The NBA lost a legend today. Jerry West passed away at the age of 86. He played for 14 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, elected to the All-Star Team each year of his career. He was also co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team and inspired the NBA logo. The logo designer based it on a photo of West dribbling, taken by the team’s official photographer. West is the only player to win MVP of the NBA finals despite the fact that his team lost in 7 games to the Boston Celtics. After his playing career ended, West took over as head coach for the Lakers for three years, leading the team to the playoffs each year. He also worked as a scout for three years and became the general manager of the Lakers in 1982. The Lakers won 6 championships with West as GM. He became GM of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2002. In 2019, West was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and he was honored as one of the league’s 75 greatest players in 2021.
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