LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Jerry West, a Hall of Fame basketball player, legendary team executive and the inspiration/image for the silhouette NBA logo, died on Wednesday morning. He was 86.
West won nine NBA championships as a player, scout, coach, executive and consultant during a storied career that spanned eight decades. Nicknamed “Mr. Clutch,” West was an All-Star during each season of his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the club win the title in 1971-72.
The initial announcement of West’s death came from the Los Angeles Clippers basketball team.
“This is a hard day,” stated Clippers team owner and governor Steve Ballmer. “I am honored to call Jerry a confidant, an advisor and a friend. Connie, my wife, called him my ‘basketball dad.’ He was absolutely my basketball sage: wise, loyal and so much fun. If you were in his presence, you felt his competitiveness and his drive. He cared about everything and everyone.
“From the first day I met Jerry seven years ago, he inspired me with his intellect, honesty and enthusiasm. He never stopped. I spent a lot of time with him, some of the best times of my life. He always lent an ear, and he always had a quip. He always left me laughing. I will miss him.”
West was named the MVP for the 1969 NBA Finals despite playing on a losing team. He scored 42 points in Game 7, however the Lakers fell to the rival Boston Celtics.
A 12-time All-NBA selection, West found much more success after retiring from a career on the court.
He helped the “Showtime” Lakers win five titles in the 1980s and oversaw the formation of the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant tandem. In a rebirth of the franchise’s glory days, the All-NBA duo led the Lakers to three straight titles (2000-02).
West became an adviser for the Clippers in 2017, and the club reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history in 2021. He was a two-time executive of the year.
He went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again 30 years later as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team. He also was name to the Hall as a contributor.
–Field Level Media
Note: Jerry West is pictured in the NBA at 75 celebration, front row, third from left.