Posted on 06/12/2024 8:07:39 AM PDT by hole_n_one
Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning at the age of 86, the LA Clippers announced.
West was the third player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points, was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA Finals nine times, winning one title in 1971-72. He was also a 12-time All-NBA selection, an NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969 and part of the NBA's 75th anniversary team.
"Jerry West was a basketball genius and a defining figure in our league for more than 60 years," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "He distinguished himself not only as an NBA champion and an All-Star in all 14 of his playing seasons, but also as a consummate competitor who embraced the biggest moments."
"... I valued my friendship with Jerry and the knowledge he shared with me over many years about basketball and life. On behalf of the NBA, we send our deepest condolences to Jerry's wife, Karen, his family and his many friends in the NBA community."
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
I remember Cassius Clay too
I remember him at Power Memorial High School.
I remember him at Power Memorial High School.
I thought that’s where Lew Alcindor played.
The Logo. R.I.P.
Lew you mean? Or Cassius?
I remember when howard cossel refused to call him Muhammed Ali- and remember the fight with Ernie Terrel- and screamed at him “What is my name?”
The media lost their minds over it, claiming that it was so unprofessional- I can’t imagine what the media back then woudl have thought of the massive unsportsmanship of today’s athletes?
A highly-underrated player who unfortunately lived in the shadow of Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He will be missed.
Lew you mean? Or Cassius?
Or Roger Murdock?
In that instance I meant Lew Alcindor. My high school was in Brooklyn diocese, which did not play in the same league as Power Memorial in Manhattan. We did play Power Memorial in an exhibition game after he left. They had a pair of twins, about 6’ 6’, (white guys) who could reverse tomahawk, but we beat them. We lost to Holy Cross by one point in a one-game tie breaker for Brooklyn championship, otherwise we would have played Power for the city championship. We had a really good team that year.
My father played in the late teens and early 1920s
He was disgusted by the changes of the sport.
He called it, “stuff ball, and foul ball!” as the players walked from foul line to foul line to miss free throws. The game was changed to allow the stars to take three or four steps before shooting. “Traveling,” is never called, it is ridiculous to watch.
And now it’s all about throwing up 30 foot shots for 3-pointers.
Anybody can be a good three-point shooter with enough practice, it’s much harder to thread a pass inside for an easy layup or dunk.
And neither is carrying the ball.
Great player and overall decent guy. For a Laker.
He always exuded class! One of the very best. Boy, could the current NBA learn from him. RIP
My dad used to get Laker tickets from work. I went to a couple of dozen non playoff games. Jerry West always got about 25-30 points each game no matter how he was guarded. Double team. Triple team. Didn’t matter. 27 points.
That started with Julius Erving. The fans loved the razzle dazzle so the refs stopped calling traveling.
If they had kept stats for steals, West would have been at the top of the heap.
I do wonder if the Golden State Warriors would have won the first three titles under the Joe Lacob ownership if West hadn’t been around as a direct advisor to Lacob. West knew more about basketball than Lacob ever will.
West was the fore runner of what turned into a shooting guard that set the standard for players like Jordan. West’s claim to fame was he shot a career percentage close to 50% and was the second outlet for Lakers during his career when they brought it back out from Chamberlain and Baylor.
wy69
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