NBA legend Jerry West, whose prolific playing career earned him the league logo and whose basketball knowledge led to multiple championships, died Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers announced.
The 86-year-old had worked as an advisor to the Clippers since 2017.
“Jerry West, personification of basketball excellence and friend to all who knew him, passed away peacefully this morning at the age of 86,” according to the Clippers press release. “His wife, Karen, was by his side.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called West a “basketball genius” and a “defining” figure in the league.
“I have enjoyed my friendship with Jerry and the knowledge he shared with me over many years about basketball and life,” Silver said in a statement. “On behalf of the NBA, we send our deepest condolences to Jerry’s wife, Karen, his family and his many friends in the NBA community.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member was an all-American player at West Virginia University before playing 14 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Despite the fact that West’s career took place during an era when the playoff schedule was much shorter, his name still appears in the NBA playoff record books: 4,457 points (ninth), 1 622 baskets (ninth) and 1,213 free throws (seventh) to name a few. a few.
In the regular season, West made 7,160 free throws, the ninth most.
West’s lasting, multi-generational impact on the sport cannot be understated.
Modern NBA fans know him as “the Logo”, his silhouette being the most visible image in professional basketball.
Baby boomers know West as “Mr. Clutch,” the player always ready to take the game-winning shot. He hit a 60-foot buzzer-beater against the New York Knicks, sending Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals into overtime.
And even older fans might know West as “Zeke from Cabin Creek,” a slightly geographically difficult nickname, since he grew up in Chelyan, West Virginia, not the neighboring town of Cabin Creek.
“Today is one of the saddest days in the history of West Virginia University and West Virginia State,” Wren Baker, WVU athletic director said in a statement. “We have lost the greatest mountaineer of all time and there will never be another Jerry West.”
Before turning professional, West played on what is generally considered the great amateur team in world basketball history, the 1960 gold medal-winning Americans.
Coach Pete Newell selected future Hall of Famers Walt Bellamy, Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson and West for a team that averaged more than 42 points per game that summer in Rome.
West continued his greatness in the professional ranks, leading the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances, winning the title once, in 1972.
He spent nearly two decades in the Lakers front office, serving as general manager and helping build the famous “Showtime” teams.
With West in various leadership positions, the Lakers won NBA titles in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 2000.
West went on to work for the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. He was Golden State’s front office when the Warriors won titles in 2015 and 2017, his seventh and eighth championship titles as an executive.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob grew up in Massachusetts as a fan of West’s arch-rival, the Boston Celtics, but said he was always an admirer of the NBA great.
“To me, he represented basketball. It wasn’t just about the game itself, but he embodied competitiveness,” Lacob said in a statement Wednesday. “He was the most competitive individual I had ever met, settling for greatness. He had to win. It consumed him. He was larger than life. He was an icon.”
Lacob added: “We are devastated by the news of his passing today and send our prayers and support to his wife, Karen, his entire family and the NBA community.”
West won Executive of the Year in 1995 with the Lakers and in 2004 with the Grizzlies.
“Jerry’s four decades with the Lakers also include a successful stint as head coach and a remarkable run in the front office that cemented his reputation as one of the greatest executives in sports history.” , Silver said. “He helped build eight championship teams during his NBA tenure – a legacy of success that reflects his excellence on the court.”
West’s impact on professional basketball can be seen every time an official league statement appears on NBA letterhead or someone swipes on an NBA article.
The red, white and blue logo, designed in 1969 by branding guru Alan Siegel, remains one of the most enduring images in North American sports.
Siegel’s friend and famous sports journalist Dick Schaap handed him a file of NBA photos and an image of West — dribbling with his left hand and driving toward the hoop — jumped out at him.
“I always admired him, but I liked the photo because it was a nice vertical and had that movement,” Siegel told NBA.com in 2021. “I was a fan of his and he was doing part of those people who had an important NBA history.
At the time, Siegel didn’t reveal that West was the inspiration for the famous silhouette, but it was obvious to many fans.
“When designing the logo, I never mentioned that it was based on a photo of him,” he said. “This was discovered years later.”
In recent years, West had become a mental health advocate, speaking openly about his battles with depression dating back to his childhood with an abusive father in poor, rural West Virginia.
“My God, I’ve been through like a lot of people, some really dark times in my life,” West told “The Rich Eisen Show” in 2022.
“I don’t know what triggered this, but let’s go back to some of the things I saw as a child that were not conducive to a loving, nurturing family. It was really difficult for me.
West took great umbrage with the HBO series “Winning Time,” which portrayed him as an out-of-control executive prone to outbursts of rage.
Although HBO has not apologized to West, the network has said that “Winning Time” should be considered more of a dramatization than a documentary.