Jerry West | Biography, Accomplishments, & Awards - Britannica

Coach and executive

Career stats
  • Points per game: 27.0
  • Assists per game: 6.7
  • Field goal percentage: 47.4%
  • Games played: 932
NBA titles
  • Player: 1 (1972)
  • Executive: 8 (Los Angeles Lakers: 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–88, 2000; Golden State Warriors: 2015, 2017)

After his retirement in 1974, West served as the Lakers’ head coach for three seasons (1976–79), guiding them to 145 wins and 101 losses over that span. West then spent three years as a scout for the Lakers before becoming the team’s general manager in 1982. He shaped squads that won five NBA titles between 1982 and 2000, his final year with the franchise. West worked in the front office of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002 to 2007, assembling the first playoff teams for the young franchise. His front-office acumen led to two NBA Executive of the Year awards (1995, 2004).

In 2011 West became an adviser to the Golden State Warriors, as well as a member of the team’s executive board. The Warriors revolutionized basketball during West’s time as an adviser, winning two NBA titles (2015, 2017) and setting a new standard for offensive efficiency. Shortly after Golden State won its second title with West in the front office, he left the franchise to become a consultant with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Quick Facts In full: Jerome Alan West (Show more) Bynames: Mr. Clutch and The Logo (Show more) Born: May 28, 1938, Chelyan, West Virginia, U.S. (Show more) Died: June 12, 2024 (aged 86) (Show more) Awards And Honors: Basketball Hall of Fame (1980) (Show more) See all related content

West was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980 and in 1996 was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. In 2019 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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