Jerry West was more than just a basketball Hall of Fame player: he literally embodied the NBA when he was the inspiration for the league's logo silhouette.
West spent his entire playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a champion with them in 1972, won NBA Finals MVP despite not winning the title in 1969 and was a 14-time All-Star.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers announced that West, who had become a legendary executive in his post-playing career, had died. He was 86 years old.
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Jerry West attends a basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena on April 20, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
“Jerry West, the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him, passed away peacefully this morning at the age of 86,” the team said. “His wife, Karen, was next to him.”
West concluded his playing career averaging 27 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. Among retired players, only Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor had higher averages. West averaged 29.1 points per game in the playoffs; only Jordan had a higher average.
He retired after the 1973-74 season and became the Lakers' head coach two years later. He went 145-101 in his coaching career, but never won a title on the bench.
He moved to the scouting department in 1979 and then became the team's general manager at the start of the 1982-83 season. He was credited with building the Showtime Lakers of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy with Pat Riley roaming the sidelines.
Jerry West, then a member of the Golden State Warriors' executive board, sits on the bench next to NBA logos before the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on March 31, 2015 in Los Angeles. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
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His front office genius didn't stop there, as he was responsible for making a draft day trade with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire Kobe Bryant and lure Shaquille O'Neal away from the Orlando Magic to sign with them. Both acquisitions occurred in 1996. The team won three titles.
Los Angeles Lakers Jerry West, #44, makes a free throw against the Chicago Bulls. (George Long/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
An official Wilson brand NBA basketball is displayed during the game between the Detroit Pistons and the Dallas Mavericks at Little Caesars Arena on March 9, 2024 in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
West attempted to rebuild the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002 to 2007. Pau Gasol emerged as the star of that team. However, after West left, Gasol was traded to the Lakers and helped Bryant and the franchise win another championship.
In 2011, West became a member of the Golden State Warriors' executive board. The team won its first championship in 2015 to start a dynasty led by Stephen Curry and then Kevin Durant. He joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017, turning the team into a perennial contender.
Then-President Trump awarded West the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019.
Then-President Trump (right) presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Jerry West, former National Basketball Association player for the Los Angeles Lakers, during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday, September. , 2019. (Tom Brenner/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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West will perhaps be remembered as the player who helped put the NBA on the map. His legacy on the basketball court and on the board will be remembered forever.
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