NBA icon Jerry West dies at age 86

Basketball has lost one of its greatest people. Early on Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced that Jerry West — the man so iconic that he became the logo for the NBA — had died at the age of 86.

West’s career was, simply put, one of the greatest in history. As a player, he spent 14 seasons in the league, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was an All-Star in all 14 of those seasons, an All-NBA selection in all but two of those seasons, an MVP runner-up four times, and an NBA champion in 1972. He remains the only player in NBA history to win an NBA Finals MVP while playing for the losing team, which he accomplished in 1969.

He retired in 1974, but you could argue that his best days were ahead of him. After two years away from the league, he re-joined the Lakers as their head coach, a job he held for three seasons. He then transitioned immediately into the front office, spending three years as a scout followed by 18 seasons as the general manager. He later spent five years as the GM of the Memphis Grizzlies, and then six seasons as an executive board member of the Golden State Warriors. He was employed by the Clippers, where he had spent seven years as an executive board member and consultant, at the time of his death.

West’s time with the Warriors was fruitful and poignant. His impact was immediately felt in the organization, and he was given lots of credit for the turnaround of the franchise, and for critical moves such as drafting Draymond Green and convincing Kevin Durant to sign with the Dubs. He earned his seventh and eighth championships as an executive (to go with his one as a player) while working for Golden State, but left on poor terms. The full story of what happened with West and Joe Lacob will likely never be made public, but West was open about his disappointment, making it clear that he wanted to stay with the Warriors, and calling his departure “one of the saddest days of his life.”

His legacy lives on with the Warriors, however. Quite literally! West’s son, Jonnie, is in his 12th season working for Golden State, where he officially serves as Director of Pro Personnel, and unofficially serves as Steph Curry’s golf buddy when on the road. And of course, the team we’ll watch and root for when the 2024-25 NBA season begins, still has Jerry’s fingerprints all over it … and his logo stitched on the jerseys.

Rest in peace to one of the true legends of the sport.