Now best known for his work as a leader, having been one of the most influential leaders for forty years, jerry west (84 years old, this May 28) was above all a great player. If Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant didn’t exist, the one who became the “Logo” would probably still be the best fullback of all time (even if Dwyane Wade has his say).
A simple look at his individual stats proves it: 27.0 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds average in the regular season, or 29.1 points, 6.3 assists and 5.6 rebounds average in the playoffs. Cumulatively, he scored 25,192 points in the regular season (23rd highest total in history) and 4,457 points in the playoffs (9th highest total).
To this day, he also remains the best scorer in the history of Finalswith its 1,679 points!
“The great Sisyphus of basketball”
However, the most striking statistic of Jerry West’s career remains his terrible 1/9 in Finals. Before winning (finally) a ring, in 1972, he had experienced failure seven times and he experienced it once again in 1973. The cruellest part of all this? THE Finals of 1969, lost in the final seconds of this Game 7 yet disputed in Los Angeles, against the Celtics of Bill Russell.
However, despite this defeat and thanks to his 37.9 average points on the series (with 4.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists), “Mr. Clutch” became the very first MVP of the Finals in history, but also the only loser on this list, now made up of 53 names (for 31 players).
Worse still: in order to celebrate this trophy, more than bitter for such a competitor, the magazine “Sport” offers him a car… green, the same color as Boston’s enemy…
” This moment marks Jerry West indelibly, existentially, as the great Sisyphus of basketball writes Roland Lazenby in the introduction to his biography, signed in 2009.
Ahead of its time
A terrible fate for such a player.
As is often the case with sports legends, Jerry West was ahead of his time. Technically impeccable, he was close to perfection with his very pure shot and a very sure dribble. His defense was also very tough. If the 3-point shot had appeared earlier, the iconic Los Angeles fullback would surely have been a much more terrifying offensive threat and a few other records would clearly have fallen into his pocket.
Despite this bad luck which stuck to him so much, but which was however not as pronounced as that of his ex-teammate Elgin Baylor (0/7 in Finals…), the “Logo” was loved and respected. Moreover, all those who knew him were indignant at his representation as an angry and vulgar neurotic in the “Winning Time” series.
In March 1971, during a “Jerry West Night”, the man who deprived him of so many titles, Bill Russell, also paid him a superb tribute.
” Jerry, I once wrote that success is a journey and the greatest honor a man can receive is the respect and friendship of his peers. You have that more than any man I know. Jerry, you are, in every sense of the word, a true champion. “, can we read in the “Book of Basketball” by Bill Simmons.
