West won gold with the US at the Olympic Games Rome 1960, the country’s fifth straight triumph in the men’s basketball competition. The following year he was named in the NBA All-Star Game, one of the first athletes to achieve these two feats together.
West’s status has long been immortalised in the iconic NBA logo, which is based on a photo of the point guard dribbling the ball in a match. This earnt him the nickname ‘the Logo’, as well as ‘Mr. Clutch’ for his influence in making game-defining shots or plays.
The hall of famer spent his entire playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning the NBA Finals in 1972 and being named in the NBA All-Star Game in every one of his 14 seasons as a pro player.
Following his retirement from playing, West moved into coaching and team management, and as an executive helped create the successful Lakers team which won five titles in nine years including storied players such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.