Jerry West
Teams
Los Angeles Lakers - 1960-74
Playoffs
Appearances - 13 (1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1972,1973,1974)
Conference Finals - 10 (1961,1962,1963,1965,1966,1968,1969,1970,1972,1973)
NBA Finals - 9 (1962,1963,1965,1966,1968,1969,1970,1972,1973)
Championships - 1 (1972)
Awards and Honors
MVP - 0 (1970)
Finals MVP - 1 (1969,1972)
All-NBA First Team - 10 (1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973)
All-NBA Second Team - 2 (1962,1963,1967,1968,1969)
Hall of Fame - 1980
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Points Per Game - #4
Total Points - #26
Total Assists - #32
Assists Per Game - #35
League Leads
Total Assists (#2-1972, #3-1971, #4-1964,1966,1973, #5-1967)
Total Points (#2-1965,1966,1970, #4-1967, #5-1962,1964)
Points Per Game (#1-1970, #2-1965,1966, #3-1964,1967, #4-1962)
Assists Per Game (#1-1972, #3-1964, #4-1967,1970, #5-1966)
Free Throw Percentage (#2-1964, #3-1967, #4-1966, #5-1965)
Field Goal Percentage (#4-1965,1968)
As a junior at West Virginia, Jerry West led the Mountaineers to the NCAA title game, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament even though they lost. As a senior, he averaged 29.3 points and 16.5 rebounds, playing as a small forward, and then was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers with the #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
The Lakers moved to Los Angeles right after drafting West, and the team also signed West's college coach to take over, making him a bit more comfortable. Because he was small for an NBA forward, he was moved to guard in the NBA, and averaged 17.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, not a bad season, but the worst he would have as a pro.
In his second season, Elgin Baylor was forced to miss about half of the season to serve in the Army National Guard, so West took on a much bigger role, exploding for 30.8 points per game, along with 7.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists, and being named to the All-NBA First Team. After losing in the Conference Finals the year before, West led the Lakers to the Finals, where they faced the Celtics and Bill Russell. West had a game-winning steal and layup in Game 3, but the team would end up losing Game 7 in overtime.
With Baylor back full-time the next year, West took a step back, averaging 27.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, still good enough to make the All-NBA First Team. He missed 7 weeks near the end of the season with a hamstring injury, and wasn't fully healthy when he returned, but he and Baylor were still able to get the Lakers back to the Finals, but Boston beat them again, this time in 6 games.
The next year, West took over as the Lakers' star player, with Baylor struggling through knee issues, but the team lost in the first round of the playoffs, one of only 3 times in his career that the Lakers wouldn't reach the Conference Finals. In 1964-65, he averaged 31.0 points in the regular season, second only to Wilt Chamberlain, and averaged a record 46.3 points per game in the Conference Finals, getting the Lakers back to the Finals to lose to the Celtics again, this time in 5 games.
He averaged a career high 31.3 points the next year, with 7.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists as well, and got the Lakers to the Finals for the 4th time in his career, ending in a loss to the Celtics for the 4th time as well, this time with the series stretching to 7 games, with a 2-point loss in the deciding game.
West struggled with injuries the next year, and was only able to play one minute in the playoffs, and the Lakers lost in the first round for only the second time in his career. He missed quite a few games the next year as well, but was healthier by the playoffs, and led the Lakers to another Finals matchup with the Celtics, and another loss to their rivals, this one in 6 games.
The Lakers traded for Wilt Chamberlain before the next season, and although the team's play improved, their chemistry suffered, but they were still able to reach the Finals for the 6th time in 8 years, all against the Celtics. West gave everything he had in the series, recording a triple-double in Game 7 with 42 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists, but the Lakers still lost the series. He averaged 37.9 points for the series, and won the Finals MVP despite losing the series, still the only losing player to win the award.
Wilt Chamberlain suffered a major knee injury the next year, so West again took on a bigger load, and finished the season as the league scoring leader for the first time, with 31.2 per game. Chamberlain came back for the playoffs, but wasn't fully healthy yet. West led the Lakers to the Finals for the 7th time, where they faced the Knicks. West hit a 60-foot buzzer-beater in Game 3 to send the game to overtime, but they still ended up losing the game, and later the series.
The next year, Elgin Baylor tore his Achilles and missed almost the entire season, and West went down with a knee injury late in the season that caused him to miss the playoffs, and the team ended up reaching the Conference Finals, but failed to make the NBA Finals without their two stars.
West considered retiring before the next season, but decided to return for another try at a championship, and it's a good thing he did. The Lakers had a record 33-game winning streak early in the season, and finished with the league's best record, while West led the league in assists with a career high 9.7 per game. The team pushed their way back to the Finals, where they met the Knicks again, and even though West had a career-worst Finals, with only 19.8 points per game, the Lakers finally won, making West a champion at last.
West got the Lakers back to the Finals again the next year, the 9th time in his career that he would appear in the final round, and they faced the Knicks for the 3rd time, but after West injured both hamstrings, he was slowed down in the last couple of games, and the Lakers lost in 5 games.
West played one more season, but missed most of the year with a strained groin, though he did still manage to score 20.3 points per game, the 13th straight year he would average over 20 per game. With both Baylor and Chamberlain retired, West was unable to lead a deep playoff run, losing in the first round of the playoffs before retiring himself.
West is a perfect example of why you can't judge a player by just his Finals record. West won a championship only once in 9 Finals appearances, and it was the one where he played the worst that he won, but he took his team that far almost every single season, most of the time as the team's best player. His career scoring average is the 4th best of all time, behind only Jordan, Wilt, and Baylor, and just ahead of Durant and LeBron James. His silhouette has been the NBA logo for 52 years, and he will always be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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