.
His Finals MVP award in 1969 remains the only time the honor has been bestowed on a member of the losing team, after he averaged 37.9 points per game in a seven-game loss to the Celtics.
“He took a loss harder than any player I’ve ever known,” the late, legendary Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn once said of West. “He would sit by himself and stare into space. A loss just ripped his guts out.”
A trailblazing scoring guard and relentless competitor, West was a deadly shooter before the invention of the 3-point line.
His most famous shot was a 60-foot buzzer beater that sent Game 3 of the 1970 Finals into overtime against the New York Knicks.
He joined Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the league’s first 25,000-point scorers.
West averaged 27 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds for his career.
The late Hot Rod Hundley once described his fellow West Virginian and Lakers teammate as “the greatest competitor I’ve ever seen. I don’t care what you’re playing, he wants to win. His nickname was ‘Mr. Clutch,’ and he carried that moniker well, because every time we were in that situation, boom, he’d make that shot.”
West’s pursuit of perfection led to unprecedented success as a decision-maker in NBA front offices, twice winning Executive of the Year honors.
First as a scout and then as GM, he helped construct the five-time champion “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s.
Before leaving the Lakers in 2000, West signed Shaquille O’Neal and traded for Kobe Bryant’s draft rights, laying the foundation for another five titles from 2000-10.
After spending five seasons running the Memphis Grizzlies, West retired as a full-time executive at the age of 69 in 2007.
He joined the Golden State Warriors as an executive board member in 2011, famously opposing a would-be 2014 trade of Klay Thompson for Kevin Love and recruiting Kevin Durant in the 2016 offseason.
West left the Warriors after the second of their four championships in 2017 and joined the L.A. Clippers in the same capacity, contributing to the recruitment of Kawhi Leonard and the trade for Paul George in July 2019.
West was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019.
“The greatest honor a man can have is the respect and friendship of his peers. You have that more than any man I know,” Bill Russell told West on “Jerry West Night” at The Forum in 1972.
“Jerry, you are, in every sense of the word, truly a champion. If I could have one wish granted, it would be that you would always be happy.”
Powerful, yet fitting words from the legendary Russell.
RIP to a true legend…
What are your thoughts on West’s epic career?
Where do you rank him among the best players in NBA history???