Jerry West
Jerry Alan West was born on the 28th of May, 1938, into a poor household in Chelyan, West Virginia. He grew up as the fifth of six children to Cecil Sue West and Howard Stewart West, a coal mine electrician. His father physically abused him during his childhood years. West has stated that for a time he slept with a loaded shotgun under his bed out of fear that he might have to kill his father in self-defense. This early trauma shaped his psychological development and created a deep-seated sense of insecurity. The grief from losing his older brother David in the Korean War turned him from an outgoing child into a shy and introverted boy. He spent his days hunting and fishing but found solace shooting at a basketball hoop nailed to a neighbor's storage shed. He ignored mud and snow while playing outside, enduring whippings from his mother when he came home late for dinner.
West graduated from East Bank High School in 1956 after scoring more than 900 points in a single season. He chose to stay in his home state and attend West Virginia University located in Morgantown. During his freshman year, the team achieved a perfect record of 17 straight wins. In his varsity debut, he scored 17.8 points per game and averaged 11.1 rebounds. He earned multiple honors including All-American Third Team call-ups and Southern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player awards. His junior year saw him score 26.6 points per game and grab 12.3 rebounds per game. He tied the NCAA five-game tournament record with 160 total points during that season. West demonstrated immense tenacity by breaking his nose against Kentucky yet continuing to play through intense pain. He scored 19 points in the second half to lead his team to an upset victory. As a senior, he enjoyed career highs including 29.3 points per game and 16.5 rebounds per game. He co-captained the U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics alongside Oscar Robertson.
West was drafted with the second overall pick by the Minneapolis Lakers before they relocated to Los Angeles. He became the first draft pick ever of the franchise after its move. Coach Fred Schaus hired him as a guard despite playing forward in college. The Lakers were captained by Hall-of-Fame forward Elgin Baylor who complemented centers like Jim Krebs and Ray Felix. They faced constant weakness at center which gave them a disadvantage against the Boston Celtics led by Bill Russell. West felt odd in his new environment as a loner with a high-pitched voice earning him the nickname Tweety Bird. His thick Appalachian accent led teammates to call him Zeke from Cabin Creek. He impressed colleagues with defensive hustle and a vertical jump reaching up 16 inches above the rim. In the 1961-62 season, West took over leadership when Baylor served in the Army Reserves. He averaged 30.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while winning All-NBA First Team honors. On the 17th of January 1962, he scored a career-high 63 points in a win over the New York Knicks. Lakers announcer Chick Hearn named him Mr. Clutch for hitting important late-game shots.
In the 1969 NBA playoffs, the Lakers set up their sixth finals series versus Boston in eight years. Before game one, West privately complained to Bill Russell of exhaustion yet scored 53 points on Boston in a close two-point win. The Lakers also took game two with West scoring 41 points. In game three, Russell opted to double-team West causing his exhaustion to show. Game four saw Celtics guard Sam Jones hit an off-balance buzzer beater to tie the series. In game five, the Lakers struck back and won by 13 points. West lunged for a meaningless late-game ball and seriously pulled his hamstring during the series. Limping, he scored 26 points in game six but the Celtics won 99-90. In game seven, Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke had put up thousands of balloons in the rafters of the Forum in Los Angeles. This display motivated the Celtics and angered West. The Lakers trailed the entire game and were behind 91-76 after three quarters. They closed the gap to 103-102 with two minutes to go. West committed costly turnovers and Los Angeles lost the game 108-106 despite a triple-double of 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists from him. He became the only recipient of the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award from the losing team.
In the 1969-70 season under new coach Joe Mullaney, Wilt Chamberlain seriously injured his knee and missed practically the whole regular season. West stepped into the void leading the NBA in scoring average with 31.2 points per game. The Lakers narrowly beat the Phoenix Suns in seven games and swept the Hawks in four setting up the first NBA Finals between the Lakers and the New York Knicks. In game three, DeBusschere hit a mid-range jump shot with three seconds left to put the Knicks ahead 102-100. The Lakers had no time-outs left. Chamberlain inbounded the ball to West who raced past Walt Frazier and threw up a 60-foot shot. Frazier later commented that the man was crazy and looked determined. West incredibly connected and this basket tied the game since the three-point line had not been introduced yet. In overtime, West sprained his left hand and missed all five shots before the Knicks won 111-108. This shot is now called one of the greatest moments ever by the NBA. Later in the series, Reed hobbled up court before game seven inspiring his team to one of the most famous playoff upsets of all time.
After his coaching stint, West worked as a scout for three years before becoming general manager of the Lakers before the 1982-83 season. He helped build the great 1980s Lakers dynasty known as Showtime which brought five championship rings to Los Angeles. Those championship-winning Lakers were coached by Pat Riley featuring superstar players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy. After a slump in the early 1990s, West rebuilt the team around center Vlade Divac and forward Cedric Ceballos. In 1995, he received his first Executive of the Year Award for turning the Lakers around. He continued to propel the Lakers to championship contender status by trading Divac for Kobe Bryant and signing Shaquille O'Neal. He also signed six-time NBA champion Phil Jackson as coach in 1999. West departed from the Lakers at the end of the 1999-2000 season after winning his sixth championship as an executive due to a power struggle with head coach Phil Jackson. In 2002, he became general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies helping the franchise win their first-ever playoff berths.
West ended his playing career with 14 All-Star selections and 12 All-NBA Team selections. He scored 25,192 points translating to an average of 27.0 points per game. Among retired players only Michael Jordan, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain surpass his scoring average. He led the Lakers in scoring in seven seasons and is the league leader in career scoring in the NBA Finals with 1,679 points. The NBA logo designed in 1969 incorporates a silhouette based on a photograph of West according to its designer Alan Siegel. In March 2008 ESPN voted West the third greatest shooting guard of all time. In 2022 The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time naming him the 14th greatest player in NBA history. On the 5th of September 2019, West received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump in recognition of his contributions to the sport. He was the first person enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a contributor.
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Common questions
When and where was Jerry West born?
Jerry Alan West was born on the 28th of May, 1938, in Chelyan, West Virginia. He grew up as the fifth of six children to Cecil Sue West and Howard Stewart West.
What were Jerry West's college statistics at West Virginia University?
West averaged 26.6 points per game and grabbed 12.3 rebounds per game during his junior year while tying an NCAA tournament record with 160 total points. As a senior he achieved career highs including 29.3 points per game and 16.5 rebounds per game.
How did Jerry West score 63 points against the New York Knicks?
On the 17th of January 1962 Jerry West scored a career-high 63 points in a win over the New York Knicks. Lakers announcer Chick Hearn named him Mr. Clutch for hitting important late-game shots during that season.
Why is the NBA logo based on Jerry West?
The NBA logo designed in 1969 incorporates a silhouette based on a photograph of West according to its designer Alan Siegel. This image remains one of the most recognizable symbols in sports history today.
When did Jerry West receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
On the 5th of September 2019 West received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump. The award recognized his contributions to the sport of basketball throughout his life.