Jerry West, Los Angeles Lakers Legend, Dies At 86
Jerry West, a former NBA player and basketball executive who helped lead the Los Angeles Lakers to multiple championships, died Wednesday at age 86.
West, whose silhouette became part of the NBA’s iconic logo, also had successful runs as an executive with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers during his career. He was selected to the NBA Hall of Fame three times: as a player in 1980, as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic basketball team in 2010, and as a contributor in 2024.
The Clippers announced West’s death Wednesday.
Born in Chelyan, West Virginia, West had a successful run at East Bank High School before attending West Virginia University and leading the Mountaineers to the NCAA championship in 1959. He started his career as an NBA athlete with the Lakers, spending 14 years with the franchise and winning the NBA championship in 1972.
After retiring in 1974, West became a Lakers coach, and later the team’s general manager. In that front office role, West helped shape the Lakers’ “Showtime” dynasty, which won five championships and featured such standout players as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
According to The Associated Press, West was a 14-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA selection and an NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969, and was selected as part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
President Donald Trump awarded West the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019.
“It never ceases to amaze me the places you can go in this world chasing a basketball,” West said after receiving the honor.
Along with “The Logo” — referring to the use of his silhouette in official NBA imagery — West earned the nicknames “Mr. Clutch,” for his late-game playing ability, and “Zeke from Cabin Creek,” a nod to the creek near his hometown.
Wren Baker, vice president and director of athletics at WVU, called West the “greatest Mountaineer of all time.”
“A true [gentleman], one of the greatest players and executives the NBA has ever seen and certainly the most famous West Virginia Mountaineer of all time, he will be remembered forever by the sports world, and this University and its fans owe him a great debt of gratitude for a lifetime of achievement, generosity and loving memories,” Baker said.
West is survived by his wife Karen and five sons.
