The basketball community lost a legend on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Clippers announced the passing of Jerry West. West’s achievements extend far beyond his playing career and executive roles. Remarkably, his silhouette has been immortalized as the NBA logo.
West has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three different times, with two of those coming as a legendary player. He was named to the All-Star team every single year of his career, and he also guided the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Final nine times.
While his nine appearances in the NBA Finals only led to one title, he was largely carrying an entire team for most of those times, In fact, he remains the only player to win the NBA Finals MVP Award while playing for the losing team.
He became the third player in league history to score at least 25,000 points in a career, and he played alongside legends Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain. Not only was he a prolific scorer throughout his career, but he was great at setting up his teammates as well.
West was unable to lead his team past the Boston Celtics as the Lakers went 0-6 against them in the NBA Finals appearances. He remains the all-time leader in total points in the NBA Finals, and has several other records as well.
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Jerry West Dies: Many Stars Pay Tribute
The NBA held a pregame ceremony ahead of Game 3 of the Finals on Wednesday night. Commissioner Adam Silver delivered a statement after the news of his passing, acknowledging just how important he is to the fabric of the league.
Following the NBA news, a flood of social media posts honoring him erupted from current and retired players. The Los Angeles Clippers released the first statement about the shocking news that Jerry West Dies, and noted that he died with his wife Karen by his side.
Even though West has been working with the Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers also spoke about his legacy with their team. Michael Jordan is not someone who comments much on the current happenings of the NBA, but he released a statement after his death as well.
West was one of the former players that was able to build a relationship with the current players, and he always commanded their respect. A great loss to the NBA, but his memory and the legacy he built will endure.
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A Great Executive
West has always been someone who has remained around the league, and it didn’t take him long to find some success as an executive as well. He helped build the famous “Showtime” Lakers in the 1980s, and that team went on to win five titles.
West also helped put together the dynamic duo of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal and was around for the 2000 championship. In the last few years of his life, he was working as an executive for the Los Angeles Clippers, and helped take that team to the 2021 Western Conference Finals.
He also spent time with the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, and helped turn those franchises around as well. His legendary playing career began at the University of West Virginia where he scored nearly 25 points per game.
He also competed for the United States Olympic team in 1960, helping to guide the team to the win with another legend, Oscar Robertson. His autobiography, “West by West: My Charmed Tormented Life,” he described his tough life growing up with an abusive father.
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