The 10 greatest L.A. Lakers of all time, No. 2: Jerry West
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Continuing our countdown of the 10 greatest L.A. Lakers of all time, as chosen by our readers.
No. 2: Jerry West (1,493 first-place votes, 59,490 points)
You know your team has a rich legacy when the guy whose silhouette they used for the NBA logo is only the second-best player in your team’s history.
Jerry West was voted to the All-NBA first or second team 12 times and was elected to the NBA All-Star team 14 times. He is the all-time NBA record-holder of points-averaged during a playoff series (46.3) and made the NBA all-defensive team four times, even though that award wasn’t introduced to the league until West was 32.
West was head coach of the Lakers for three years and was named general manager of the Lakers before the 1982–83 NBA season, eventually crafting a team that won seven NBA titles.
On the Lakers’ all-time list, West is third in games (932), first in free throws made (7,160), 10th in rebounds (5,366), second in assists (6,238), second in points (25,192), third in points per game (27.0) and fourth in assists per game (6.7).
And why was he called ‘Mr. Clutch’? Watch the video above, and you’ll see.
-- Houston Mitchell
Previously:
No. 10: Jerry Buss
No. 9: Shaquille O’Neal
No. 8: Wilt Chamberlain
No. 7: Chick Hearn
No. 6: James Worthy
No. 5: Elgin Baylor
No. 4: Kobe Bryant
No. 3: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar