The passing of NBA icon Jerry West has the basketball world in mourning. The former Los Angeles Lakers star and the man the league patterned its logo after died at the age of 86 on Wednesday. Tributes for West have not stopped pouring in, with everyone remembering the life he had and the tremendous impact on people and on the sport he loved the most.
On Wednesday night, West's family released a statement amid the outpouring of love from everyone (h/t Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN).
“We are overwhelmed by the love, support, and appreciation we have received from friends, colleagues, and basketball fans around the world. Jerry took incredible pride in his life-long association with the NBA. He felt fortunate to have been a player, coach, and executive during a time of explosive growth in the league. Above all else, Jerry cherished the close friendships and mentorships he formed with teammates, coaches and players throughout his 64-year-career. We want to thank you, basketball fans everywhere, for supporting him. You fueled his burning desire to win – he did it for you.”
After news of West's death broke, countless fans and numerous basketball personalities paid homage to the all-time great, including the likes of Lakers superstar forward LeBron James and other LA greats like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and ex-Los Angeles head coach Phil Jackson.
“My mentor, my friend! Hopefully I continue to make you proud!” the four-time league Most Valuable Player said. “You're already missed!”
“The reason Jerry West is the logo for the NBA is because he embodied the qualities we admire in our best athletes: skills as a player, dedication as a teammate, and integrity as a person,” Abdul-Jabbar shared.
“He was my coach, and my advisor, but mostly he was my friend. Today, a part of the continent has broken off and we are all left a little smaller. I know I am. I especially want to send my deepest condolences to Karen and the entire West family,” Abdul-Jabbar added.
“It's a sad day in the NBA. Jerry [West] has been a vibrant, dynamic force in the league for as long as he played, as long as he's coached, and been a general manager,” Jackson reflected.
Jerry West's NBA career
Only an extremely few players in the history of the NBA have a resume to match West's body of work. Although he won just one NBA title — in 1972 when the Lakers defeated the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals — West's accolades can fill a discussion for hours. For starters, West was an All-Star in each of every season of his career in the league, which started in the 1960-61 season to the 1973-74 campaign. Outside of his rookie season with the Lakers, Jerry West never averaged fewer than 20.0 points.
Overall, he put up career averages of 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists through 932 games. He shot 47.4 percent from the field. West's 162.58 career win shares is 22nd on the all-time list — higher than Magic Johnson's and Larry Bird's. His 55.0 percent true shooting percentage could have even been better if the 3-point line existed during his era.
But West was not just all about scoring. He was a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive First Team and he could have had more had the award been introduced earlier. The NBA only started to name All-Defensive Teams players in the 1968-69 season — West's ninth NBA season.
To this day, West remains the only player ever to win an NBA Finals MVP award despite being part of the losing team.
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