Jerry West has recently passed. West was one of the all-time NBA greats from being a player to an NBA coach for a few years and then a highly decorated executive that led two franchises to NBA titles. Let's pay a tribute to him by ranking his 10 greatest achievements.

10. NBA scoring champion in 1969-1970 season

In the 1969-1970 season, Jerry West was an unstoppable walking bucket. He averaged a solid 31.2 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field overall and 82 percent from the charity stripe. With the highest scoring average per game, West earned his first and only NBA scoring title. As a result, it was easy to see why he was the Lakers' face of the franchise at one point.

9. NBA assists leader in 1971-1972 season

While West was a dangerous scorer, he proved to everyone that he was also an elite passer. In the 1971-1972 season, the Lakers guard displayed his passing skills by averaging a career-best 9.7 dimes per outing. His assists numbers were enough to lead the NBA during the regular season. According to reports, Jerry West is one of only seven players to have claimed scoring and assists titles.

8. NBA All-Star every year of his career

Jerry West has accumulated 14 All-Star Game appearances in his storied NBA career. Although there have been a handful of players who've surpassed that number, not a lot could claim that they made the All-Star Game every year of their respective NBA careers. Based on sources, only five players have accomplished this feat. West joins the company of Yao Ming, Julius Erving, Bob Petit, and Paul Arizin.

7. Highest scoring average in a playoff series

In the 1965 Western Division Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers drew a tough Baltimore Bullets team. In fact, the series went all the way to six games. The Purple and Gold leaned on West's scoring, who came though by averaging 46.3 points per outing, which was a NBA record for the highest scoring average in any playoff series. While scoring, West also averaged 5.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while making 45% of his shots from the field and 90% from the free throw line. The Lakers emerged victorious in six games.

6. Olympic gold medalist

Still an amateur during the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, Jerry West answered the call of national duty to suit up for Team USA. Proudly answering the call, West would lead Team USA past the entire field in dominant fashion. West averaged 13.8 points per game to be the team's third leading scorer. With Team USA's dominance, the team made the nation proud by bringing home the gold medal.

5. Two time Executive of the year

While Jerry West was an effective player on the basketball court, his extensive knowledge of the game transcended to the executive level. After hanging up his basketball sneakers, West returned to the Lakers organization as a general manager to earn his first NBA Executive of the Year Award in 1995 for powering the Lakers back to relevancy.

After a stint with the Lakers, West was hired by the Memphis Grizzlies. Here, West flaunted his magic once again, as he was crowned the NBA Executive of the Year in 2004 for the second time in his career.

4. Presidential Medal of Freedom

Given West's positive impact in basketball, it isn't surprising that the nation honored him for his greatness. In fact, in 2019, President Donald Trump awarded the former NBA champion with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is considered to be the nation's highest civilian honor, which White gladly received inside the White House.

3. 1972 NBA champion as a player

West has only one NBA championship in his career. However, this makes it all the more special. West and the Lakers started their campaign by sweeping the Chicago Bulls in the Western Conference Semifinals before taking care of the Milwaukee Bucks in six games during the Western Conference Finals.

In the 1972 NBA Finals, the Lakers defeated the New York Knicks in five games. West averaged 22.9 points and 8.9 assists per game in the playoffs to lead the playoffs in assists.

2. Eight NBA championships as an executive

Although West only won one NBA championship as a player, he won eight more as an executive. As an executive for the Lakers, he won five during the franchise's Showtime era and an additional one during the Kobe-Shaq era. But when West joined the Golden State Warriors as an executive board member, the Basketball Hall of Famer won two more NBA championships.

1. Only Finals MVP on a losing team

But among his accomplishments, there's no doubt that not a single NBA player has yet to match West's feat of becoming the only NBA Finals MVP from a losing team. Despite the Lakers losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games, the NBA crowned Jerry West as the inaugural Finals MVP. He averaged a monstrous 37.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game.