Jerry West, one of the most important people in the history of NBAhas died at 86 years of age, as confirmed by his wife and the Los Angeles Clippers, the franchise for which he worked. West, who will always be remembered for being the image that illustrates the NBA logo, was a champion with the Lakers, the only franchise with which he played, in 1972. In addition to winning an MVP of the finals in 1969, the first in history, and being named 14 times All Star, 12 times All NBA and a member of the honorary teams of the 35th, 50th and 75th anniversary of the league. As an executive he won eight other rings between Los Angeles and Golden State.
Nicknamed Mr Clutch for his ability to score in the most important moments, West arrived in the league in 1960, chosen by the Lakers still in Minneapolis with the second pick. Along with Elgin Baylor first, and Wilt Chamberlain later, he was a fundamental part of those Lakers that played in nine finals, most of them against Bill Russell’s Celtics. They lost the first eight, but West did not stop trying until he won his first and only ring as a player in 1972. Before, in 1969, he was proclaimed the MVP of the finals in the first edition of the award despite being part of the losing team. . He scored 53, 41, 40 and 42 points although the Lakers allowed themselves to overcome a 0-2 lead in seven gameslosing in Los Angeles.
He played 932 games in his career, always wearing the Lakers’ yellow jersey, averaging 27 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds. He led the league in points (31.3) and assists (9.7) just two years apart, and in steals in the first year they were counted. And he still holds the record for most 40+ point games in the NBA Finals, with 10, two more than LeBron and four more than Jordan. At the end of his career, #44 went straight to the roof of the Forum, the Lakers’ pavilion, where he remains the second highest scorer in history, as well as the third assistant or with the most games played. Since 1980 he has been a member of the Hall of Fame. Because in his history there is also an Olympic gold medal and his university career at West Virginia.
His most famous moment, besides the photo that gave life to the NBA logo, It was the 60-foot shot at the buzzer in the third game of the 1970 finals against the Knicks, a final they ended up losing.. He was the third player to reach 25,000 points, after Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson. And in 1971, after a constant series of injuries and lost finishes, he thought about retiring. It was Bill Sharman, Celtics legend and new coach in Los Angeles who convinced him to continue, and thank goodness. Those Lakers won 33 games in a row, a record still in force, 69 wins in the season and finally got their first ring. His teammate Baylor had decided to retire before the start of the season, losing the seven finals she played; West finally had a title.
Since his retirement, he first spent time on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Lakers bench before pursuing his true passion: offices. He became general manager of the Los Angeles franchise in 1982, helping to build the Showtime Lakers, with Magic Johnson, Kareem and Pat Riley on the bench.and was in charge of bringing, years later, Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac and signing Shaquille O’Neal as a free agent, uniting them with Phil Jackson. In 2000 he left Los Angeles to occupy the same position in the new Memphis Grizzlies.where from 2002 he looked for a way to improve Pau Gasol’s franchise until 2007. He managed to take Memphis to the playoffs for the first time in its history and left just months before the Grizzlies let Pau go to their Lakers.
Tras Memphis, a brief stint at Golden State, where he acted as a board member during Steph Curry’s first ring (2011-2017) and he was a key piece in not transferring the point guard away from the Warriors, and he ended his career with the Clippers. Steve Ballmer managed to give back to Los Angeles, being part of Kawhi Leonard’s free agency process and some of the franchise’s most successful years. Until his death, West remained a board member and outside consultant. In 2019 he received the presidential medal of freedom from Donald Trump for his work for the United States and his constant recognition of war veterans.
Since 2011, West went public with his ongoing struggle with mental health, especially depression, in an autobiographical book. The death of his brother in 1951, in the Korean War, and the constant physical abuse of his father, whom he threatened to kill in his childhood. Basketball was an escape for West, and the Lakers became a family. And today, the basketball family loses a pioneer, one of the first references. Jerry West, Mr Clutch and the NBA logo will remain part of the league for eternity, but now from a better place.
2024-06-12 14:19:42
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