“ Wow… If that wasn't hard enough already, you don't make it any easier. » Johnny West has just arrived at the lectern and looked behind his back. Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, James Worthy, Vlade Divac, Del Harris…
All these legends are present on stage to pay tribute to one of their own, Jerry Westwho died last June at the age of 86, for whom his son Johnny speaks.
“ The truth is that my father would have had a hard time accepting all this recognition, he was used to not receiving praise and only hearing criticism. But I'm here today to say how good he was at what he did. Whether he likes it or not! “, smiles his son.
The latter recalls the dimension “ historical » of the moment: never before has an actor from the basketball scene been inducted into the Pantheon three times. Jerry West, friend and mentor » by Michael Cooper, to whom he owes so much, made his first appearance in the Hall of Fame in 1980.
As a player obviously, with an impressive career: NBA champion in 1972, MVP of the 1969 Finals, 14 All-Star selections, 12 times All-NBA, top scorer in the league in 1970… Then thirty years later, he was inducted again as a member of the American team sent to the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. Where he, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas won gold.
“This game and this league were his life. »
This weekend, leader West was in the spotlight. His record with this cap is even more impressive. He is considered the architect of eight NBA titles won by the Lakers. We owe in particular to the GM of the Californian formation, in the 1980s until the end of the 1990s, the titles of 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001 and 2002, because he was behind the formation of the duo Shaquille O' Neal – Kobe Bryant.
As his son says, since his Draft by the Lakers in 1960 (2nd choice), Jerry has remained “ at the forefront of the NBA for more than six decades. This game and this league were his life. As demanding as he was, and I'm not sure anyone was as demanding as my father, he was loved by almost everyone in basketball. Which is an accomplishment in a world where everyone is trying to beat the other to the punch. »
For the record, Jerry West, who subsequently became GM of the Grizzlies (2002-2007), before moving towards consultant status for the Warriors (2011-2017) and the Clippers (2017-2024), was designated twice “leader of the year” times, in Los Angeles then in Memphis (1995, 2004).