Jerry West Career Highlights and Statistics

When the Lakers moved to Los Angeles from Minneapolis in 1960, they were joined by a rookie shooting guard and Olympic Gold Medialist from the University of West Virginia. In the ensuing four decades, the team and that rookie, Jerry West, became synonymous with success.

First as a player, then a coach, and for 19 years as an executive, West’s sparkling track record speaks for itself. Eight NBA championships as a player executive or special consultant, Executive of the Year, 14-time NBA All-Star, 10-time All-NBA First Team, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history, and the list goes on…

West’s accomplishments as an executive in the Lakers’ front office, rival that of his Hall of Fame playing career in their backcourt. During his prosperous 19-year stint as both general manager (1982-1994) and Executive Vice President (1995- 2000), the Lakers captured four NBA Championships (1985, 1987, 1988, and 2000) and made eight trips to the NBA Finals.

When the Lakers were winning three NBA titles en route to earning professional sports’ “Franchise of the Decade” honors
Mission accomplished. Since winning a championship in 1988, the Lakers, with West revamping and re-tooling the roster, remained extremely competitive while piecing together the nucleus of another NBA champion for 2000 and beyond. Known for his shrewd personnel moves and trades, West made his biggest acquisitions in the summer of 1996 when he signed superstar Shaquille O’Neal to a free agent contract and later traded center Vlade Divac for the draft rights to fellow superstar Kobe Bryant, making the Lakers a championship caliber club once again – earning their next NBA title in 2000. After the 1994-95 season, West captured NBA Executive of the Year honors for the first time, a long-overdue accolade for a man who helped guide the Lakers through one of the greatest decades in sports history and has once again positioned the team among the NBA’s elite. Since the Lakers moved to Southern California in 1960, the club has qualified for post-season play in all but three seasons, two of which the former sharpshooter was not affiliated with the club. West has been affiliated in one capacity or another with the Lakers for each of their eight championships in Los Angeles (four titles as an executive, three as a special consultant and one as a player).

Appropriately dubbed “Mr. Clutch” because of his uncanny ability to produce with the game on the line, West established himself as one of the greatest players in NBA history throughout his brilliant 14-year career. Spending each of those 14 seasons with the Lakers, he led the team in scoring seven times, averaging 30-plus points on four occasions, highlighted by a career-high 31.3 points during the 1965-66 campaign. West had the unique distinction of the being the oldest player in league history to average over 30 points a game (31.2 in 1969-70 at 31 years old) until Michael Jordan eclipsed the mark.

When West retired after the 1973-74 campaign, he had become only the third player in league history to surpass the 25,000-point plateau, finishing with a career scoring average of 27.0, which still ranks fifth-best in NBA history. The Lakers’ all-time scoring leader and the 12th leading scorer in league history (25,192), West was the NBA’s all-time playoff leader in points (4,457) and assists (970) until Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, respectively, surpassed his totals. His playoff scoring average (29.1) is third highest in NBA history, trailing only Michael Jordan (33.4) and Allen Iverson (30.3). Additionally, West established a long-standing league record by scoring 20-plus points in 25 consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals (1966-1970), which Jordan eclipsed, once again.

Included among Jerry’s many outstanding accomplishments as a player were several incredible feats, notably compiling a scoring average of 40.6 points per game during the 1965 playoffs (11 games) including an all-time NBA record 46.3 ppg. average during a six-game series vs. Baltimore and the sinking of a 60-foot shot as time expired to send Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals vs. New York into overtime on April 29, 1970. He was also a member of the Lakers’ first NBA championship team in Los Angeles in 1972, helping lead Los Angeles to a 69-13 regular season record and a 33-game winning streak, an all-time professional sports record.

Additionally, he led the NBA in assists (9.7) during the 1971-72 campaign, and holds the NBA record for most free throws made in a single season (840 in 1965-66). Selected to the All-NBA First Team 10 times and the NBA’s All-Defensive Team four times, West was also selected to play in 14 consecutive All-Star games during his career, capturing MVP honors in the 1972 classic at the Forum. Jerry was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, named to the NBA’s 35th Anniversary Team in 1980 and selected as one of the 50 greatest players in league history in 1997. His #44 jersey was retired by the Lakers on November 9, 1983. Following retirement at the conclusion of the 1973-74 campaign and a two-year hiatus from the rigors of the NBA, he returned to the Lakers for the 1976-77 campaign, replacing Bill Sharman as the club’s head coach. In his initial year, the Lakers posted an NBA-best 53-29 record, qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the first of 17 consecutive seasons. Overall, the Lakers posted a 145-101 record during his three seasons at the helm (.589).

Following his three year coaching stint, West spent three years as a special consultant with the Lakers (1979-1982). He was elevated to general manager of the club prior to the 1982-83 campaign, where he handled day-to day operations and player personnel decisions.

West attended West Virginia University (1956-60), where he was a two-time All-American and concluded his collegiate career with a 24.8 scoring average. Following his senior year, he became the Lakers’ first round draft pick (first-ever pick in LA Lakers history) in the 1960 NBA Draft (second overall). Before entering the NBA, Jerry served as co-captain of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic Basketball Team in Rome in 1960. He was also a member of the victorious U.S. squad in the 1958 Pan American Games.

Born May 28, 1938 in Chelyan, West Virginia, West garnered national attention as a high school star. As a senior, he led East Bank High School to the state title and became the first prep player in the state’s history to register over 900 points in a single season (32.2 ppg).

Jerry and his wife, Karen, have two sons, Ryan and Jonathan. Jerry has three other sons, David, Mark and Michael, from a previous marriage. He also has an infant grandson, Andrew West.

Watch the Jerry West Press Conference Video - April 30, 2002.
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