Jerry West died on Wednesday June 12, 2024, the Los Angeles Clippers, the North American basketball team for which he was a consultant, announced in a press release. The former player was 86 years old. In the 1960s and 1970s under the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers and the American national team as a player, then as a manager, West had acquired the status of icon within the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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“ He was the epitome of basketball excellence. » These words are those of the Clippers as they pay tribute to Jerry Alan West, their late consultant. Among the greatest players to ever grace the courts of the prestigious North American basketball league, West stood apart. Even today, it is his silhouette that serves as the model for the NBA logo.
Originally from West Virginia, Jerry West was born on May 28, 1938. He was a teenager when he lost one of his brothers, David, killed during the Korean War in 1951. Traumatized by this tragedy, the young man found comfort in basketball, a sport to which he devotes himself entirely. It’s the start of a long story with the orange ball.
A legend of the game and the Lakers
Having played for the West Virginia Mountaineers university team, Jerry West moved to another dimension in 1960. That year, he was drafted (selected in the NBA hopefuls’ lottery) second by the Minneapolis Lakers, who migrated a little further west the same year and became the Los Angeles Lakers. There, the rookie will write his story during his 14 years at the professional level.
Before these golden and purple years within the Californian franchise, the one who can evolve as leader and back takes part in the conquest of a new Olympic title for the United States during the Rome Games in 1960. This collective title will be yet the only one for years.
In Los Angeles, West excelled, collecting individual awards and racking up points like a machine. But the consecration was slow to arrive. Eight times, including six against the rivals of the Boston Celtics, the NBA Finals were a failure for the Lakers. Finally, the wheel finally turned in 1972. “Mr. Clutch” as he was nicknamed (an expression rewarding the most decisive players), finally got his hands on this long-dreamed-of trophy. “ We’ve never seen a player so clutch “, declared his teammate, Pat Riley.
“Mr. Clutch” and “The Logo”
Retired in 1974 without having worn a jersey other than that of the Lakers, Jerry West remained close to the world of basketball and became general manager of his lifelong team. With this, he added six NBA championship titles to his record between 1985 and 2002, alongside other legends of the game such as Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. He also served for a time with the Golden State Warriors.
Selected 14 times for the All-Star Game, 25th best scorer in NBA history with 25,192 points at a time when the three-point shot did not exist, “Mr. Clutch” as he was nicknamed (a rewarding expression the most decisive players) had a profound impact on his time and on subsequent generations in America.
Since 1969, an image of him dribbling has served as the NBA’s logo, although the player has revealed that he is sometimes embarrassed by such an honor. “ He was a basketball genius and a defining figure in our league for over 60 years », greets the basketball league today.