JERRY west Fans have noted that the NBA logo looks an awful lot like Jerry West The NBA does not say whether West inspired the logo But if so it would be a fitting tribute to one of the greatest all around guards to play the game West was a brilliant defender passer and ball handler He was also the best shooter in the NBA for most of his 14 seasons West was known for having one of the purest jump shots ever seen And he could hit from anywhere on the court That shooting ability helped him win an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 1960 He then took his skills to Los Angeles West played his entire career for the Los Angeles Lakers Later he served as a successful coach and general manager for the team shooting Jerry West right became a Los Angeles Lakers legend in large part due to his lights out
West was a sharpshooter from long range He retired with 25 192 career points Only 20 players had scored more through the 2013 14 season And many of them played after 1979 80 That was the first year the NBA had a three point line West was also great at the free throw line He made 7 160 foul shots That ranked sixth all time through 2013 14 The Lakers always wanted the ball in West's hands late in games Perhaps his most famous shot came in a loss It was Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals The Lakers trailed the New York The number of free Knicks by two points Only throws Jerry West made seconds remained That in 1965 66 an NBA record through 2014 is when West threw up a desperate shot from his own foul line Shockingly the ball swished through the hoop on the other end of the court These days the shot would have scored three points Alas West's shot only counted for two The Lakers lost in overtime 840
Lakers guard Jerry West sets up a shot against the New York Knicks during the 1973 NBA Finals JERRY WEST Position Guard Hometown Chelyan West Virginia College West Virginia University Height Weight 6 feet 2 175 pounds Birth Date May 28 1938 Team Los Angeles Lakers 1960 74 All Star Games 14 1961 74 First Team All NBA 1961 62 1962 63 1963 64 1964 65 1965 66 1966 67 1969 70 1970 71 1971 72 1972 73
