Adam Wells October 22, 2024
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Hall of Famer Jerry West will be honored by the Los Angeles Lakers prior to Tuesday’s regular-season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers are giving out West’s No. 44 jersey to all fans at Crypto.com Arena for the game after he died at the age of 86 on June 12.
Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Lakers giving Jerry West jerseys to fans for tonight’s season opener vs the Wolves pic.twitter.com/TO4cKDY5jX
West is a Lakers icon for his work on the court and as general manager. He spent his entire 14-year playing career with the franchise after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1960 NBA draft.
The Lakers made it to the NBA Finals nine times during West’s career, but their lone title came in the 1971-72 season, when they defeated the New York Knicks in five games.
West remains the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP in a series that his team lost. He averaged 37.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds per contest in the seven-game series loss to the Boston Celtics in 1969.
Only four players have averaged more points per game in a single Finals series than West did against the Celtics.
After retiring as a player, West took a year off before returning to the Lakers as a head coach. He only spent three years in the role before transitioning to a behind-the-scenes role starting as a scout.
The Lakers eventually hired West as their general manager prior to the 1982-83 season. He stayed in the role for 18 seasons, with two his most notable moves coming within weeks of each other in the summer of 1996.
West traded Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant. He also got Shaquille O’Neal to sign with the Lakers for a seven-year, $120 million contract that at the time was the richest in the history of pro sports.
Three years later, West would put the finishing touches on the start of Los Angeles’ dynasty by hiring Phil Jackson as head coach. The team went on to win three straight titles from 1999 to ’01, though the last two came after West left the organization.
West also had stints with the Memphis Grizzlies (2002 to ’07), Golden State Warriors (2011 to ’17) and Los Angeles Clippers (2017 to ’24).
The Lakers won eight titles during West’s time as an executive. He was voted NBA Executive of the Year in 1994-95 with the Lakers and 2003-04 with the Grizzlies.
West is the only three-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a player in 1980, as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team that was honored in 2010 and posthumously during this year’s ceremony on Oct. 13 for his work as a contributor stemming mostly from his executive career.
The Lakers will tip off the 2024-25 NBA regular season against the Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET.
Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. This website makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact editor @pleasantgrove.business
