DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks entered Wednesday's Game 3 of the NBA Finals trailing the Boston Celtics 0-2. However, both head coaches took some time before the game to share stories about NBA legend Jerry West after “the Logo” passed away on Wednesday.

“The Logo, Jerry was a gentleman to everyone,” Kidd said. “He was the best when you talk about history. And then you talk about the game of basketball and what he stood for. One of the stories is when I was with the Nets and Rod Thorn… We were going to Memphis to play [the Grizzlies], I had never seen a grown man drool before. I asked Rod why was he drooling and he was like, ‘That's my idol.' And I was looking for Michael Jordan but Michael wasn't anywhere close and I said ‘Jerry West?'

“That's when I learned a little bit about West Virginia and it was an incredible moment because I had never seen Rod in awe before. To see Jerry and the way he handled Rod was very impressive. You talk about West Virginia and basketball… It was a historic moment… learning about, I knew about Jerry, but just about West Virginia.”

Joe Mazzulla then shared his Jerry West story before the Celtics-Mavericks Game 3 clash.

“It's tough to lose him,” Mazzulla said. “Pray for… their family. My junior year in college wasn't living up to anyone's standards. I get a call and it's Jerry. Lot of expletives but essentially told me that I was an f-up… just let me have it for like 10-15 minutes. And I thought it was one of the most impactful phone calls that I had really in my life.”

Jerry West is a basketball legend

LA Clippers special consultant Jerry West watches during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The fact Mazzulla and Kidd had such fascinating stories to tell about West reveals just how impactful he was. He was a true basketball legend who loved the game. West was certainly competitive, but also had a good heart.

The series between the Mavericks and Celtics will continue, but the entire league will be thinking about Jerry West moving forward.

“I remember… he had a tough way of showing that he loved you,” Mazzulla continued. “But he was super, super competitive and he really, really cared about you and he showed it in a way that kind of spoke to my language. So he will be missed. Praying for their family.”