Legendary NBA player and executive Jerry West has died at the age of 86. The news was announced by the LA Clippers. The Scissors wrote that West died this morning and his wife Karen was by his side.
West, known as "Mr. Clutch", was drafted by the contending Minneapolis Lakers in 1960, shortly before the organization moved to Los Angeles. He played for the team as a point guard and shooting guard until 1974. During his time with the team, he became a 14-time All-Star and led the team to nine Finals appearances, winning the championship in 1972. Three years earlier he was named MVP in the Finals loss to the Boston Celtics. That remains the only case in NBA history when a basketball player is named MVP in the Finals, but doesn't win the title. West was also co-captain of the US Olympic team that won gold in 1960.
In 1969, the NBA created its logo, which to this day features a silhouette of West dribbling a basketball, a shot that was inspired by a photo of him taken during a game. He finished his career with averages of 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.
After his playing career ended, he coached the Lakers for three seasons between 1976-79. He achieved great success as a manager - he led the Lakers to six championship rings (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 2000) and also led the Golden State Warriors to two of the Warriors' titles in 2015 and 2017. | BGNES
