Jerry West has died

NBA icon and Hall of Famer Jerry West passes away at 86
The 12-time All-NBA guard was a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams and one of the league's most iconic players.


My Dad played high school basketball in Kanawha County WV at the same time as Mr. West.



He was a great player.

Very sad to hear.
He was a childhood idol to me back in the day.
I have since became estranged to basketball but at one time it was all I could think about.
Good Bye to a great one.

The man on the NBA moniker. He was a good one. So smooth. Seemed like a good man.

Sad to hear, I grew up in L.A. with "Zeke from Cabin Creek" and often got to the Laker games to see him along with Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain. They were the best! The good old days... haven't watched an NBA game in 5 years.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
He was a childhood idol to me back in the day.
I have since became estranged to basketball but at one time it was all I could think about.
Good Bye to a great one.

As a kid, West was the first basketball player I looked up to. When I first started to watch the NBA as a fan, it was the Lakers with Chamberlain, West, Baylor, Goodrich, etc in their 1972 season when they won the championship. A basketball icon. And I too have become estranged from the NBA, haven't followed it closely in maybe 20 years, my peak interest in the sport was Jordan's last Finals.

The Logo and Zeke from Cabin Creek. Just up the road from me, I drive past frequently.
A great West Virginian who will be sorely missed around these parts.

Great player. An articulate gentleman from a bygone era. Rest easy Mr.West

He was one of the best players in history but he was a better front office man. He designed the Magic Showtime Lakers of the 80’s with Kareem, and was “the” person, the shot caller, on getting the 2nd best player in NBA history (MJ being #1 obviously), Kobe Bryant, RIP. As well as being the same key figure in getting Shaq. All of Kobe’s and Magic’s rings came to Mr. West. He still remains the man in the NBA logo. RIP.

On a side note, as I got into basketball as a young kid, it was Michael Jordan, while he was at UNC, that got me interested. I’d never seen a man, a kid, jump like that. I saw 90% of his televised games between TNT, TBS, WGN, and NBC, motivating me to get my first job at 10, in 1984, so I could afford basic cable to watch him in Chicago. Years later, it was Jerry West, who said, he is the greatest player in NBA history because any time he was on the basketball court, he was the best player on it, on offensive, as well as the best player on defense. Mr. West was always honest, forthright, and one of the great basketball minds of all time both in play and in the front office. Sad day for me as I always looked up to him and respected him due to his skill, and honesty.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
He was one of the best players in history but he was a better front office man. He designed the Magic Showtime Lakers of the 80’s with Kareem, and was “the” person, the shot caller, on getting the 2nd best player in NBA history (MJ being #1 obviously), Kobe Bryant, RIP. As well as being the same key figure in getting Shaq. All of Kobe’s and Magic’s rings came to Mr. West. He still remains the man in the NBA logo. RIP.

Indeed.
His roll as an executive and talent evaluator may have been his greatest contribution to professional basketball.
While his front-office roll with shaping the Lakers over TWO separate eras is without a doubt his more prominent roll, he also had a major hand in shaping the Golden State Warriors and their recent bunch championships. From evaluating talent like Steph Curry & Klay Thompson, identifying trade opportunities (Bogut), threatening to resign over a trade possibility (Thompson for Love), to mentoring both the GM (Myers) and players, West's mark on that franchise over the six years he was with them is inarguable.

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
He was one of the best players in history but he was a better front office man. He designed the Magic Showtime Lakers of the 80’s with Kareem, and was “the” person, the shot caller, on getting the 2nd best player in NBA history (MJ being #1 obviously), Kobe Bryant, RIP. As well as being the same key figure in getting Shaq. All of Kobe’s and Magic’s rings came to Mr. West. He still remains the man in the NBA logo. RIP.

Indeed.
His roll as an executive and talent evaluator may have been his greatest contribution to professional basketball.
While his front-office roll with shaping the Lakers over TWO separate eras is without a doubt his more prominent roll, he also had a major hand in shaping the Golden State Warriors and their recent bunch championships. From evaluating talent like Steph Curry & Klay Thompson, identifying trade opportunities (Bogut), threatening to resign over a trade possibility (Thompson for Love), to mentoring both the GM (Myers) and players, West's mark on that franchise over the six years he was with them is inarguable.

Yep, and the Clippers IIRC. He had a hand in that before passing. I mean I can’t watch the current NBA with the bullshit rules, lack of defense, and a bunch of pussy primadonnas but what I’ve read the Clippers are turning their entire franchise around and have one of the best coaches in the league.