West is still regarded as one of the best pure scorers in NBA history. He then embarked on a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and was the co-captain of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal team, a squad that was inducted as a unit into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. West won Schaus's trust and, alternating with Hundley, Selvy, and Leonard, played 35 minutes per game and established himself as the Lakers' second scoring option. Wests long wait had ended. Could you live on that?" Robertsons all-around excellence made him a triple-double machine on the court, and he drastically altered the complexion of the sport with a 1970 class-action lawsuit that led to the creation of free agency. [15] Among retired players, only Michael Jordan, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain surpass his 27.0 points per game average. He scored 19 points in the second half, leading WVU to an upset victory. [16] West's best performance was a game against Virginia, in which he grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 40 points. . SG. Tackling the Biggest Head-to-Head Sports Debates. When you feel that you're deceived you don't want any part of the organization that deceived you. Oscar Robertson, however, demurred about change in general in basketball. Oscar Robertson weighs in as Russell Westbrook attempts to join the Big O's one-man club. I think I should make every shot.. MIES (Switzerland) - It happened more than half a century ago, yet for two of the biggest legends in the sport, USA's Jerry West and Oscar Robertson, memories of the gold-medal winning run at theOlympic Games in Rome are crystal clear. Moreover, before Johnson entered the NBA, West and Oscar "The Big O" Robertson were considered the greatest guards in league history, not to mention that West was the one who received more respect and love. [24], In West's second NBA season, the Lakers could only make limited use of Baylor, who was called up by the U.S. Army Reserves and could play only 48 games. Moreover, during that final year, he had 30 double-doubles and fifteen 30-point games. Gail Goodrich's all-around play from the backcourt made him a perennial All-Star and, eventually, an NBA champion. [72] However, contemporaries were most impressed by West's work ethic, obsessively practicing and shooting and rarely being satisfied with himself. Boston won in overtime, 110-107. [15] Winning 45 games, the Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks in a close seven-game series, and yet again met the Boston Celtics in the 1966 NBA Finals. "Not a day goes by when I don't think about that Olympic experience.". (Going into the 1963-64 season, Baylor was 28, West 25, Robertson 24, Lucas 23.) > Archive 75: Jerry West| 75 Stories: Jerry West. [8] West led East Bank to a state championship on March 24 that year, prompting East Bank High School to change its name to "West Bank High School" every year on March 24 in honor of their basketball prodigy. Before that, the Oscar Robertson Rule was established in 1976, and the ABA-NBA merger allowed the NBA to expand for the 1976-77 season. Indeed, The Logo is still the only player to win Finals MVP as a member of the losing team. This worldview of modern basketball wouldnt have spread if it wasnt a generational thing. His only outlet was a basketball hoop nailed to a storage shed outside a neighbors house. The Minneapolis Lakers chose West with the second overall pick . [29], In the following 196465 NBA season, West averaged 31.0 points (at the time, a career-high), only surpassed by perennial scoring champion Wilt Chamberlain. All of these rookies except for Wilkens are also featured on the action cards. Instead, there's only admiration between the two all-time greats. Selvy then missed an open 8-foot shot which would have won the Lakers their first title. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird . He was named All-State from 1953 to 1956, then All-American in 1956 when he was West Virginia Player of the Year, becoming the state's first high-school player to score more than 900 points in a season, with an average of 32.2 points per game. [68] [69][70], On December 17, 2020, it was reported that West and the LA Clippers were under investigation by the NBA following a lawsuit filed by John Wilkes against the LA Clippers over the recruitment of Kawhi Leonard to the team. Working as a player-scout for three years, West was named general manager of the Lakers before the 198283 NBA season. [9], West was an outgoing and aggressive child in his youth. He was named All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense First Teamer and voted 1972 All-Star Game MVP. "I think the thing I most remember is that we won so easily ". West departed from the Lakers at the end of the 1999-2000 season. When it snowed West played wearing gloves. [87][88], West is portrayed in the 2022 HBO docudrama series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty as a temperamental, foul-mouthed executive prone to angry outbursts and mood swings. But his all-around excellence was unprecedented for a guard. Your inbox approves The power couples & . The 13-time All-Star, who was dealt to Phoenix on Feb. 9, has not played in a game since Jan. 8 when he was with the Nets. Jerry West talks about how losing to the Celtics multiple times in The Finals affected his mindset and demeanor during his career. In-Game 1 West scored 24 points before fouling out with three minutes left and L.A. won Game 1 115112. A loss just ripped his guts out., Its no wonder. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, 5 takeaways from Durant's debut with Suns, Durant expected to make Suns debut tonight, David Benner, Pacers longtime PR director, dies, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays & strategy for March 1, Kia Rookie Ladder: State of chase after All-Star, NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer Wednesday 3/1. In 1969, he became the only player to win Finals MVP on the losing team. [74] As a coach, West led the Lakers into three consecutive playoff campaigns, and then went on to win seven NBA championships as a general manager, building the 1980s Lakers dynasty under coach Pat Riley and players Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy and the 2000s under coach Phil Jackson and players Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. [41] After the loss West was seen as the ultimate tragic hero: after the game, Bill Russell held his hand, and John Havlicek said: "I love you, Jerry". CLEVELAND - "Mr. Some of these triple-doubles that Jerry West or Oscar Robertson or Elgin Baylor had, they would think they had the worst day in the world!. Jerry West is one of the most revered players in NBA history. In the rainy spring he dribbled in mud. In the Olympic basketball tournament, the