NBA all-time great Jerry West passes away at age 86

Jun 12, 2024, 09:56 AM ET Jerry West, who was picked to the Basketball Hall of Popularity 3 times in a storied profession as a player and executive and whose silhouette is thought about to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning at the age of 86, the LA Clippers announced.West was the 3rd player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points, was an All-Star every year of his profession and led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals 9 times, winning one title in 1971-72. He was also a 12-time All-NBA choice, an NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing group in 1969– the first year that award was provided and still the only time it went to a player on the losing team– and part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.His basketball life bridged generations: West played with Elgin Baylor, whom

he called”the most encouraging and the greatest player of that era, “and Wilt Chamberlain. As a coach and executive, he dealt with a who’s-who of NBA stars from the past 40 years: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George amongst them.”Jerry West was a basketball genius and a specifying figure in our league

for more than 60 years,”NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.”He identified himself not only as an NBA champ and an All-Star in all 14 of his playing seasons, but likewise as a practiced competitor who welcomed the greatest minutes.””… I valued my friendship with Jerry and the knowledge he shared with me over several years about basketball and life. On behalf of the NBA, we send our deepest acknowledgements to Jerry’s other half, Karen, his family and his numerous pals in the NBA neighborhood.”Editor’s Picks

1 Associated The NBA is planning a pregame homage to West before Video game 3 of the NBA Finals in between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.West was”the personification of basketball quality and a buddy to all who understood him, “the Clippers said in revealing his death, adding that Karen West was by his side when he died.Following his playing career, West found title success as an NBA executive, constructing the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s that won 5 titles because years and overseeing the development of the O’Neal-Bryant tandem. West remained for simply the very first title in 2000 as the Lakers went on to three-peat. He ended up being a consultant for the Clippers beginning in 2017, helping to engineer the

separation of the team’s”Lob City”core that led the way to the signing of Leonard and George. The Clippers reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in 2021.”This is a tough day. I am honored to call Jerry a confidant, an advisor and a friend,”Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said in a statement.”Connie, my better half, called him my’basketball dad. ‘He was definitely my basketball sage: sensible, loyal and so much enjoyable. If you were in his presence, you felt his competitiveness and his drive. He appreciated whatever and everybody. From the first day I satisfied Jerry seven years ago, he motivated me with his intelligence, sincerity and enthusiasm. He never ever stopped. I invested a great deal of time with him, a few of the best times of my life. He constantly lent an ear, and he constantly had a quip. He constantly left me laughing. I will miss him. “West likewise worked in the front workplaces of the

Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors.He was a two-time All-American at West Virginia, where he averaged 24.8

points per game and helped the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA national championship, being named Final Four The majority of Impressive Player regardless of a loss in the last to Cal. West also teamed with Oscar Robertson to lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics.Player Points Jerry West 1,679 LeBron James 1,562 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1,317 Michael Jordan 1,176– ESPN Statistics & Information

medal.Nicknamed”Mr. Clutch “for his late-game exploits as a player, West went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor.West is still the NBA Finals’all-time leader in total points, in addition to basket made and tried along with totally free throws made and tried, but his teams went 1-2 against the New York Knicks and 0-6 against the Boston Celtics.”Those damn Celtics,”he often said.West likewise hit one of the most famed shots in

Finals history, a 60-footer at the buzzer of Video game 3 of the 1970 series between the Knicks and Lakers to force overtime.Even in the last years of his life, West was thought about basketball royalty. He routinely sat courtside at Summer League games in Las Vegas,

often watching many games in a day

while greeting long lines of players– LeBron James among them– who would approach to shake his hand and pay him respect.”The game transcends lots of things,”West said while participating in Summer League last year. “The players modification, the style of play may alter, however the respect that you find out in this game never alters.”In a set of social media posts, James honored West as a buddy and coach and he was “already missed out on.”Will truly miss our convos my dear good friend! My thoughts and prayers heads out to your fantastic family! Forever love Jerry! Rest in Paradise my guy!– LeBron James(@KingJames) June 12, 2024 Michael Jordan stated he thought about West “a buddy and mentor– like an older bro to me.”

“I valued his friendship and understanding,”Jordan said.”I constantly wanted I might have played against him as a competitor,

but the more I came to know him, I want I had actually been his colleague. I appreciated his basketball insights and he and I shared many resemblances to how we approached the game. “A local of Chelyan, West Virginia, West was referred to as a tenacious player who was rarely pleased with his efficiency. He matured shooting at a basket nailed to the side of a shed and frequently shot until his fingers bled. He became the first high school player in state history to score more than 900 points in a season, averaging 32.2 points per game in leading East Bank High to a state title.Basketball, he would later expose, was his therapy.In his narrative,”

West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life,” West narrated a lifelong battle with depression. He composed that his childhood was devoid of love and filled with anger as an outcome of a violent daddy. He frequently felt useless, and to fight that, he stated he put his energy into playing the game.”It never ceases to surprise me the places you can enter this world going after a bouncing ball

, “West stated in 2019, when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Liberty– the nation’s highest civilian honor– by then-President Donald Trump. “My chase began in Chelyan, West Virginia, where I strung a wire basket without any net to the side of a bridge. If your shot didn’t enter, the ball rolled down a long bank and you would be chasing it permanently.

So you much better make it.” I was a dreamer. My household didn’t have much, however we had a clear view of the Appalachian Mountains, and I ‘d sit alone on our front deck and marvel,’If I ever make it to the top of that mountain, what will I see on the other side?’Well, I did make it to the opposite, and my dreams have become a reality. I have actually had the ability to see the sides, thanks to that bouncing ball.”He is 25th on the NBA profession scoring list, and while the NBA has never verified that West was in truth the design for its logo– a player dribbling a ball, set against a red-and-blue background– the league has never ever said otherwise either.”While it’s never been formally declared that the logo is Jerry West,” Silver stated in 2021, “it sure looks a lot like him. “The Associated Press contributed to this report.