Hall of Famer Jerry West, who won two NBA titles with Warriors, dies
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Hall of Famer Jerry West, who won two NBA titles with Warriors, dies at 86 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Jerry West, the Hall of Fame player who won two NBA titles with the Warriors, died Wednesday at the age of 86.
The Los Angeles Clippers announced that West died peacefully at his home.
West was an NBA champion, an NBA Finals MVP, an Olympic gold medalist and the inspiration behind the league’s iconic logo. He began his historic pro basketball career in 1960 and influenced the game of basketball for eight decades, winning nine championships as a player, scout, coach, executive and consultant.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver released a statement after news of West’s death hit.
The Los Angeles Lakers selected West with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, and he spent his entire Hall of Fame playing career with the purple and gold. He averaged 27 points on 47.4 percent shooting, with 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists, in 932 games through 14 seasons.
West was a 14-time NBA All-Star, 12-time All-NBA pick and five-time All-Defensive selection, but his impact went beyond those accolades.
After his playing career, West found success as an NBA executive, building the 1980s Showtime Lakers team that won five championships and orchestrating the formation of the iconic Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant duo that won three consecutive NBA championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
West joined Golden State in 2011 and served as an executive board member for six seasons. After the Warriors won the second of their four most recent championships, he left the Bay to join the Los Angeles Clippers organization in 2017.
“Jerry West was an incredible and unique individual, having accomplished immeasurable heights in the game of basketball,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in a statement released by the team. “He reached the absolute pinnacle of the sport as both a player and executive, something few can claim in the profession. He did so much for the NBA, the game of basketball…
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