Added to the sadness was strangeness.
The announcement of the death of the greatest Laker was made by the Clippers.
“Jerry West, the personification of basketball excellence and friend to all who knew him, passed away peacefully this morning at the age of 86,” read the department’s Wednesday morning statement. communication of the Clippers.
The Clippers loved and were loved by Jerry West, and he was treated with the utmost dignity and respect during his seven years as an advisor.
But he will always remain a Laker.
He made the Lakers a Southern California institution as a player. He built and maintained the Lakers’ greatness as their general manager.
Sankara XT stops to photograph a statue of Jerry West at the Crypto.Com Arena after hearing the news of his death on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
He was their conscience. He was their heartbeat. He was their soul. He was the most important person to ever walk through the doors of their gym.
But ultimately, for various reasons, the basketball genius and his creation parted ways.
West left the Lakers 24 years ago and never returned.
It was still weird, the best executive in sports history living down the street from an organization he helped make into the most famous in sports…and yet they weren’t talking.
The Lakers struggled after the Shaquille O’Neal trade while West watched from Memphis. The Lakers were adrift during Kobe Bryant’s final years while West watched from Golden State. The Lakers were fading in the early years of LeBron James while West watched from the Clippers.
He was so close and yet so far.
The Lakers honored him with a statue in 2011 during an event attended by owner Jerry Buss and all manner of Lakers royalty. But they continued on their separate paths until his death on Wednesday poignantly reminded everyone of their divorce.
The Clippers were the first to issue a statement early Wednesday morning, saying: “The Clippers have lost a mentor, a confidant and a friend. »
At the same time, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer released his own statement, writing: “From the first day I met Jerry seven years ago, he inspired me with his intellect, his honesty and his enthusiasm. He never stopped. I spent a lot of time with him, some of the best times of my life. He always listened attentively and always made a joke. He always made me laugh. I will miss him.”
The Lakers’ statement came later, saying in part: “Jerry West is forever a basketball icon…Jerry West will always be a Lakers legend.” »
It was good, but it was four sentences and there was no personalized tribute from a Lakers official until Jeanie Buss posted a short statement on Instagram early this afternoon .
“Today is a difficult day for all Laker fans. I know if my dad were here, he would say that Jerry West was at the heart of everything that made the Lakers great. He was an icon to everyone, but he was also a hero to our family. We all send our sympathies to Karen and the West family.
Again, it was good, but compared to the Lakers’ tributes to fallen stars like Elgin Baylor and Tex Winter, the team’s response was disappointing for a man who deserved so much more.
Jerry West was essentially the first overall draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers, as he was the first round selection of the Minnesota Lakers shortly before their move to Los Angeles.
It was West and Elgin Baylor who became this city’s first professional basketball stars. It was West’s 63-foot field goal in overtime in the 1970 Finals against the New York Knicks that became one of this city’s first great sporting moments.
He had this city’s first major sporting nickname: “Mr. Clutch.” He earned arguably the highest honor of any athlete in this city’s history: His silhouette is the NBA logo.
Lakers star Jerry West shoots a free throw during a 1973 game against the Chicago Bulls.
(Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima)
Then, after 15 years as the Lakers’ star player, he became this city’s first dynasty builder, nurturing the “Showtime” era, then personally building the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant era by signing Shaq and by trading for Kobe.
Byron Scott tweeted: “It’s because of Jerry West that there even was ‘Showtime’.”
Magic Johnson tweeted: “Laker Nation, the only reason we have 17 championships is because of Jerry West and his expertise in recruiting players, trading players and hiring the right coaches. »
This expertise has been sorely missed by the Lakers in recent years. In fact, it’s one of two events that led to the current struggles of the once-strong front office.
You could say the slow slide began with the departure of Jerry West and the death of Jerry Buss.
When West abruptly left the organization after the 2000 championship, he said his body could no longer handle the stress.
“Everything here has taken its toll,” he told me at the time. “You see my outside, but you don’t see my inside, and it’s just horrible in there.” This compulsion to win is an illness.
But it wasn’t just about winning, it was about how they won. Coach Phil Jackson was given more power. He was also dating the owner’s daughter, which gave Jackson greater stature. West grew increasingly uncomfortable with a dynamic that seemed to marginalize his presence.
When West talked about “All Here…” a lot of it was centered around Jackson and Buss.
As the years went by, West became more bitter and the Lakers became more irritated by his bitterness, and after the death of Jerry Buss in 2013, West’s ties to the club seemingly disappeared forever.
Jerry West, right, speaks during a press conference while Clippers coach Doc Rivers laughs during a 2017 press conference.
(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
One of the final breaking points came in 2017, when Jeanie Buss gutted the front office and hired Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson to run the team. West had publicly stated that he would be interested in returning home to join them, but nothing was offered and so he joined the Clippers.
During his Clippers introductory press conference, he took a veiled shot at the Lakers, saying, “My last stop along the way, (I want) to be associated with people who are truly basketball fans- ball, people I have respect for and, most importantly, I think, an incredible owner.
Four years later, the relationship was ruined forever when, on a podcast, Jeanie Buss named her five most important Lakers of all time.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, LeBron James and Phil Jackson.
West, arguably the most important Laker of all time, wasn’t even on the list and he was furious. He was so insulted that he told a media outlet that he sometimes wished he had never played for the Lakers.
“One disappointing thing (about my career) is that my relationship with the Lakers is horrible,” West said in an interview with The Athletic in 2022. “I still don’t know why. And at the end of the day, when I look back, I say to myself, “Well, maybe I should have played somewhere else instead of with the Lakers, where someone would have at least appreciated how much you gave, how much you care.” »
To all this animosity, add the fact that in 2019, the Lakers parted ways with West’s son Ryan, who was their director of player personnel. Then there was Jerry West’s claim that the Lakers had taken away his season tickets, which annoyed him even more.
In Wednesday’s gloom, it was inspiring to see how the Clippers stood by Jerry West, with lengthy tributes not only from Ballmer, but also team president Lawrence Frank and coach Tyronn Lue.
But it was equally sad to see how detached West seemed from the organization he had built.
The Lakers still have room on their jerseys for a patch, right? Next year they should wear a JW in his honor.
The Lakers never dedicated their hardwood, did they? Next year they might call it “Jerry West Court.”
The greatest Laker is gone, but his legacy must not be forgotten.
Especially by the Lakers.