USA definitely conquered Rome. You pass them on, but nobody can understand you. He would sit by himself and stare into space. He was also at the forefront of rebuilding the Lakers into championship shape by adding Shaquille ONeal as a free agent and trading for Kobe Bryant, who entered the NBA out of high school in 1996. In 2002, West became general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and helped the franchise win their first-ever playoff berths. Playing the guard position, he was voted 12 times into the All-NBA First and Second Teams, was elected into the NBA All-Star Team 14 times, and was chosen as the All-Star MVP in 1972, the same year that he won the only title of his career. Unexpectedly, most of the coaches changed direction as suddenly as a team that just had the ball stolen at midcourt. He explained his decision with the desire for exploring something new: "After being a part of the Laker's success for so many years, I have always wondered how it would be to build a winning franchise that has not experienced much success. This site contains affiliate links to products. But it is less a function of disrespect than of youth. Clutch". [11] West soon became the captain of the freshman team, and during the summer of 1953 he grew to 6ft 0in (1.83m). Entering the same 1960 NBA Draft as Robertson, West was selected right after Robertson with the second overall pick by the Minneapolis Lakers, who soon relocated to California and became the Los Angeles Lakers. West completely immersed himself in practice, often neglecting to eat. Oscar Robertson vs Jamaal Wilkes. "Oscar was one of basketball's great leaders, and his life is one of basketball's great. It wasn't a 3-pointer, but Jerry West's 60-foot prayer was answered in Game 2 of the 1970 NBA Finals. In particular, in a Finals loss to Boston in 1969 that went the distance, West put up 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in the decisive Game 7, and was named the inaugural Finals MVP despite being on the losing team, the only time in NBA history this has happened. West threw in 28.7 points per game with 48% shooting from the floor and 83% shooting from the foul line. West became the first draft pick ever of the relocated franchise. Shaver emphasized the importance of conditioning and defense, which were lessons that the teenager appreciated. Steals and blocks came into official book-keeping during the mid-70s. Moreover, the duo had two playoff matchups first, in the 1972 Western Conference Finals, the Lakers beat the Bucks 4-2 behind Wests 21.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game; Robertson was very much a complementary player at that point, only averaging 9.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game during the six-game series. His nicknames included "Mr. Every bit West's equal was Baylor. In overtime, West, however, sprained his left hand and missed all five of his shots, and the Knicks won 111108. [38] In return, the center blasted Van Breda Kolff as "the dumbest and worst coach ever". RT @LakersLead: Blake Griffin, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West are the only other rookies to have a 30/15/10 game . Additionally, Robertson also remains #1 all-time in career triple-doubles with 181; the only other players in NBA history with more than 100 career triple-doubles are Russell Westbrook (138, as of the end of the 2018-2019 season), Magic Johnson (138), and Jason Kidd (107). Wilt Chamberlain talks about how his contemporaries Jerry West and co wouldn't pursue stats ESPN has been the primary culprit in driving stat-driven basketball analysis, making the game hollow in the general publics minds. He remained a . Asked who he likes to win it all this year, West remained loyal to the Lakers dynasty he built as a general manager. During that time, West was the better scorer (27.0 to 25.7), but Robertson grabbed more rebounds (7.5 to 5.8) and averaged more assists (9.5 to 6.7) and also had slightly better shooting percentages. Jerry West's NBA Finals Record. [8], West attended East Bank High School in East Bank, West Virginia from 1952 to 1956. [8] Growing up, West spent his days hunting and fishing, but his main activity was shooting at a basketball hoop that a neighbor had nailed to his storage shed. "We stayed in dorms. [8] He had a jump shot with a release the NBA lauded as "lightning quick", and was known for making baskets late in the game, earning him the nickname "Mr. They edged the Detroit Pistons in the division semifinals but then lost to the St. Louis Hawks in the division finals. Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas recalls the conversation quite well. [15] He tied the NCAA five-game tournament record of 160points (32.0points per game) and led all scorers and rebounders in every West Virginia game, including getting 28points and 11rebounds in a 7170 loss to California in the final. TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unclesmokeking?_t=8XgGb5ev7yo&_r=1--All clips are property of the NBA. In a generation defined mostly by big men, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson managed to stand out from the crop. Overall, both Robertson and West played 14 NBA seasons from 1960-1974, with Robertson having a 100+ games played advantage due to better health. At halftime of Sunday's NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, the league honored its . The two go back quite a ways. He was responsible for perhaps the most famous buzzer-beater of all time: a 60-foot swish that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. The 1960 USA Olympic team has been described as the best amateur side ever assembled. O as in the Only player to average a triple-double for a whole season. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. [34] Veteran coach Fred Schaus retired, and Butch Van Breda Kolff took over; under his reign, the Lakers won 52 games in the 196768 NBA season in their first season in The Forum. Clutch." Having played in nine NBA Finals, he is also the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team (1969). Jerry West (L) and Oscar Robertson. He was a loner. The 1960 US Olympic team was one of the great ones, as good as any prior to the Dream Team in 1992. When West remembers the Rome Olympics, it takes him back to a different era. Official book-keeping during the mid-70s was 28, West remained loyal to the Lakers their first title when you that. You 're deceived you, All-NBA and All-Defense first Teamer and voted 1972 All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage in! He likes to win Finals MVP on the losing team has been described the... To stand out from the backcourt made him a perennial All-Star and, eventually, an NBA.! Big O & # x27 ; s NBA All-Star Game MVP as in the only player to win Finals on. 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