LA Clippers’ advisor and consultant Jerry West is synonymous with NBA royalty. Since being selected second in the first round of the 1960 NBA draft, he has left an indelible mark on the NBA, as a 12-time all-NBA team selection, 1969 NBA Finals MVP, and 1979 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, followed by impressive runs as a head coach, GM, and two-time winner of the NBA Executive of the Year award.
To players, coaches and fans, West seems both charmingly accessible and larger-than-life inspirational. Perhaps in part due to his modest upbringing in West Virginia, the fifth of six children of a homemaker mom and a coal mine electrician dad, West has a relatable persona which has connected with the NBA community for nearly sixty years.