Jerry West

Lore & Background

West played college basketball for the West Virginia Mountaineers, leading them to the 1959 NCAA championship game. He earned the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor despite the loss. He then embarked on a 14-year career with the Lakers and was the co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team. Playing mostly guard, West was voted 12 times into the All-NBA First and Second Teams, was elected into the NBA All-Star Team 14 times, and was chosen as the All-Star MVP in 1972, the same year he won his only title. He holds the NBA record for highest points per game average in a playoff series with 46.3. He was a member of the first five NBA All-Defensive Teams (one second, followed by four firsts). He is the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team (1969). In 1980, West was inducted into the Hall of Fame and named to the NBA 35th Anniversary Team. He was named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996, and to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. After his playing career, West took over as head coach of the Lakers for three years, leading them to the playoffs each year and earning a Western Conference finals berth once. Working as a player-scout for three years, West was named general manager of the Lakers before the 1982–83 season, and under his reign Los Angeles won six championship rings. In 2002, West became general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and helped the franchise win their first-ever playoff berths. He won the NBA Executive of the Year Award twice: once as a Lakers manager (1995) and then as a Grizzlies manager (2004). He won two more NBA titles as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors (2015, 2017). In 2024, he was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a contributor to the sport as an executive and consultant.

Reader's Guide

West was born into a poor household in Chelyan, West Virginia, on May 28, 1938. He was the fifth of six children. His father physically abused him. In 1951, his older brother David was killed in action in the Korean War. West attended East Bank High School from 1952 to 1956. He was named All-State from 1953 to 1956, then All-American in 1956 when he was West Virginia Player of the Year. He led East Bank to a state championship on March 24, 1956. He graduated in 1956 and attended West Virginia University. In his freshman year (1956–57), he was on the freshman squad that achieved a perfect record of 17 straight wins. In his first varsity year, he scored 17.8 points per game and averaged 11.1 rebounds. During his junior year (1958–59), he scored 26.6 points per game and grabbed 12.3 rebounds per game. He was named Most Outstanding Player of that year's Final Four. In his final collegiate season (1959–60), he scored 29.3 points per game, 134 season-assists, 16.5 rebounds per game. He and Oscar Robertson co-captained the U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. West was drafted with the second overall pick by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1960 NBA draft.

Did You Know?

• West's nickname 'the Logo' refers to his silhouette being the basis for the NBA logo.
• He earned the nickname 'Mr. Clutch' for his ability to make big plays, such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals.