Jerry West, 1938-2024

Jerry West has passed away.

The man who became the NBA logo in 1969, synonymous with basketball fans worldwide, was 86 years old.

West's legacy is far-reaching and thorough, both as a player and as an executive.

Known as "Zeke from Cabin Creek", an ode to his West Virginia roots, West was born May 28, 1938 in Chelyan, W.V., and grew up in a tough household - basketball one of his lone sanctuaries and outlets.

West stayed local for college, playing four years at West Virginia University, and was the 1959 Final Four Most Outstanding Player. In 1960, he led the USA Men's Olympic Basketball Team in Rome, Italy. West, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, and Walt Bellamy were the future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers on the squad, a team that on its way to gold averaged a 42.4-point margin of victory.

West was the second overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft by the Minneapolis Lakers, who moved to Los Angeles that off-season. West formed a quick bond with superstar teammate Elgin Baylor, a bond that grew into a lifelong friendship. Together, the duo led the team to five NBA Finals appearances from 1962-1968. In 1969, West and Baylor welcomed Wilt Chamberlain to Los Angeles, and the team made four Finals appearances in the next five years (1969, 1970, 1972, 1973). In 1969, West became the only player to win the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award while on the losing team. Playing through a leg injury, he averaged 37.9 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds on 49 percent shooting from the field in the seven-game defeat to the Boston Celtics. In Game 1, he scored 53 points and put up 42 in Game 7.

In the 1971-1972 season, West led the Lakers to a then-record 69-13 mark, including a still standing 33 consecutive-game winning streak. West averaged 25.8 points per game, and led the league in assists with 9.7 per game. Back-court mate Gail Goodrich averaged 25.9 points. The Lakers defeated the New York Knicks 4-1 in the Finals that spring, West winning his lone title.

West stamped his final season of 1973-1974 with yet another all-star appearance, his 14th in his 14 NBA seasons. His 27.0 point per game average for his career is currently the eighth-most in history, and his 25,192 career points are the 28th-most in history. He also averaged 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds for his career, and was a very capable free-throw shooter at 81.4 percent.

As an executive, West is also one of the best ever, playing a crucial role in eight championships - six with the Lakers (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987-1988) and two with the Golden State Warriors (2015, 2017). He was a two-time Executive of the Year (1995, 2004). Among his shrewd draft decisions were drafting James Worthy (1982) and trading for Kobe Bryant in the 1996 NBA Draft, while also bringing Shaquille O'Neal to Los Angeles that same summer - the Bryant and O'Neal pairing forming the cornerstone for Laker titles in 2000, 2001, and 2002.. He also served as General Manager of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002-2007, the Grizzlies enjoying three-consecutive playoff appearances from 2003-2006, including a 22-game turnaround from 2002 to West’s first season in 2003 (28 to 50 games). He was an executive board member for the Warriors from 2011-2017 and had held the same role for the Los Angeles Clippers since 2017, playing a part in bringing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the Clippers.

"The Logo" and "Mr Clutch" had one of the smoothest jump shots in history - one of the best pull-up jump shots. His point-per-game averages without a three-point line are truly impressive.

In addition to his 14 All-Star appearances and Finals MVP, West made 10 All-NBA First Teams (1962-1967, 1970-1972), two second teams (1968-1969), and made five All-Defensive Teams, four of which were first team from 1970-1973. In the 1969-1970 season, he led the NBA in scoring with an average of 31.2 points on 49.7 percent shooting. In 1965-1966, he averaged 31.3 points per game, and averaged over 30 four times in his career. He was a 1980 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player, in 2010 as part of the 1960 Olympic team, and is part of the 2024 class as a contributor. He is the only person to be in the Hall as both a player and contributor.

It has been a tough month for the NBA family, with the passings of Chet Walker, Bill Walton, and now West. West, along with the likes of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Oscar Robertson, was part of the first collection of NBA megastars.

At the 2018 All-Star Legends Brunch in Los Angeles, West received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Earlier in the brunch, he walked by me, about 20 feet or so in front, flanked by two members of event security. Starstruck was an understatement. I quickly texted a friend “Jerry West just walked by.”

I wonder if I’ll ever be in the presence of that magnitude of a legend again.

Rest In Peace, Jerry West.