Jerry West was not only a symbol of the Lakers, the only team he played professionally for 14 years, and where he also served as a coach and executive. He was also one of the biggest symbols in NBA history, to the point that his silhouette became the league’s logo that is known worldwide.
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The announcement of West's passing was made by the Los Angeles Clippers, the team he had been working for for years. He was 86 years old.
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The Clippers said that West was "the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him." West's wife, Karen, was by his side when he passed away.
Why is Jerry West the NBA logo?
A product of West Virginia University, West was the second pick in the 1960 Draft and joined a Lakers team that had just moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles and had Elgin Baylor as one of its key players.
Alongside Baylor, he formed a historic duo, but in the 1960s they lost the NBA Finals six times against the Boston Celtics led by Bill Russell.
West was finally able to become champion in 1972, against the New York Knicks, on a Lakers team that had the great reinforcement of Wilt Chamberlain.
In his career summary, Jerry West was a 14-time All-Star and NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969. That same year, Alan Siegel created the NBA logo featuring an image of West dribbling the ball.
Dubbed "Mr. Clutch" for his exploits on the hardwood, he entered the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the United States Olympic team that won the gold in Rome in 1960.
West's successes as an executive
West was the general manager of eight NBA championship teams. With the Los Angeles Lakers, he helped build Magic Johnson's "showtime" dynasty in the 80s and won six titles. He also worked in the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors (where he added two more titles), and the Clippers.
In the series “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” which tells the story of the early “showtime” years after the team was purchased by Jerry Buss and the arrival of Magic Johnson, was personified by Jerry Clarke as an effusive and grumpy executive, a portrayal that caused annoyance to Jerry West.
West's death occurs two weeks after the death of Bill Walton, another NBA legend.