Just read that Jerry West, Laker legend passed away.



From Stuff About Minneapolis on Facebook:

RIP Jerry West...Originally drafted as the second overall pick in the 1960 NBA draft by the Minneapolis Lakers he never actually suited up for Minneapolis as the team moved to Los Angeles shortly after the draft. West spent his entire 14 year Hall of Fame career as a Los Angeles Laker and is recognized as one of the greatest players ever.
 

In the days before the T-Wolves, I was a Lakers fan - first because of the team with West, Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain.

West's Career averages: (NBA)
27 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.

noteworthy:
his older brother was killed in action in the Korean War. as a senior at West Virginia, averaged 29.3 points and 16.5 rebounds a game with 30 double-doubles and 15 games of 30 points or more.

when he joined the Lakers, his Appalachian accent resulted in the players giving him the nickname "Zeke from Cabin Creek."
 

I grew up in St. Louis and saw him play live many times against the (original) Hawks. I swear he never missed a shot. There are a lot of "great" players from that era who would barely crack an NBA rotation in 2024. West, Russell, Wilt, "The Big O" (Oscar Robertson) and Havlicek would make the 2024-2025 NBA All Star team. West was a killer, except against the Celtics.
 


If Jerry West never made a bucket, he would still be in the HoF as an NBA Executive. Perhaps the greatest combo as a Player/Exec in any pro support.

He's one of Dan Patrick's idols and had done several great interviews throughout the years on his show. One time the show's 10th Anniversary, Patrick's crew was presenting him a cake while they were broadcasting from LA.

They said that the owner from the bakery wanted to present it to him personally. To his surprise it was West that presented the cake, and Dan was completely overwhelmed. Really cool moment.

 
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If Jerry West never made a bucket, he would still be in the HoF as an NBA Executive. Perhaps the greatest combo as a Player/Exec in any pro support.

He's one of Dan Patrick's idols and had done several great interviews throughout the years on his show. One time the show's 10th Anniversary, Patrick's crew was presenting him a cake while they were broadcasting from LA.

They said that the owner from the bakery wanted to present it to him personally. To his surprise it was West that presented the cake, and Dan was completely overwhelmed. Really cool moment.


Catching up on yesterday's Dan Patrick Show, he found out about West's passing during the show late in Hour 1. He got pretty emotional, very raw. First thing he mentioned was the cake story I posted.
 




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