Jerry West dies at 86: NBA world mourns passing of legendary Lakers player, executive

Edward Sutelan

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Jerry West dies at 86: NBA world mourns passing of legendary Lakers player, executive image

Jerry West, the legendary player and executive whose silhouette is the inspiration for the NBA logo, died Wednesday at the age of 86, the Clippers announced.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, West played 14 years in the NBA, all for the Lakers. He was a 14-time All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection, and he finished as the runner-up in MVP voting four times.

While West never won a title as a player, he was named the 1968-69 NBA Finals MVP as part of the losing team. In the seven-game series defeat to the Celtics, he averaged 37.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 49% from the field.

West led the NBA in scoring the following season with 31.2 points per game. For his career, all of which came prior to the introduction of the 3-point line, he averaged 27.0 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, and his number 44 was retired by the Lakers in 1983.

MORE: The story behind Jerry West inspiring the NBA's iconic logo

Following his playing career, he coached Los Angeles for three seasons, going 145-101 from 1976-79. He went on to become the general manager for the team ahead of the 1982-83 season, and he is largely credited as turning the Lakers into a dynasty in the 1980s, steering the Lakers to championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. He was later named NBA Executive of the Year in 1995.

West's final year as general manager with the Lakers came in 1999-2000, but his moves in the late 1990s set the stage for the 2000s Lakers' dynasty.

In 1996, West traded Vlade Divac to the Hornets for the No. 13 pick in the draft, which the Lakers used on Kobe Bryant. That same offseason, Los Angeles signed Shaquille O'Neal with the salary cap space freed up by moving on from Divac. And before the 1999-2000 season, West hired Phil Jackson to be the head coach.

With the core of Bryant, O'Neal and Jackson, the Lakers won NBA Finals in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Bryant and Jackson later won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

MORE: How Jerry West and Kobe Bryant forged a lasting friendship

West was named the general manager of the Grizzlies in 2002-03 and held the role for five seasons. While in Memphis, he won Executive of the Year in 2004 when Memphis went from 28-54 in his first year as GM to 50-32 the following season. Memphis reached the playoffs in three straight years from 2003-04 to 2005-06, but were swept each year.

He worked as a board member for the Warriors for six years starting in 2011, and was with the team for titles in 2014-15 and 2016-17. West moved on to be a consultant and board member of the Clippers from 2017 until his death.

West received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a civilian in the United States.

MORE: Breaking down Jerry West's nicknames, including "Mr. Clutch"

Jerry West stats

SeasonAgeGMPGFG-FGA (FG%)FT-FTA (FT%)PPGRPGAPG
1960-61227935.46.7-16 (41.9%)4.2-6.3 (66.6%)17.67.74.2
1961-62237541.210.7-23.9 (44.5%)9.5-12.3 (76.9%)30.87.95.4
1962-63245539.310.2-22.1 (46.1%)6.7-8.7 (77.8%)27.175.6
1963-64257240.410.3-21.2 (48.4%)8.1-9.8 (83.2%)28.765.6
1964-65267441.411.1-22.4 (49.7%)8.8-10.7 (82.1%)3164.9
1965-66277940.710.4-21.9 (47.3%)10.6-12.4 (86%)31.37.16.1
1966-67286640.59.8-21 (46.4%)9.1-10.4 (87.8%)28.75.96.8
1967-68295137.69.3-18.2 (51.4%)7.7-9.5 (81.1%)26.35.86.1
1968-69306139.28.9-19 (47.1%)8-9.8 (82.1%)25.94.36.9
1969-7031744211.2-22.6 (49.7%)8.7-10.6 (82.4%)31.24.67.5
1970-71326941.29.7-19.6 (49.4%)7.6-9.1 (83.2%)26.94.69.5
1971-72337738.69.5-20 (47.7%)6.7-8.2 (81.4%)25.84.29.7
1972-73346935.79-18.7 (47.9%)4.9-6.1 (80.5%)22.84.28.8
1973-74353131.27.5-16.7 (44.7%)5.3-6.4 (83.3%)20.33.76.6
Career 93239.29.7-20.4 (47.4%)7.7-9.4 (81.4%)275.86.7

MORE: Jerry West's career accomplishments, as a player and an executive

Jerry West tributes

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.