James Myers of OAN
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 8:30 AM
The Los Angeles Clippers announced on Wednesday that Jerry West, considered one of the greatest players in NBA history, has passed away at the age of 86.
advertisement
“Jerry West, the epitome of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him, passed away peacefully this morning at the age of 86,” the team announced. “His wife, Karen, was at his side.”
West, who is the face of the NBA logo and led the Lakers to prosperity as general manager in the 1980s, worked for the Clippers as a consultant.
He was born in West Virginia in 1938 and became a star college basketball player at West Virginia University, where he led the Mountaineers to the national championship game in 1959 and won the Final Four Most Valuable Player award despite losing the game.
The Minneapolis Lakers selected West with the second overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, shortly before the team moved to Los Angeles.
West, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980, was an All-Star every season during his 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances, going 1-8, but was such a good player that he was named Finals MVP in 1969 despite losing. He eventually led the team to a championship in 1972.
The Lakers erected a statue of West outside the Lakers arena and retired his jersey number, 44. West was named to the All-NBA First Team 10 times, the All-Defensive First Team four times and was the NBA’s leading scorer in 1970.
He averaged 27 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds for his career.
After retiring in 1974, West became head coach of the Lakers in 1976 and led the team for three seasons.
The basketball phenom then became a scout for the team before being named general manager in 1982. West went on to form the Showtime Lakers, a team that included Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy, who won five NBA championships in the 1980s.
The Hall of Famer built a Lakers dynasty in the 1990s and early 2000s, hiring Phil Jackson as coach, acquiring Kobe Bryant in a trade and signing Shaquille O’Neal as a free agent.
After winning three consecutive NBA championships in 2002, West left the Lakers to become general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies, leading the team to three playoff appearances in five seasons.
He then joined the Golden State Warriors’ board of directors in 2011 before joining the Clippers in 2017.
West, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019, has two sons, Johnny and Ryan, with his second wife Karen, and three sons, David, Mark and Michael, with his first wife Martha.
Stay up to date! Receive the latest news directly in your email for free. Sign up here: https://www.oann.com/alerts
Please share this post!
