The two greatest figures in the history of the National Basketball Association are Red Auerbach and Jerry West. That cannot be disputed.
Wilt Chamberlain was a greater player. So were Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Phil Jackson was a better coach. Maurice Podoloff, the 1st Commissioner, and David Stern, the longest-serving Commissioner, shaped the league more in an official capacity. But in terms of shaping the history of the league, it's Red and Jerry.
Jerome Allen West was born on May 28, 1938 in Chelyan, West Virginia, 17 miles up the Kanawha River from the State capitol of Charleston, and on the bank of Cabin Creek, leading to a hick nickname he hated, "Zeke from Cabin Creek." He had an abusive father, and his brother was killed in the Korean War, a combination he later admitted made him introverted. He was cut by the head basketball coach at East Bank High School for being too short.
He grew to 6 feet even, and his endless practice made him the best basketball player, maybe the best athlete, in his State's history. On March 24, 1956, he led East Bank to the State Championship. Thereafter, every year on March 24, until the school closed in 1999, the name of the school was changed for the day to West Bank High School.
He got West Virginia University into the NCAA Final Four in 1959, losing to the University of California, coached by Pete Newell and led by Darrall Imhoff, in the Final. He was an easy selection for the U.S. team at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, coached by Newell. Not only did they win the Gold Medal, but that entire team was collectively elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Meaning that some of them were elected twice: Newell, West, Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas and Walt Bellamy.
The rest of the team: Imhoff, Jay Arnette, Bob Boozer, Terry Dischinger, Allen Kelley, Lester Lane, Adrian "Odie" Smith, and a holdover from the 1956 Gold Medalists, Burdette Haldorson. This was the best basketball team ever assembled, until the "Dream Team" of 1992. How good were they? Lucas' Ohio State teammate John Havlicek only made it as an alternate.
He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, and was a rookie in their 1st season after moving from Minneapolis, 1960-61, joining Elgin Baylor. He was an All-Star in all 14 seasons in which he played in the NBA, and became known as one of the best shooters, and one of the best passers, in NBA history. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 1969 Finals, even though the Lakers lost, the only player from the losing team ever so honored.
In 1970, despite the team eventually losing the game and the series, he launched a 60-foot shot to send Game 3 of the Finals into overtime. In spite of the defeat, it's considered one of the greatest shots in NBA history. Shots like that gave him a much better nickname than "Zeke from Cabin Creek," or the one that Baylor gave him because of his country accent, "Tweety Bird." Shots like that gave him the nickname "Mr. Clutch."
And he is "The Logo": In 1969, Alan Siegel, following up his design of the Major League Baseball logo that bears a resemblance to Harmon Killebrew, used a photograph of West dribbling with his left hand, to design the NBA logo. There is some dispute about the picture: Siegel claimed it was by Wen Roberts, but it appears the photo at the top of this post is the one, and that photo is credited to the great Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss Jr. So when you hear of someone being called an "icon," know that this term is usually used as an exaggeration. Jerry West was The Logo: He was literally an icon.
In the 1971-72 season, with Baylor retiring, the Lakers finally put it all together. Coach Bill Sharman, as West's predecessor as the game's best shooter while with the Boston Celtics, led West, Wilt Chamberlain, Gail Goodrich, Keith Erickson and Jim McMillian -- and a backup guard named Pat Riley -- to the team's 1st NBA Championship in Los Angeles, after going 0-7 in the Finals, 0-8 if you count their last Finals defeat in Minneapolis.
This run included a 33-game winning streak, the longest in the history of major league sports. (While the 1979-80 Philadelphia Flyers, and some European soccer teams, have had longer unbeaten streaks, that included ties.) They avenged their 1970 defeat to the New York Knicks.
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But the legacy of Jerry West was just getting warmed up. He was the Lakers' head coach from 1976 to 1979, chief scout from 1979 to 1982, and general manager from 1982 to 2002. He built the Laker dynasties of 1980-91 and 2002-10. At the 2001 title parade, Kobe Bryant, whom West talked the Lakers into acquiring in a trade after the Charlotte Hornets drafted him out of high school, wore West's Number 44 jersey instead of his own Number 8.
He wanted a new challenge, and moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies. He had no luck there, retiring in 2007, but in 2011 he joined the board of the Golden State Warriors, who won 4 titles as a result of his involvement. He went back to Los Angeles, with the Clippers, whom he got to their 1st-ever trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2021.
After going 1-for-9 in the Finals as a player, he officially had 9 rings, though he had a hand in building 15 titles. That's the most of anybody in NBA history except for longtime Boston Celtics head coach, general manager and team president Red Auerbach, who won 16.
His Number 44 has been retired by both WVU and the Lakers, and statues of him are outside the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown and the Crypto.com Arena. The stretch of U.S. Route 19 that runs past the Coliseum, named Monongahela Boulevard for most of its run, is named Jerry West Boulevard. (Elsewhere in town, U.S. Route 119 is named for another WVU graduate: Don Knotts Boulevard.)
He was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players. When the ceremony for the 50 Greatest was held at the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland, 47 players showed up. One, Pete Maravich, was already dead. One, Shaquille O'Neal, was injured, couldn't play in the game, and simply refused to show up. His name was heavily booed when it was announced. The other was West, who was in the hospital, recovering from surgery.
He was able to attend the 2022 ceremony for the 75th Anniversary 75 Greatest Players. That same year, The Athletic ranked him 14th on their list of the greatest players ever. In 2019, in a rare decision of his that I agreed with, Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
He married his college sweetheart, Martha Jane Kane, in 1960. They divorced in 1976. They had three sons: David, Mark, and Michael. Jerry married his second wife, Kristine "Karen" Bua, in 1978. They had two sons, Ryan and Jonnie. Jonnie played guard for West Virginia, like his father, and married professional golfer Michelle Wie in 2019.
After being in ill health for a year, Jerry West died today, June 12, 2024. He was 86 years old.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: "Jerry West was a basketball genius and a defining figure in our league for more than 60 years. He distinguished himself not only as an NBA champion and an All-Star in all 14 of his playing seasons, but also as a consummate competitor who embraced the biggest moments."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: "The reason Jerry West is the logo for the NBA is because he embodied the qualities we admire in our best athletes: skills as a player, dedication as a teammate, and integrity as a person. He was my coach, and my advisor, but mostly he was my friend."
Byron Scott, part of the Laker dynasty of the 1980s, who later coached the New Jersey Nets to the 2002 and '03 Finals: "It’s because of Jerry West that there was even 'Showtime.' It’s because of you that I am who I am today. You believed in me when no one else did and for that I’m forever grateful. You will always be my 'Basketball Dad'. I love you Logo my heart is broken. You will be missed."
Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN: "Jerry West lived a profound basketball and American life — iconic as a player, executive and looming figure in the history of the game. He was an MVP, a champion, a gold medalist, a dynasty-builder and literally the league’s logo. His loss leaves a massive void."
Michael Jordan: "I am so deeply saddened at the news of Jerry's passing. He was truly a friend and a mentor. Like an older brother to me. ... Rest in Peace, Logo."
Paul George, Clippers All-Star: "We will always remember you for your undeniable legacy, and more importantly, greatness as a human being."
LeBron James: "My thoughts and prayers goes out to your wonderful family! Forever love Jerry! Rest in Paradise my guy!"
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