Jerry West is about to be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for a third time. He is in once for his playing career and once as a member of the 1960 US Olympic team that won gold. This time, he enters as a contributor for his work in NBA front offices.
The lineup of Hall of Famers that will present him is a who’s who: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Pat Riley, Pau Gasol and more.
It’s not just the West that amasses stars as performers. Vince Carter will have “Dr. J” Julius Erving, Michael Cooper will have Laker legends like Magic and James Worthy, Dick Barnett will have Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Doug Collins will have Grant Hill, and the list goes on and on.
West enters the Hall of Fame as GM because he won four rings as one of the architects of the Showtime Lakers, was the main man in Memphis and helped build a successful foundation with that team, was a consultant with the Warriors when they were building. the Stephen Curry-era dynasty, then was a consultant with the Clippers during the best run in the history of that franchise. His eye as a talent evaluator was as good as the league had seen.
Passed away in June – the Lakers will honor him this season with a patch on their jerseys – it will be a bittersweet day to see him enter the Hall again.
