Hall of Famer Jerry West, who died at 86, was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” because of his late-game heroics and his silhouette is believed to be the basis of the NBA logo. He was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010.
FILE - Jerry West speaks during a news conference to introduce him as an advisor to the Los Angeles Clippers , in Los Angeles, June 19, 2017. Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo, died Wednesday morning, June 12, 2024, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86.
West was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the gold medal-winning 1960 U.S. Olympic Team in 2010. He is scheduled to go in a third time later this year as a contributor for his work as an executive and a consultant.West was nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his late-game heroics during 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, including hitting a 60-foot shot at the buzzer to tie the New York Knicks in Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals.
He drafted Magic Johnson and James Worthy with the Lakers and then brought in Kobe Bryant and eventually Shaquille O’Neal. Even in his final years, West was considered basketball royalty. He routinely sat courtside at Summer League games in Las Vegas, often seeing players — including LeBron James — stand in long lines to shake his hand.A native of Chelyan, West Virginia, West grew up shooting at a basket nailed to the side of a shed and often shot until his fingers bled. He became the first high school player in state history to score more than 900 points in a season, averaging 32.
He played collegiately at West Virginia, where he led the Mountaineers to the 1959 NCAA final. They lost to California by a point. He remains WVU’s all-time leading scorer.In his memoir, “West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life,” West chronicled a lifelong battle with depression. He wrote that his childhood was devoid of love and filled with anger as a result of an abusive father. He often felt worthless and used basketball as therapy.
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