A true legend in every sense of the word. This man's body of work is well documented and has been summarized exceptionally well on this thread. I could add from a personal standpoint, Jerry West was the general manager of the team when I became a fan of the Lakers back in the showtime era. The personnel moves that he made caused me to tinker with trade scenarios with a pen and paper back when I was 13-years old or so. Later, I remember reading about Kobe in Street and Smith's magazine and hearing Sunny Vaccaro talking about him on Lee Hacksaw Hamilton's radio show. I was baffled about how low Kobe was on some mock drafts I read about then. Most had him between 5 and 10. I thought he was the best prospect in the draft. I know the resources were limited at the time with no internet. Still, the grainy TV footage from Lower Merion, the articles I read, the audio I heard from experts like Vaccaro, and just a gut feeling and Kobe being a 6-6, 200 pound shooting guard with a fade away, handles, athleticism, etc. He just looked the part. I wanted the Lakers to trade Jones, Campbell, and #24 for him. I called radio stations proposing such ideas and I got laughed at. People like my barber at the time, who was a huge NBA and college basketball fan, had no idea who Kobe was. Then draft day came, and when the Lakers eventually traded Vlade Divac for Kobe Bryant, I felt a sense of vindication. Of course, no one saw the Shaq signing coming, so West and the Lakers received significant criticism for trading their starting center for a skinny high school kid! From then on, Jerry West increased my passion for the transactional side of the NBA. I gained an enormous amount of respect Jerry West, and the NBA general manager position. RIP Jerry West.
lakers constantly choked in game 7s against boston throughout the 60s 1962-lost by 3 in OT in game 7. frank selvy missed a wide open 12 foot shot that would've won the title in regulation 1966-lost by 2 in game 7 1969-lost by 2 in game 7 after don nelson's ridiculously friendly bounce off the back of the rim can't imagine how frustrating it must've been for west knowing he was a couple bounces away from potentially having 3 more titles as a player
Phil speaks for 4 minutes and the Lakers as a franchise said what...55 words? Whoever they hired had one hell of an expensive $ per word fee. They would've been better off letting ChatGPT come up with something for them. Just saw the Raiders message. That even was drastically better than the "message" we put out. I have to think if Kobe was still around he would've been the face of the Lakers messaging here.
My favorite Laker of all time, the guy every ball player wanted to be when I was in school. RIP you absolute legend. Reunite with your bro. Never been a tougher player.
RIP. The Lakers' pathetic message is indicative of why I'm not around here much anymore. This franchise isn't the same.
and that coming from a guy who wasn't fond of west to say the least lakers keep on looking worse and worse for that embarrassment of a message
This is the best place to commiserate about West; I appreciate all the thoughts and props ya'll are giving him. As a very olde dude, every now and then I catch myself assuming everyone has forgotten anything beyond what happened since last Tuesday after lunch. I was one of those 8 year olds who bothering his parents so much they finally caved and put up a backboard and rim on the garage. It had to be 10 feet off the pavement or I'd raise holy hell, and they knew it and I got it. Then: a basketball for xmas. And for very many hours, often alone, after school until my mom yelled at my friends to go home and for me to come in for dinner, I was out there, dribbling and shooting 15 footers, being Jerry West. Mr. Clutch. I remember one game he got his nose broken and kept playing. As a classic defensive move, he was the best I've ever seen at blocking a shot from behind. Many years later - I was too young to follow the Lakers losing in the Finals, over and over in the 1960s, to the goddamned C-Bags. And I read every book on West and slowly appreciated the torment and trauma he'd felt over losing. Lakers had Jerry and Elgin; the Bags were a well-oiled TEAM. When West finally won a ring, it was like a cure for insanity, but he never really got over it. The first year I was conscious enough to be a true Laker fanatic was 1971-72. I listened/watched every second of every game. My gawd, I was spoiled: 69-13. 33 game winning streak. Mowed down everyone in the playoffs. All that was like effing heroin: I was hooked for life as a Laker fan. RIP, Logo!
west is one of the few players from back in the day who i believe would still be a star in today's NBA
I see that too: he was so quick, picked his spots, had fantastic shooting range, and could create space. In fact, "create space" wasn't even a term I heard while he played but in a sense he invented it. Profoundly sound fundamentally, and when I read the stories about West trying out the HS player Kobe, it made total sense to me. I was a little geek-kid and my mom bought me a subscription to Sports Illustrated when I was 10. And not long after that, there was a long profile-piece on Jerry West and I read it like some child Talmud scholar. And at one point West used the word "a**" and I was astonished: Jerry West says the word "a**"? I was so young. So naive. To me, it would be like reading something in the Bible and Jesus said to a disciple, "If we don't f*** with them; they shall not f*** with us." It was a different time, friends. The long history of Hollywood shows that a very large number of films were lost forever. Some were burnt in accidental fires, but a lot of films disappeared simply because no one thought anyone in the future would be interested, so they weren't preserved. Same with ancient Laker games: West/Baylor...Tommy Hawkins, Keith Erickson, Johnny Egan? With Chick calling. They're gone. But seriously: averaging 46 points in a playoff series with no 3 point line? Dropped 63 on 1/17/62: how many would he have had with a 3-point line?
From West's autobiography, West By West: My Charmed, Tormented Life, after winning Finals MVP even though the Lakers lost: during the following summer: “I was lost, and I was depressed. Wherever I went, I had a hard time making eye contact with people.” I'm not saying there's no one playing today who'd be like that. Maybe there is. But I doubt it.
Closest would have been Magic during Summer of 1984 after his fall from grace though temporary. Bill Russell once said "If I had one wish, it would be for you (Jerry) to be happy."
Lakers legend Jerry West's legacy sadly includes estrangement - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com) I know it's been a complex relationship, but this just feels embarrassing. Especially after taking away his lifetime season tickets since Dr. Buss passed away. They told him via texting his wife instead of calling him directly.
