Jerry West
Co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team.
via Wikipedia: Jerry West · see source
Jerry West was an American basketball player who won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome as a member of the United States men's basketball team. He co-captained that squad alongside Oscar Robertson. The 1960 U.S. Olympic team was inducted as a unit into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. West's Olympic gold medal came before his professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would become universally regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 28 May 1938
- Birthplace
- Chelyan, West Virginia, U.S.
- Died
- 12 June 2024
- Place of death
- Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- High school
- East Bank (East Bank, West Virginia)
- College
- West Virginia (1957–1960)
- Draft round
- 1
- Draft pick
- 2
Lore & Background
Jerry West and Oscar Robertson co-captained the U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. The team was inducted as a unit into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. West was coming off a standout college career at West Virginia University, where he had led the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA championship game and earned the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honor despite the loss. His Olympic gold medal was the first major international achievement of his basketball journey, preceding his 14-year NBA career with the Lakers and his later success as an executive and consultant.
Did You Know?
- West's Olympic gold medal came just before he was drafted second overall by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1960 NBA draft.
- In his final collegiate season (1959–60), West averaged 29.3 points and 16.5 rebounds per game for West Virginia University.
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