Lakers News: Jerry West's Top 5 LA Moments

West's top five moments as a Laker.

Eva Geitheim | Jun 12, 2024

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

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Los Angeles Lakers

One of the greatest Los Angeles Lakers of all time, Jerry West, died on Wednesday at 86 years old. West was a player, coach, and executive for the Lakers, spending almost his entire professional career with Los Angeles. As a player, the 6-foot-3 guard was a 14-time NBA All-Star, 10-time All-NBA first team, and an NBA champion.

He then was an eight-time champion as an executive (six times with Los Angeles), and the Executive of the Year twice. West had his No. 44 retired by the Lakers and is one of seven people involved in the organization to have a statue outside the stadium. He also has been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame three times, once as a player, once as part of the 1960 Olympic gold-medal winning time, and as an executive.

In honor of West's legacy, here are his top five moments with the Lakers.

5. 60-foot shot during 1970 NBA Finals

One of West's most iconic shots of his career came during the 1970 NBA Finals, when West hit a 60-foot shot with seconds remaining in the game to tie it and send the game into overtime. The Lakers would go on to lose the Finals, but few shots can top this one.

4. 1969 Finals MVP

Three years before he would become an NBA champion, West won his lone NBA Finals MVP award, the lone player on a losing team to win the Finals MVP award. West was nearly unstoppable at the start of the series, scoring 53 points in Game 1 and 41 points in Game 2. Unfortunately, exhaustion and a hamstring injury caught up to him, and the Lakers had a strong chance at winning the series if he had been fully healthy.

3. 1972 NBA Finals Win

West lost seven NBA Finals before finally winning his first Finals in 1972. His lone NBA championship win as a player only doesn't rank higher because West himself says he did not play that well during the series.

2. Drafting Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal

In one offseason, West managed to both sign Shaquille O'Neal and draft Kobe Bryant. He later signed Phil Jackson as the team's head coach, setting up the key Lakers' trio that won three straight NBA championships for the team.

1. 1985 NBA Championship

The 1985 NBA championship was not West's first title, but his first time beating the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. West and the Lakers famously lost to the Celtics in the NBA Finals six different times as a player. He hated the Celtics so much that he refused to step foot in Boston. Finally, over a decade after his playing career ended, West got a Finals win over the Celtics. West and the Lakers would defeat the Celtics in the Finals again two years later.