What was Jerry West’s record as a player with the Lakers? How many NBA finals did he lose?

Jerry West will forever be known to many as “The Logo,” a reference to his silhouette being the basis for the current NBA logo. However, the fact “Mr Clutch” was one of his other most common nicknames is perhaps more indicative of his prowess on a basketball court.

The Lakers’ Jerry West: a one-team man

The second overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, West was initially selected by the Minneapolis Lakers, who had relocated to Los Angeles by the time he debuted for them.

The West Virginia Mountaineers point guard spent all 14 years of his NBA career with the Lakers and enjoyed consistent success on an individual level, even if team glory was rather harder to come by. The fact he is the only player in history to be named NBA Finals MVP (1969) while playing for the losing team epitomises that.

How many times was West named in the NBA All-Star team?

West was elected onto the NBA All-Star team in each of his 14 seasons, winning the MVP award in the All-Star game in 1972. He was voted into the All-NBA First Team on 10 occasions and the Second Team twice, while also being a member of the first five NBA All-Defensive Teams.

But despite his achievements and continued brilliance, the Lakers struggled to make it over the line as far as the NBA Finals were concerned.

How many NBA championships did West win with the Lakers?

Although the Californians won nine Division titles during West’s time with the team, they won only one of nine end-of-season Finals - against the New York Knicks in 1972.

They suffered a whopping eight defeats, six of which came at the hands of the Boston Celtics, with the Knicks coming out on top in the other two.

Perhaps not a record befitting of his “Mr Clutch” nickname, although West could hardly have done any more on a personal level to drive his team on to glory. A case of so near, so far on so many occasions.