Source: Los Angeles Lakers Jerry West (44) in action, taking foul shot vs Chicago Bulls at Chicago Stadium. Game 6. Chicago, IL 4/13/1973. (Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) / Getty
NBA icon and three-time Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Jerry West has died at the age of 86, according to NBA insider Shams Charania. The Los Angeles Clippers, who he was currently an advisor for, confirmed he passed away this morning with his wife by his side.
Nicknamed “Mr. Clutch,” West is known as one of the greatest basketball players in the 78-year history of the NBA. Drafted second overall out of West Virginia University in the 1960 by the Los Angeles Lakers, West spent the first 14 seasons of the franchise’s time in Los Angeles playing point and shooting guard for the team. He led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals, winning the 1971-72 NBA Championship, the first for the Lakers since 1954.
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In 1969 West was the first NBA player to receive the NBA Finals MVP award, doing so in a losing effort to the Boston Celtics. West is the only player to have won the award without winning the championship in the same series.
He retired as a player in 1974, closing his career with 14 All-Star appearances, 12 All-NBA team selections, five All-Defensive team selections, the 1969-70 scoring title and the 1971-72 assist title. He was first inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1980. He was selected as a member of the NBA’s 35th, 50th and 75th Anniversary teams.
West currently sits at 25th in points scored, 35th in assists, 24th in field goals made, and ninth in free throws made.
The Lakers hired West as their head coach in 1976, replacing his former coach, Bill Sharman, who became the team’s general manager. He would coach until a few months before the 1979-80 season, allowing Jack McKinney to take over coaching duties.
He remained with the Lakers as a scout, before becoming the team’s GM in 1982, helping build the “Showtime” Lakers dynasty of the 1980s, which won titles in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. He won his first Executive of the Year award in 1995 for turning the Lakers franchise around after a slump early in the decade.
One of his best moves was trading center Vlade Divac for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant in 1996, pairing him with recently signed Shaquille O’Neal and forming one of the next great Laker dynasties and one of the greatest duos in NBA history. He left the Lakers after the team won its first of three consecutive titles in 2000.
He’d go on to manage the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002, retiring in 2007. He joined the Golden State Warriors as an executive board member in 2011, helping the team to two NBA titles in 2015 and 2017. The 2016-17 championship was his eighth as an executive. West joined the Clippers as an advisor in 2017 and held the position until his death.
He was inducted again into the hall of fame as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team in 2010 and as a contributor in 2024. He is the inspiration for the NBA’s logo.
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