Jerry West is arguably the greatest Laker still: a championship player, coach and general manager architect of the Showtime era.
Following West’s death last June,e, the Lakers will honor “the logo” by wearing a “44” patch on their jerseys this season.
Well done Lakers.
To be clear, this isn’t just about the game the Lakers will honor West in on opening night on October 22, but the entire season.
West’s resume can be compared to anyone’s: 14-time All-Star, NBA champion, 12-time All-NBA, Olympic gold medalist, scoring champion, league assists leader and member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, as well as the only player to win Finals MVP on the losing team (averaging 37.9 points and 7.4 assists per game in the 1969 NBA Finals) — and that’s just as a player. And that doesn’t include his time as one of the league’s best and most respected general managers and executive minds, working with the likes of Warriors during the formation of their golden color Stephen Curry era, as well as with the Grizzlies and the Lawnmowers (during the best seasons of this Los Angeles franchise).
