It is undeniable that Jerry West played an instrumental role in the success garnered by the Golden State Warriors. Not only did the Dubs win two championships under his tenure as a team executive between 2011 and 2017, but the building blocks he helped establish have placed the Warriors in an enviable position in which they are expected to challenge for the NBA title every single season for the foreseeable future.
This is why it came as a surprise when West announced that he was leaving the Warriors franchise and joining the board of Western Conference rivals L.A. Clippers prior to the start of the 2017-18 season.
Some light has been shed on this situation as detailed by Marc Stein in his editorial for the New York Times. According to West himself, his main motivation in turning his back on such a thriving situation is because he felt that he was no longer wanted by the franchise.
“You have to be wanted,” said the 79-year-old Hall of Famer. “Leaving the Warriors was probably the most difficult thing for me in my whole life. I didn’t want to leave. You get to the point where maybe you don’t feel as valued, but it’s just something that happened. I hold no malice toward anyone over there.”
West went on to say that he had a long-standing relationship with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and that given their mutual desire to work together, moving to Los Angeles proved to be the next logical step for his career as a basketball executive.
The Clippers are in the midst of a rebuild after finally shipping off their former franchise player Blake Griffin last February. If West is able to work his magic again for a team that is currently searching for its identity then this would be yet another notch in his already illustrious basketball career.
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