NBA legend Jerry West, known for being the NBA's logo, has passed away. He was 86 years old.
West had a magnificent 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers that spanned from 1960-61 through 1973-74. He made the All-Star team every season and boasted career averages of 27 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds over 39.2 minutes per game. He shot 47.4 percent from the floor and 81.4 percent from the free-throw line.
He is a Hall of Famer (for three different honors, actually) and is widely viewed as one of the best players to ever step on the hardwood.
West won one championship in 1972 and participated in nine NBA Finals. He is the only player in league history to win Finals MVP in spite of being on the losing team, which he did in 1969. He won the scoring title during the 1969-70 campaign when he averaged 31.2 points a night. West also never won an MVP, but he finished second in the voting five times and was in the top five on eight occasions.
Jerry West was just as good of an executive
While most know West for his incredible playing days, he was just as good as an NBA executive.
Actually, he may have been even better as an exec.
West became general manager of the Lakers in 1982 and helped build the franchise's '80s dynasty that delivered five championships between 1980 and 1988. He was not Los Angeles' GM for the first two titles in 1980 and 1982, but he played a significant role in helping add three more rings in 1985, 1987 and 1988.
It didn't stop there, though.
In the mid '90s, West built an impressive Lakers squad that would eventually add Shaquille O'Neal in free agency during the summer of 1996. That same offseason, West traded Vlade Divac for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant.
That was the start of another dynasty in Tinseltown, as Los Angeles won three straight NBA championships between 2000 and 2002. West stepped down from his executive role in 2000, but he laid the groundwork for the three-peat.
West then took over as Memphis Grizzlies general manager from 2002 through 2007, and while he didn't win a title there, he took a franchise that was a bottom feeder and had never made the playoffs and led it to three consecutive postseason appearances between 2004 and 2006.
Following his stint with the Grizzlies, West took a hiatus before becoming an executive board member with the Golden State Warriors in 2011. He remained with the Warriors through 2017 and helped build yet another dynasty, as the Warriors ended up hanging a couple of banners during West's stay and then two more in 2018 and 2022. West played a significant role in developing those Golden State squads.
The legend then decided to jump over to the Los Angeles Clippers in June 2017, which is where had been serving as an executive board member and consultant ever since.
West was unable to help guide the Clippers to the same sort of success he experienced with the Lakers and the Warriors, but there is also no doubt that his tremendous basketball mind helped keep the Clips relevant throughout his tenure.
Jerry West is unquestionably one of the best NBA executives ever.
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