For younger basketball fans, Jerry West may be a name they recognize more from NBA history than from what he actually accomplished on the court. That is a shame, because Jerry West was an unbelievable basketball player.
Nicknamed “Mr. Clutch,” West spent his entire 14-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers and established himself as one of the greatest guards the game has ever seen. From scoring and playmaking to defense and postseason performances, West could do just about everything.
A Superstar From the Beginning
The Lakers selected West with the second overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft, and it didn’t take long for him to become one of the league’s biggest stars. By his second season, West was averaging more than 30 points per game, something that would become a common theme throughout his prime.
West finished his career averaging 27.0 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game, remarkable numbers for a guard playing in his era. He averaged at least 30 points per game four different times and won the NBA scoring title in 1969-70 after averaging 31.2 points per game.
But West wasn’t simply a scorer. Later in his career, he led the NBA in assists after averaging 9.7 per game during the 1971-72 season, showing just how complete his offensive game really was.
Mr. Clutch
There is a reason Jerry West became known as Mr. Clutch. When the games became bigger, West had a habit of becoming even better.
One of the greatest examples came during the 1965 Western Division Finals, when West averaged an absurd 46.3 points per game against the Baltimore Bullets. Think about that for a second: more than 46 points per game across an entire playoff series. Decades later, it remains one of the greatest scoring performances in NBA postseason history.
Then there was his famous moment in the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. With the Lakers trailing by two at the end of Game 3, West launched a shot from around 60 feet away and somehow made it, sending the game to overtime.
Today, the shot would have won the game because it would count for three points. At the time, the NBA didn’t have a three-point line. It’s one of the most iconic shots in Finals history and a perfect example of why the nickname Mr. Clutch followed West throughout his career.
The Only One
Perhaps the strangest accomplishment on West’s résumé came in 1969. West was spectacular during the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, averaging 37.9 points per game during the seven-game series, but the Lakers ultimately lost Game 7 and the championship.
West was still named Finals MVP.
To this day, he remains the only player in NBA history to win Finals MVP while playing for the losing team. That tells you just how dominant he was.
West eventually got his championship in 1972, helping the Lakers complete one of the greatest seasons in NBA history. Los Angeles finished the regular season 69-13, won a then-record 33 consecutive games and defeated the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. After years of coming painfully close, Mr. Clutch finally became an NBA champion.
One of the Most Accomplished Guards Ever
West’s career résumé is loaded. He was selected to the NBA All-Star Game in all 14 seasons of his career, earning 14 All-Star selections. He made 12 All-NBA teams, including 10 First Team selections, and earned five NBA All-Defensive selections despite the All-Defensive teams not even existing until late in his career.
West was also selected to the NBA’s 35th Anniversary Team, 50th Anniversary Team and 75th Anniversary Team, showing how his greatness has continued to be recognized across generations. His combination of scoring, passing, defense and postseason greatness made him one of basketball’s first truly complete superstar guards.
An NBA Icon
Even people who never watched Jerry West play have seen an image closely associated with him. The silhouette used in the NBA’s famous logo has long been associated with a photograph of West, making his image inseparable from the history of professional basketball.
But Jerry West should never be remembered only for a logo. He was a scoring champion, an assists leader, an NBA champion, a Finals MVP, a 14-time All-Star and one of the greatest playoff performers basketball has ever seen.
More than half a century after his final NBA game, his numbers and accomplishments still stand alongside the greatest guards to ever touch a basketball.
Jerry West takes the #4 spot on my list of the five greatest shooting guards in NBA history.
Next up: #3 Dwyane Wade.
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