NBA
How many seasons did Jerry West coach the Lakers? Did he win any NBA Championships?
The Lakers icon, one of the most accomplished personalities in the franchise and the league, passed away at the age of 86.
The basketball world is mourning the passing of NBA icon Jerry West. The West Virginia native was considered one of the best players the league has ever seen and one of the most important and influential personalities at the Los Angeles Lakers due to his career on and off the court.
Given his influence on the game, West was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in his career. Another proof of how important his presence in the league was is that his silhouette is the basis of the NBA logo.
After his career as a player, West became the general manager of eight NBA championship teams, helping build the so-called “Showtime” dynasty with the Lakers.
West was “the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him,” the Clippers said in announcing his death.
Did NBA and Lakers legend Jerry West win any Championships?
The Lakers drafted him No. 2 overall in 1960, the rest is history. West was one of the franchise’s most talented players and his arrival helped the team to get to another level and reign supreme in the league.
West won the 1972 Championship with the Lakers, defeating the New York Knicks in five games, and won the 1969 Finals MVP, although his team lost to the Boston Celtics. The 14-time NBA All-Star took the reigns of the team from 1976 to 1979, although he couldn’t lift the trophy as a coach.
West, who was selected as part of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team, kept winning trophies after retiring as a player and his period as coach ended. He added six more Championships with the LA franchise in the front office as general manager and won two more championships in an advisory role with the Golden State Warriors.
West is the second NBA icon to die in the last few weeks, as Bill Walton died last May at the age of 71.