Jerry West, a multi-time Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA legend, reportedly died on Tuesday morning at the age of 86.
NBA Writer for ESPN Tim Bontemps reported on Tuesday morning news that the Los Angeles Clippers confirmed West’s death, though the cause of death remains unknown.
West spent his entire career as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers where he led the franchise to nine NBA Finals appearances, winning one championship and the first-ever Finals MVP award in 1969.
This year was also the season in which the NBA announced a new logo for the league that was modeled after an infamous picture of West dribbling a basketball, earning him the nickname across the league as “The Logo.”
West opted to retire from the NBA in 1974 following a 14-year career in Los Angeles and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame shortly after announcing his retirement in 1979.
During his time in the league, West was named to 12 All-NBA Teams and five All-NBA Defensive Teams, accumulating 25,192 points, 6,238 assists, and 5,366 rebounds, per Land of Basketball.
The Logo moved into management within the Lakers’ front office in 1982 and helped guide the franchise to six NBA Titles during his 18 years as an executive.
Notable moments from his time as a Lakers executive include constructing the “Showtime Lakers” team that won five championships throughout the 1980s, along with the recruitment of Shaquille O’Neal and trading for Kobe Bryant in the late 1990s.
West opted to leave the Lakers’ front office in 2000 after the team won its first of three straight championships, serving as the general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002-2007 before joining the Golden State Warriors front office as an executive board member in 2011.
The Logo helped lead Golden State to two championships in 2015 and 2017 during his time in the front office, being well-known for drafting Klay Thompson and Draymond Green while also recruiting Kevin Durant in 2016 to create one of the most dominant teams of all time.
West most recently worked with the Los Angeles Clippers after joining the team in the same capacity in 2017.
During his time with the Clippers, West signed NBA All-Star Kawhi Leanord in 2019 while simultaneously trading for All-Star Paul George, immediately thrusting the team into contention for an NBA Championship, per Yahoo Sports.
West won one Executive of the Year Award with the Lakers in 1995, and another while working with Grizzlies in 2005.
Since his retirement from the NBA as a player, West has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame a record three times, with the first coming as a player in 1979 and the second coming in 2010 as a recognition of his gold medal performance in the 1960 Summer Olympics, per Bleacher Report.
West’s final induction into the Hall of Fame came in 2024 when he was honored for his time working in NBA front offices across the various roles he served.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement regarding West’s death and said the NBA legend distinguished himself as a “consummate competitor who embraced the biggest moments.”
“I valued my friendship with Jerry and the knowledge he shared with me over many years about basketball and life. On behalf of the NBA, we send our deepest condolences to Jerry’s wife, Karen, his family and his many friends in the NBA community,” wrote Silver, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
West is survived by his wife and his five sons across two different marriages, per Fox Sports.
