Jerry West

Player Profile and Personal Life

Jerome Alan West was born on May 28, 1938, in Chelyan, West Virginia in the United States of America. He stands 191 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 79 kg. He is a right-handed player and he held the position of point guard.

His parents were Cecil Sue and Howard Stewart West. His father was abusive when he was young and his older brother David West died in the Korean War. He spent most of his days hunting and shooting and later started to focus on sports, specifically basketball.

He married Martha Jane Kane in April 1960. The two divorced in 1976. He later remarried in 1978 to Kristine Bua. He is known for his work ethic. He was also a bit of an introvert.

High School and College Career

He attended East Bank High School but was benched by his coach in his first year because of his lack of height. He grew to 6 feet by his freshman summer and eventually became the team’s starting small forward.

By the time he was a senior, more than 60 colleges showed interest in recruiting him. He chose to stay close to home and attended West Virginia University.

While in college, he was named the 1959 and 1960 SoCon Player of the Year. He was also named to the Consensus First-Team All-American. Later, West Virginia retired Jersey No.44 in his honor.

Professional Career

He was drafted into the NBA by the then-Minneapolis Lakers shortly before they relocated to Los Angeles and became the Los Angeles Lakers. He played with the team from 1960 to 1974. He later coached for the team from 1976 to 1979.

In 1962, he was first named to the All-NBA First Team. He became an NBA Champion in 1972 a couple of years before that, he was named the 1969 NBA Finals MVP despite the Lakers’ loss. He was a 14-time NBA All-Star from 1961 to 1974. In 1970, he was the NBA Scoring Champion.

In 1972, he was the assists leader.

West was named to the 35th, 50th, and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams. After he retired, the Los Angeles Lakers retired jersey No.44.

In 1980, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was named to the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

As an NBA executive, he was an 8-time NBA Champion. He was also named the NBA Executive of the Year in 1995 and 2004.

Career Highlights

• 1972 - NBA champion
• 1969 - NBA Finals MVP
• 1961–1974 - NBA All-Star
• 1972 - NBA All-Star Game MVP
• 1962–1967, 1970–1973 - All-NBAFirst Team
• 1968, 1969 - All-NBA Second Team
• 1970–1973 - NBA All-DefensiveFirst Team
• 1969 - NBA All-Defensive Second Team

• 1970 - NBA scoring champion

• 1972 - NBA assists leader

• NBA anniversary team (35th,50th, 75th)

• No. 44 retired by the Los Angeles Lakers

• 1959 - NCAA Final FourMostOutstanding Player
• 1959, 1960 - Consensus first-teamAll-American
• 1958 - Third-team All-American – AP,UPI
• 1959, 1960 - SoCon Player of theYear

• No. 44 retired by WestVirginiaMountaineers

• 2019 - Presidential Medal of Freedom

As Executive:

• 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988,2000,2015, 2017 - NBA champion

• 1995, 2004 - NBA Executive of theYear

• 1980 - Basketball Hall of Fame as aplayer
• 2006 - College Basketball Hall ofFamer

Medal Record

• Gold - 1960 Rome Olympic Games
• Gold - 1959 Chicago Pan AmericanGames

Team History:

As Coach:

• 1976–1979 - Los Angeles Lakers