NBA legend Jerry West, a three-time Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and the silhouette basis of the NBA logo, died on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at the age of 86, the LA Clippers announced.
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West was the third player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points, an All-Star every year of his career, and led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals nine times, winning one title in the 1971-72 season.
He was also a 12-time All-NBA selection, an NBA Finals MVP in 1969 despite being on the losing team, and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
The Clippers described West as “the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him.” West’s wife, Karen, was by his side when he passed away.
Following his playing career, West achieved significant success as an NBA executive. He built the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s, who won five titles in that decade, and was instrumental in forming the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant tandem.
West remained for the first of the Lakers’ three consecutive championships, starting in 2000.
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In 2017, he joined the Clippers as an adviser, helping to restructure the team and leading to the signings of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Clippers reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in 2021.
West also served in the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors.
A two-time All-American at West Virginia, West averaged 24.8 points per game and led the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA championship game, where he was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player despite losing to Cal.
He also won a gold medal with the U.S. team at the 1960 Rome Olympics, alongside Oscar Robertson.
Nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game heroics, West was inducted 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.
He is survived by his wife Kristine “Karen” Bua and five sons David, Mark, Michael, Ryan and Jonnie
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