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On Wednesday, the NBA lost one of its biggest legends, Jerry West. West passed at the age of 86. The Impact of Jerry West has been felt throughout the league for nearly seven decades. A three-time Hall of Famer, West has played a role at nearly every level in the league.
As a Player
After three great years at West Virginia University, West would be the second overall pick of the 1960 draft, drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers shortly before the teams moved to Los Angeles. West would spend all 14 years of his NBA career with the Lakers, playing over 900 regular season games with the team. Throughout his career, West would average 27.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.7 APG, and 2.6 SPG. West would go to the Finals nine times with the Lakers as a player, winning his only championship as a player in 1972. West would not win the Finals MVP that year but would be the only player to win a Finals MVP while being on the losing side, winning the award in 1969.
In addition to his Finals MVP and championship, West had numerous accolades during his time as a player. He would be an All-Star every year of his career and would be All-NBA 12 of his 14 seasons in the league. While he never won an MVP award, he would receive votes in 10 seasons and would finish top three in voting five times. He would also help the United States win the gold medal in basketball at the 1960 Olympics.
As an Executive
Following a short coaching stint with the Lakers following his retirement, West would have a short stint as a scout before becoming general manager of the Lakers before the 1982-83 season. West would previously turn down another stint as coach, pushing former teammate Pat Riley as the true head coach of the team. West would play a significant role in the Lakers ‘Showtime” era, building championship teams around Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, leading to five championships and eight total finals appearances in the 1980s.
After the team struggled for a handful of years following the end of the ‘Showtime’ era, West would make two moves that would change the course of the franchise for the next 20+ years. In the summer of 1996, West signed a young superstar Shaquille O’Neal, coming off several frustrating seasons with the Orlando Magic. Just a few weeks before that on draft night, the Lakers would draft 18-year-old Kobe Bryant after making a deal to land the Charlotte Hornets 13th overall pick in the draft.
Building the foundation of another dynasty, West would only see the Lakers win the first championship of threepeat between 2000 and 2002. West would leave the team as GM, sighting frustrations. He would win six championships as the Lakers GM. He would join the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002, citing wanting a challenge by building a team from the ground up. He would spend five seasons with the team, winning his second Executive of the Year award in 2004.
As an Executive Board Member and Consultant
West would come back to the NBA in 2011, joining the Golden State Warriors as an executive board member. One of the biggest stories to come from West’s stint with the Warriors was West threatening to leave the team if the Warriors had made the rumored trade of Klay Thompson for Kevin Love in 2014. He would also play a significant role in the Warriors landing Kevin Durant in the 2016 offseason. West would win two more championships as an executive with the Warriors.
In his last role within in the NBA, West would return to Los Angeles but would be joining the Clippers. Even though he publicly stated he was interested in returning to the team, the Lakers would hire Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to run the team instead of West. He would later join the Clippers as an executive board member and consultant, playing a significant role in the team landing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the summer of 2019.
Overall Impact
Jerry West’s legacy in the basketball world will never be matched. A part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, West is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. His contributions to the NBA have been felt since 1960 at every level of the game. He has contributed to nine championships as a player and executive. The NBA logo, which has been around since 1969, was inspired by West, giving him the nickname “The Logo.” An icon of the game on the court and in the front office, there will never be another player like Jerry West.
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