Jerry West, who was selected three times to the Basketball Hall of Fame in an illustrious career as a player and executive, and whose silhouette is considered the inspiration for the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers reported. He was 86 years old.
West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his success in the decisive moments of the games, was an NBA champion who entered the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and once again as a member of the men’s team that in 1960 won the Olympic gold medal in 2010. He will be inducted for the third time this year as a taxpayer.
“One of the great executives in the history of sports,” declared the NBA commissioner. “He put together eight championship teams during his time in the NBA, a triumphant legacy that goes hand in hand with his excellence on the court.”
West was “the embodiment of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him,” the Clippers said in announcing his death. West’s wife, Karen, was at his side when he died, the Clippers said. West worked as an advisor to the Clippers for the past seven years.
He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game in each of 14 seasons in the league and was named “All-NBA” 12 times. He was part of the 1972 Lakers team that won a championship and was the NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969, as well as making the league’s 75th anniversary team.
“He was without a doubt my basketball guru: shrewd, loyal and very funny,” said Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. “In front of his presence, you felt his competitiveness and ambition. He was aware of everything and everyone.”
West was general manager of eight NBA championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the architects of the “Showtime” dynasty that had Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as bastions. He also worked in the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Clippers.
Many of his decisions as a Lakers executive were brilliant. He selected Johnson and James Worthy in the draft. During one week in July 1996 he managed to pull off a trade to bring in a youthful Kobe Bryant, followed by signing Shaquille O’Neal in free agency, to add more crowns.
His basketball career spanned generations. West along with Elgin Baylor, whom he called “the most caring and greatest player of that era, and Wilt Chamberlain. Even in the last years of his life, West was seen as a myth. He used to sit front row at Summer League games in Las Vegas, often watching several games a day and greeting many players — LeBron James — who came up to shake his hand.
On social media, James offered his condolences: “I will really miss our conversations my dear friend! My thoughts and prayers to his wonderful family! Rest in Paradise my friend!”
West ranks 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring chart. The league has never confirmed that West is the model for its logo — a player who dribbles with the ball, with a red and blue background — but it has not denied it either.
“While it has never been officially stated that the logo is Jerry West, the truth is that it looks a lot like him,” Silver noted in 2021.
