In Jerry West‘s recent comments about free agency on The TK Show with Tim Kawakami, he surprised many reflecting on his own career. The NBA logo man, who also helps the Golden State Warriors as an executive board member, also made some candid comments about Kevin Durant‘s free agency decision – including calling out NBA commissioner Adam Silver for his negative comments on Durant's decision.

West passionately explained that it was well within Durant's rights to change employers when the opportunity presented itself – unlike when he was a player.

In fact, NBA free agency did not begin until 1998, when Oscar Robertson fought for the right for players to decide their teams of choice – and West is happy about it.

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Former Phoenix Suns forward Tom Chambers explains what it was like.

“There was no such thing as free agency. If a team had you, then you had to sign with that team unless they traded you. You really couldn’t move. There was no movement at all. Therefore, contracts were kind of locked into what you could make.”

West has been on both sides of the ball as an executive and as a player, and his attitude towards free agency has always been that players should be able to choose what they want to do.

“It’s easy to say after the fact, but players have earned the right to go where they want to go.”