Jerry West, the legendary player and executive whose silhouette is the inspiration for the NBA logo, died at the age of 86, the Clippers announced Wednesday.
West played 14 years in the NBA, all for the Lakers, after he was selected with the No. 2 overall pick by the team in the 1960 NBA Draft. He was a 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection and four times finished as the runner-up in MVP voting.
Though West never won a title as a player, he was named the 1968-69 NBA Finals MVP. In the seven-game series defeat to the Celtics, he averaged 37.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49 percent from the field. He led the league in scoring the following season with 31.2 points per game. For his career, he averaged 27 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds, all coming prior to the 3-point line.
Following his playing career, he coached Los Angeles for three seasons, going 145-101 from 1976-79. He moved on to become the general manager for the team ahead of 1982-83, and is largely credited as turning the Lakers into a dynasty in the 1980s as he guided the team to four titles and four more Western Conference championships during his 18 years at the helm.
West was the general manager for the final year with the Lakers in 1999-2000, but his moves in the late 1990s set the stage for the 2000s Lakers’ dynasty. In 1996, West traded Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the No. 13 pick in the draft, which the Lakers used on Kobe Bryant. That same offseason, Los Angeles signed Shaquille O’Neal with the salary cap space freed up by moving on from Divac. Before the 1999-2000 season, West hired Phil Jackson to be the coach.
With the core of O’Neal, Bryant and Jackson, the Lakers won NBA Finals in 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02. Bryant and Jackson later won back-to-back titles in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
He was named the general manager of the Grizzlies in 2002-03 and held the role for five seasons before retiring. He worked as a board member for the Warriors for six years and was a consultant and board member of the Clippers from 2017 until his death.
Jerry West tributes
Jerry West lived a profound basketball and American life — iconic as a player, executive and looming figure in the history of the game. He was an MVP, a champion, a gold medalist, a dynasty-builder and literally the league’s logo. His loss leaves a massive void. pic.twitter.com/vE3fQc5XuE
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 12, 2024
Prayers up for the family, friends and loved ones of the legendary Jerry West who passed away today at the age of 86. His impact was enormous and the man who is the NBA logo will never be forgotten. RIP pic.twitter.com/jbhyNzhnI0
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) June 12, 2024
Mike Greenberg announces the death of Jerry West on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’: “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but one of the greatest figures in the history of American sports, one of the greatest players and one of the most important people in the history of basketball in this or… pic.twitter.com/xbWEB8t8Kd
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 12, 2024
RIP to Jerry West. The Logo was not only a legendary basketball player but a legendary executive. Jerry West had a presence every time he walked into any arena that only an elite few had. Always enjoyed seeing him pulling players aside to give them words of wisdom about the game. pic.twitter.com/d29ZkS2zCx
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) June 12, 2024
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on the passing of Jerry West: “The NBA is the place it is today because of Jerry West. That’s not a passing comment. He’s a foundational core of the league for 60-plus years.” pic.twitter.com/JsRvqV6VZV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 12, 2024
WVU legend.
Rest easy Logo, you done good. https://t.co/3dWesTv6ZC
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 12, 2024
This post will be updated.
