Jerry West, NBA and Lakers legend, dead at 86

Jerry West, one of the greatest players in NBA history who also built the 1980 Lakers dynasty as their general manager, died Wednesday morning, the Clippers announced.

He was 86. A cause of death was not disclosed.

West’s wife Karen was by his side when he passed.

West, whose silhouette is used for the NBA’s logo and was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch,” had been working for the Clippers as a consultant.

“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.”

Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and set to be inducted again this year as a contributor for his executive work, West was an All-Star every season of his 14-year career, all with the Lakers, and helped lead them to an NBA championship in 1972.

He averaged 27 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds for his career.

West, who has a statue outside the Lakers’ arena and whose No. 44 is retired by the team, made the All-NBA first team 10 times, the All-Defensive first team four times and was the 1970 scoring champion.

Born in Chelyan, W.V., Jerome Alan West played collegiately at West Virginia University, where he was a two-time first-team All-American.

He was taken No. 2 overall by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1960 NBA Draft right before the team relocated to Los Angeles.

After retiring in 1974, West took over as the Lakers’ head coach in 1976, manning the bench for three seasons.

He then became a scout for the team and was named their general manager in 1982, helping engineer the Showtime Lakers which won five NBA championships in the 1980s, a team that featured Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.

West then constructed the next Lakers dynasty in the late 1990s and early 2000s, hiring Phil Jackson as the coach, trading for the rights to Kobe Bryant and signing Shaquille O’Neal as a free agent.

After the Lakers won their third straight championship in 2002, West left to become the Grizzlies’ general manager and led the team to three playoff appearances in five seasons.

He then joined the Warriors in 2011 as a member of the executive board before joining the Clippers in 2017.

West, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019, has two sons, Ryan and Jonnie, with his second wife Karen, and three sons, David, Mark and Michael, with his first wife, Martha.