Jerry West

Jerry West is a Hall of Fame basketball player best known for his years with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He has also been a successful coach and team executive. West was named inducted into the Basketball all of Fame in 1980 and his silhouette is used for the NBA logo. Along with Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robertson, Jerry West can be credited for paving the way for the modern NBA game that we have today.

West led West Virginia to the 1959 NCAA Championship game before being drafted into the NBA. He spent his 14-year career with the Lakers, winning the NBA Championship in 1972. West won multiple awards during his storied career. He became known as one the game's best all-time clutch performers. In fact, his reputation for the ability to come through in crunch time famously earned Jerry West the nickname “Mr. Clutch.”

http://www.nba.com/history/players/west_bio.html

Most fans today would know Jerry West for two things, one, his image was used for the NBA's logo and two, he was the General Manager responsible for bringing Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to the Los Angeles Lakers. Before all of that though, Jerry West was simply one of the greatest guards to ever play the game. He revolutionized the shooting guard spot and was arguably the game’s first great scoring guard. When we talk about the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, it’s easy to forget that Jerry West put down to path for all of them.

The story of basketball and the National Basketball Association will never be able to be told without mentioning the likes of Jerry West. That’s important and it’s due to how great of a player West was. The term “legend” can be overused, but not in the case of Mr. Clutch. http://www.nba.com/history/players/west_bio.html

• NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)
• 1969 NBA Finals MVP
• 1972 NBA Champion
• 13x NBA All-Star (1961-73)
• 1972 NBA All-Star MVP
• 10x All-NBA First Team (1962-67, 1970-73)
• 2x All-NBA Second Team (1968, 1969)
• 3x NBA All-Defensive Team (1970-73)
• 1960 Olympic gold medalist
• 2x All-American
• 3x Southern Conference first-team
• 3x Southern Conference Tournament MVP
• 2x Southern Conference Player & Athlete of the Year