Basketball icon Jerry West, who won nine total NBA titles as a player and an executive, passed away on Wednesday. He was 86 years old.
West was widely regarded as one of the best guards of all time. He joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1960, when they selected him with the second overall pick in that year’s draft. He was the first-ever draft pick of the Lakers after they relocated to Los Angeles.
West was named an All-Star in every season of his 14-year career, making the Lakers perennial contenders throughout the 1960s and early ’70s. He was also a prolific scorer, averaging 27 points per game, including more than 30 PPG in four separate seasons. He won the first-ever NBA Finals MVP Award in 1969, but the Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics in the Finals that year. He finally got over the hump in 1972, winning his first and only title as a player.
Two years after his retirement, West became the Lakers’ head coach in 1976. He transitioned into a front-office role in 1979, becoming the team’s general manager. He arguably had the best career ever for an NBA executive, building the Showtime Lakers that won five NBA titles in the 1980s. He remade the Lakers again in the late 1990s, signing Shaquille O’Neal, trading for Kobe Bryant on draft night in 1996 and hiring Phil Jackson. He won six total titles as an executive with the Lakers before departing the franchise in 2000.
West continued to work in front offices around the league following his departure from the Lakers. He worked as the Memphis Grizzlies’ general manager for five years (2002-07). He joined the Golden State Warriors’ front office in 2011, helping the franchise win two titles before his departure in 2017. He most recently worked with the LA Clippers, joining the team as a consultant in 2017. He worked for the Clippers at the time of his death.
The most notable thing about West though for many basketball fans is his claim as the NBA’s logo. The NBA logo is a silhouette of West dribbling a basketball, which was introduced by the league in 1969. West was appropriately nicknamed, “The Logo,” as a result.
West leaves behind his wife, Karen. He also had five sons between two marriages.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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