West was one of the greatest players in NBA history, redefining the modern shooting guard position in basketball.
Jerry West, an iconic star guard for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1960s who inspired the NBA logo, died Wednesday at age 86, the Los Angeles Clippers announced.
West played for the Lakers from 1960 to 1974, won his only NBA title in 1972 and was co-captain of the team that won the US basketball gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
In later years, West served as an executive with several NBA clubs, most recently with the Clippers.
With impressive speed and quickness and a deft shooting touch, West was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his ability to make shots under pressure.
In the 1969 NBA Finals against the archrival Boston Celtics, he received the Most Valuable Player award even though the Celtics beat the Lakers for the title.
West was a 14-time NBA All-Star and the league's scoring champion in 1970. The Lakers retired his jersey number, 44, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
In 1969, the NBA created its current logo, which was the silhouette of West dribbling a basketball, an image inspired by a photograph of West taken during a game.
Over his career, West averaged 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.
West, who coached the Lakers from 1976 to 1979, would capture eight titles as an NBA executive, five with the Lakers in the “Showtime” era of the 1980s with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He was also an executive for the NBA champions with the Lakers in 2000 and Golden State in 2015 and 2017, before leaving to join the Clippers.
In 2022, West was recognized as a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team during the 71st NBA All-Star Game in Cleveland, Ohio.
From a basketball standpoint, West will be remembered as the player who redefined the standard of talent for the modern game's original two guards (or shooting guards).
The originality of his game and the beauty of his outside jumper served as a prototype for shooting guards for decades to come, and NBA legends such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant cited West's stylistic influence on their own games.
