Jerry West: Difference between revisions

'''Jerome Alan West''' (May 28, 1938 – June 12, 2024) was an American [[basketball]] executive and former player. He played professionally for the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). His nicknames included "'''the Logo'''", in reference to his silhouette being the basis for the NBA logo; "'''Mr. Clutch'''", for his ability to make a big play in a key situation such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the [[1970 NBA Finals]] against the [[New York Knicks]]; "'''Mr. Outside'''", in reference to his perimeter play with the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] and "'''Zeke from Cabin Creek'''" for [[Cabin Creek (West Virginia)|the creek]] near his birthplace of [[Chelyan, West Virginia]]. West played the [[small forward]] position early in his career: he was a standout at East Bank High School and at [[West Virginia University]], where he led the [[West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball|Mountaineers]] to the [[1959 NCAA University Division basketball championship game|1959 NCAA championship game]]. He earned the [[NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player]] honor despite the loss in the championship. He then embarked on a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and was the co-captain of the [[1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team|1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team]], a squad that was inducted as a unit into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2010. In 2024, he will be inducted to the Hall of Fame as a contributor to the sport as an executive and consultant.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-03 |title=Sources: Jerry West into Hall for record 3rd time |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39868193/sources-jerry-west-elected-hall-fame-contributor |access-date=2024-04-03 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>