Vlade Divac Credits Lakers Legend Jerry West For Helping Build International Brand in NBA

Ricardo Sandoval | Mar 12, 2025

February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great Jerry West is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have had some impactful players on the court in their history. However, none have been more impactful, on and off the court, for Los Angeles other than the legend, Hall of Famer, and the Logo, Jerry West. 

West has had the most significant impact not only on the Lakers but also on the entire NBA. Nobody knows better than former Lakers big man Vlade Divac. Although Divac is not beloved by Lakers fans, he was a Laker during the mid-1990s. He was a former draft pick by West in the first round of the 1989 NBA Draft. 

Divac had high praise for the Logo, recalling when he met him and West's impact on the international game. 

“I met Jerry first time when I landed from my home Yugoslavia back then,” Divac said. “I land with my wife Ana to LAX, and he was the guy who was waiting for us.”

“And that was our first contact — even though I didn’t speak English back then,” he said.” A lot of people say I don’t speak English even today. But six months later, when I pick it up, when I start making conversation with Jerry, we bond. He’s part of my family. I’m part of his family. The guy who I’m so thankful what he did for me personally but also for my family. Changed my life, bringing me from Europe. Back then you didn’t have too many European guys so probably none, you know? I was kind of first one who was drafted in a first round and came same year. And for me he’s a genius visionary that he saw where basketball is going and now you have like 30 percent of the league is international player.”

Divac spent the first seven years of his career in L.A. before being dealt to the Charlotte Hornets in the summer of 19996 in exchange for Lakers superstar and legend Kobe Bryant. 

Overall, he played 15 years in the league, thanks to West. 

West is an NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, 14-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA First Teamer, and 1970 NBA scoring champion. However, his off-the-court accolades may be just as impressive. 

Since entering that realm in the 1980s, West has established himself as one of the most successful basketball executives in sports history. 

He played a significant role as an architect of the Lakers dynasties in the ‘80s and 2000s. West drafted key Hall of Fame players like Magic Johnson and James Worthy, traded for Bryant, signed free agent Shaquille O'Neal. and hired legendary head coach Phil Jackson. 

West passed away in June 2024 at the age of 86. 

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