Nicknamed “Mr. Clutch,” West has been selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three times. He was enshrined as a player in 1980 and as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team in 2010. He will be inducted for a third time as a contributor later this year.
West is ingrained in the NBA to this day, as his silhouette is considered the inspiration for the league’s logo.
His resume as a player includes 14 NBA All-Star selections, 12 All-NBA selections, five NBA All-Defensive selections, a 1972 NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, an NBA Finals MVP on the losing side in 1969, nine Finals appearances and the 1960 Olympic gold medal.
As an executive, West brought “Showtime” to L.A. He coached the Lakers from 1976-79 and was the general manager forsix Lakers championships from 1980 to 2000 with stars including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
After spending several years with the Memphis Grizzlies, West joined the Golden State Warriors‘ front office in 2011 and helped guide the team to NBA titles in 2015 and 2017.
