On June 12, basketball woke up to the news that Jerry West, the legendary player and executive that inspired the NBA logo, died at age 86.
West is someone who needs little introduction. The Lakers legend broke multiple records during his 14-year playing career and is credited with producing the Los Angeles dynasty, which included Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
“Mr. Clutch” as he was known was “the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him,” the Clippers said in a statement. West died with his wife Karen by his side.
Despite winning only one championship on the court, West is considered one of the best to do it. Take a look back at how his college and NBA careers fared and how he earned Hall of Fame status.
MORE: NBA world mourns passing of Lakers legend Jerry West
Jerry West college stats at West Virginia
While many perennial powerhouses attempted to recruit West out of high school, the Chelyan, West Virginia, native decided to stay home to play college basketball. As a result, he helped create one of the best college teams to never win a national championship.
While the Mountaineers never claimed a national championship, West still led them to three of their best ever seasons. While he was on the court, they went 81-12 in three seasons, making it to the national championship in 1959 but falling short by one point. He was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player that year.
West holds 17 school records and was a three-time All-American at WVU, earning second-team as a sophomore and first-team his next two years.
Just months after his final collegiate game, before heading to the pros, West helped captain the 1960 Olympic Gold medal team in Rome.
| Season | Class | G | MPG | FG-FGA (FG%) | FT-FTA (FT%) | PPG | RPG | APG |
| 1957-58 | So. | 28 | 28.5 | 6.4-12.8 (49.6%) | 5.1-6.9 (73.2%) | 17.8 | 11.1 | 1.5 |
| 1958-59 | Jr. | 34 | 35.6 | 10.0-19.3 (51.8%) | 6.6-9.4 (69.7%) | 26.6 | 12.3 | 2.5 |
| 1959-60 | Sr. | 31 | 36.4 | 10.5-20.8 (50.4%) | 8.3-10.9 (76.7%) | 29.3 | 16.5 | 4.3 |
| Career | – | 93 | 9.1-17.8 (50.8%) | 6.7-9.2 (73.2%) | 24.8 | 13.3 | 2.8 |
Jerry West Lakers stats
After a standout collegiate career, West was selected No. 2 in the 1960 NBA Draft by the Lakers. And as they say, the rest is history.
He needed just 14 years in Los Angeles to become one of the greatest players of all time. In his second season, he scored 63 points against the Knicks, what was then the league’s single-game scoring record for guards. In 1970, he lead the league with 31.2 points per game.
With West, the Lakers made the NBA Finals nine times, losing all but one. In 1969, he was named Finals MVP despite losing to the Celtics in a seven-game series. Three years later, West finally got his first and only championship by beating the Knicks.
Despite playoff struggles, West’s postseason career ranks second, only to Michael Jordan, with a 29.1 scoring average.
He was an 14-time all star, 12-time All-NBA honoree and even made the all-defensive team for four years straight from 1970 to 1973. West was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, five years after his playing career ended, and his No. 44 jersey was retired by the Lakers four years later.
MORE: How Jerry West inspired the NBA logo
| Season | Age | G | MPG | FG-FGA (FG%) | FT-FTA (FT%) | PPG | RPG | APG |
| 1960-61 | 22 | 79 | 35.4 | 6.7-16.0 (41.9%) | 4.2-6.3 (66.6%) | 17.6 | 7.7 | 4.2 |
| 1961-62 | 23 | 75 | 41.2 | 10.7-23.9 (44.5%) | 9.5-12.3 (76.9%) | 30.8 | 7.9 | 5.4 |
| 1962-63 | 24 | 55 | 39.3 | 10.2-22.1 (46.1%) | 6.7-8.7 (77.8%) | 27.1 | 7.0 | 5.6 |
| 1963-64 | 25 | 72 | 40.4 | 10.3-21.2 (48.4%) | 8.1-9.8 (83.2%) | 28.7 | 6.0 | 5.6 |
| 1964-65 | 26 | 74 | 41.4 | 11.1-22.4 (49.7%) | 8.8-10.7 (82.1%) | 31.0 | 6.- | 4.9 |
| 1965-66 | 27 | 79 | 40.7 | 10.4-21.9 (47.3%) | 10.6-12.4 (86%) | 31.3 | 7.1 | 6.1 |
| 1966-67 | 28 | 66 | 40.5 | 9.8-21.0 (46.4%) | 9.1-10.4 (87.8%) | 28.7 | 5.9 | 6.8 |
| 1967-68 | 29 | 51 | 37.6 | 9.3-18.2 (51.4%) | 7.7-9.5 (81.1%) | 26.3 | 5.8 | 6.1 |
| 1968-69 | 30 | 61 | 39.2 | 8.9-19.0 (47.1%) | 8.0-9.8 (82.1%) | 25.9 | 4.3 | 6.9 |
| 1969-70 | 31 | 74 | 42.0 | 11.2-22.6 (49.7%) | 8.7-10.6 (82.4%) | 31.2 | 4.6 | 7.5 |
| 1970-71 | 32 | 69 | 41.2 | 9.7-19.6 (49.4%) | 7.6-9.1 (83.2%) | 26.9 | 4.6 | 9.5 |
| 1971-72 | 33 | 77 | 38.6 | 9.5-20.0 (47.7%) | 6.7-8.2 (81.4%) | 25.8 | 4.2 | 9.7 |
| 1972-73 | 34 | 69 | 35.7 | 9.0-18.7 (47.9%) | 4.9-6.1 (80.5%) | 22.8 | 4.2 | 8.8 |
| 1973-74 | 35 | 31 | 31.2 | 7.5-16.7 (44.7%) | 5.3-6.4 (83.3%) | 20.3 | 3.7 | 6.6 |
| Career | – | 932 | 39.2 | 9.7-20.4 (47.4%) | 7.7-9.4 (81.4%) | 27.0 | 5.8 | 6.7 |
Jerry West coaching, executive career
After his legendary playing career, West became coach of the Lakers for three seasons, going 145-101 from 1976 to 1979. He then became the franchise’s general manager, creating what would soon become a dynasty.
Los Angeles won six NBA championships under West in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988 and his final season, 2000. He was named Executive of the Year in 1995, even though the Lakers did not produce a title that year.
MORE: Inside Jerry West, Kobe Bryant’s relationship
West came out of retirement soon afterwards to become the Grizzlies’ general manager. He earned his second Executive of the Year award in 2004 after helping Memphis to its first playoff appearance. The Grizzlies made the postseason for three straight years before West’s second retirement in 2007.
The Lakers star didn’t rest for long, heading back to the west coast in 2011 as a board member for the Warriors. Golden State won the NBA championship in 2015 and 2017 for West’s eighth title as an executive.
West worked with the Clippers as a consultant and board member from 2017 until his death.