NBA legend Jerry West dies aged 86

Former Los Angeles Lakers player and executive was the inspiration for the silhouette on the NBA logo

NBA legend Jerry West has died aged 86. Photograph: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images
NBA legend Jerry West has died aged 86. Photograph: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

Jerry West, a Hall of Fame player, executive and the inspiration for the silhouette NBA logo, died on Wednesday morning. He was 86.

West won nine NBA championships as a player, scout, coach, executive and consultant during a storied career that spanned eight decades. Nicknamed Mr Clutch, West was an All-Star during each season of his 14-year playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the club win the title in 1971-72.

West was named the MVP for the 1969 NBA Finals despite playing on a losing team. He scored 42 points in game seven, however the Lakers fell to the rival Boston Celtics.

A 12-time All-NBA selection, West found much more success after retiring from a career on the court.

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He helped the Showtime Lakers win five titles in the 1980s and oversaw the formation of the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant tandem. In a rebirth of the franchise’s glory days, the All-NBA duo led the Lakers to three straight titles (2000-02).

West became an adviser for the Clippers in 2017, and the club reached the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history in 2021. He was a two-time executive of the year.

He went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again 30 years later as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team. He also was name to the Hall as a contributor.