Jerry West, a three-time Hall of Fame inductee and the NBA logo's likely inspiration, passed away at 86, leaving a legacy as a player and an executive. (AP File)

- West was inducted into the Hall of Fame three times: as a player in 1980, with the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010, and will be enshrined again this year as a contributor.
- He was a 14-time All-Star, a 12-time All-NBA selection, and the NBA Finals MVP in 1969, and was instrumental in the Lakers' 1972 championship win.
- As a general manager, West built eight NBA championship teams for the Lakers and made significant contributions to the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers.
Share
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced.
He was 86.
West, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, 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 was “the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him,” the Clippers said in announcing his death. West’s wife, Karen, was by his side when he died, the Clippers said.

He was an All-Star in all 14 of his NBA seasons, a 12-time All-NBA selection, part of the 1972 Lakers team that won a championship, an NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969 and was selected as part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
West was general manager of eight NBA championship teams with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping build the “Showtime” dynasty. He also worked in the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies, the Golden State Warriors and the Clippers. Among his many, many highlights as an executive with the Lakers: he drafted Magic Johnson and James Worthy, then brought in Kobe Bryant and eventually Shaquille O’Neal to play alongside Bryant.
Even in the final years of his life, West was considered 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 many things,” West said while attending Summer League last year. “The players change, the style of play may change, but the respect that you learn in this game never changes.”
He’s 25th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, and while the league has never confirmed that West was in fact the model for its logo — a player dribbling a ball, set against a red-and-blue background — the league has never said otherwise, either.
“While it’s never been officially declared that the logo is Jerry West,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in 2021, “it sure looks a lot like him.”
RELATED TOPICS:
Visalia Suspect in Fatal Assault and Serial Sexual Battery Cases Arrested in Alaska
5 hours ago
Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September
5 hours ago
Costa Blasts GOP Over Medi-Cal Cuts. His 2026 Opponent Defends Them
5 hours ago
Trump Says US and Pakistan Have Concluded a Trade Deal
6 hours ago
Trump Imposes Scaled-Back Copper Tariff, US Prices Plunge
6 hours ago
Neptune to Launch a Creator-First, Customizable Algorithm Social Platform to Rival TikTok
7 hours ago
How Netanyahu Keeps Playing Trump for a Fool in Gaza
8 hours ago
Madera Man Sentenced to 34 Years to Life in Fresno Murder Case
3 hours ago
Categories

Madera Man Sentenced to 34 Years to Life in Fresno Murder Case

High Noon Recalls Mislabeled Vodka Seltzers Shipped in Celsius Cans, NBC Reports

Visalia Suspect in Fatal Assault and Serial Sexual Battery Cases Arrested in Alaska

Canada Says It Intends to Recognize a Palestinian State in September
