The Los Angeles Lakers and the basketball world lost another legend this week as Jerry West passed away at his home at the age of 86.
It’s impossible to tell the Lakers’ story without talking about West, who was instrumental in turning the franchise into the greatest one in the NBA. Throughout his time in Los Angeles, West contributed to several championships as a player and executive and went on to help build up other teams.
Although West went on to work for the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and L.A. Clippers, he’ll always be remembered for his contributions to the Lakers. West won a championship as a player, and later went on to become the head coach and general manager for the team during the “Showtime” era. He also built the “three-peat” dynasty by signing Shaquille O’Neal and making a draft day trade for Kobe Bryant.
People like Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Pau Gasol paid tribute to West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the latest to offer his condolences to the West family, via his personal X account:
The reason Jerry West is the logo for the NBA is because he embodied the qualities we admire in our best athletes: skills as a player, dedication as a teammate, and integrity as a person. He was my coach, and my advisor, but mostly he was my friend. Today, a part of the continent… pic.twitter.com/oUOxelWavo
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) June 12, 2024
Abdul-Jabbar then went on Spectrum SportsNet to discuss West’s life and impact:
“I think he was someone who was made for the game and the game was made for him. He proved it on the court and he proved it from his executive chair, that he knew what he was doing and he did it right.”
West briefly coached Abdul-Jabbar in Los Angeles and the two could relate to each other as superstars who were tasked with leading the Lakers. As the former star center noted, West is aptly nicknamed “The Logo” but the reasons he listed are a shining example of why he is so revered amongst his peers.
West is often forgotten in the conversation for best shooting guard of all time, but he was a true superstar on the floor who deserves his flowers. The basketball world will be mourning for a while as West is definitely one of the best figures in history and he will be missed dearly.
Jeanie Buss shares former Lakers owner Jerry Buss’ message to Jerry West
Jeanie Buss was around as a kid to see Jerry West work his magic within the organization and when West’s passing was announced she took to her personal Instagram account to pay homage to the franchise icon and share what her father Dr. Jerry Buss’ message would’ve been.
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