Jerry West

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Basketball player
Jerry West
Jerry West 2010
Player information
Full name Jerry Alan West
Nickname Mr. Clutch, The Logo, Zeke from Cabin Creek
birthday 28th May 1938 (age 82)
place of birth Cheylan , West Virginia , United States
size 188 cm
Weight 84 kg
position Point Guard / Shooting Guard
High school East Bank, West Virginia
college West Virginia University
NBA draft 1960, 2nd pick, Minneapolis Lakers
Jersey number 44
Clubs as active
1960–1974 Los Angeles LakersUnited StatesUnited States
Clubs as coaches
1976–1979 Los Angeles Lakers United StatesUnited States

Jerry Alan West (born May 28, 1938 in Chelyan , West Virginia ) is a retired American basketball player and coach. He played between 1960 and 1974 for the Los Angeles Lakers in the US professional league NBA . The NBA logo is modeled on the silhouette of West, which is why it is also called "The Logo".

Career

As a player

From 1956 to 1960 West played at West Virginia University , where he was named "Best Player of the Final Four Tournament" the year before last ('59) after his team made it to the finals of the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship . After graduating in 1960, he played for the US national basketball team at the Olympic Games in Rome and won the gold medal. He then moved to the NBA after the Los Angeles Lakers selected him second in the 1960 NBA Draft.

NBA

At the Lakers, West formed an extraordinary duo with forward Elgin Baylor for many years . By 1969, the Lakers, led by West and Baylor, faced the Boston Celtics around Bill Russell five times in the finals and lost each time. Even Wilt Chamberlain , who signed up in 1968, could not turn the tide in the Lakers' favor. In 1970 the Lakers lost again in the finals, this time against the New York Knicks . Revenge came two years later, and Jerry West won his first and only championship. West repeatedly quarreled with himself and often felt himself to be the "biggest loser". In 1969, after another defeat, he was named the Finals MVP : the first and last time in NBA history that a player on the losing side was given this honor.

After another defeat in the final in 1973 and an early play-off exit the following year, West resigned in 1974. With 25,000 points he was the best scorer in the club's history until 2010 when Kobe Bryant overtook him. His shirt number, the "44", has been withdrawn by the Lakers and is no longer given. Until 1980, West and Oscar Robertson were considered the two best guards in NBA history. Since West never won the MVP award, many refer to him as the best “non-MVP” in NBA history.

As a trainer

After his playing career, Jerry West coached the Los Angeles Lakers. After three moderately successful years (1976 to 1979) he switched to the management of the club. From 1982 he was General Manager of the Lakers and was considered by many in the NBA to be the best in his field. He recorded in 1996 for the trade of Vlade Divac to the high school -Talent Kobe Bryant and the obligation of Star center Shaquille O'Neal responsible, won together between 2000 and 2002 three titles in a row.

In 2001 West left the Lakers and joined the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002 . There he was general manager until June 2007, before handing this position over to Chris Wallace. However, he continues to hold the post of "President of Basketball Operations".

In 2011 West became a member of the board of directors of the Golden State Warriors . He has been a board member of the Los Angeles Clippers since 2017 .

literature

  • Jerry West and Bill Libby: Mr. Clutch. The Jerry West story . Englewood Cliffs (NJ) 1969. ISBN 0-13-604710-6 (Eng.)

See also

Web links

personal data
SURNAME West, Jerry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES West, Jerry Alan (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American basketball player and coach
DATE OF BIRTH May 28, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Chelyan , West Virginia, USA