Jerry “Mr. Clutch” West, whose illustrious basketball career spanned six decades, died peacefully in his home on Monday at age 86, according to the Los Angeles Clippers.
West was “the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him,” the team wrote in a statement, adding that West’s wife Karen was by his side when he died.
West grew up in Chelyan, West Virginia, the son of a coal miner and housewife and the second youngest of six children. He attended East Bank High School, where his basketball career would begin, and then later West Virginia University.
He was at the forefront of the league ever since his first season as a Los Angeles Laker and U.S. Olympic team member in 1960. In 1972, he joined the Lakers in winning a ring. He played professionally until 1974 when he took a coaching position with the same team.
He rallied the Lakers to the playoffs in 1977, but his impact would be felt the following decade, when as general manager he led the team to five rings during the Showtime dynasty. West bounced to the Memphis Grizzlies, then the Golden State Warriors and made his way back to Los Angeles in 2017 to coach the Clippers.
However, his legacy wasn’t felt just on the court. West was immortalized in the NBA logo, being the dribbling figure in the center.
In 2019, former President Donald Trump awarded West the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
