Jerry West net worth
Number of divisions: 11
What is Jerry West’s net worth?
Jerry West is a retired American basketball player with a net worth of $50 million. Jerry has played for the Los Angeles Lakers throughout his career. In the guard position, he was selected to the first and second NBA teams 12 times and reached the NBA Finals nine times in his career. After retiring, West became the head coach of the Lakers for three years and later became the general manager. West was selected as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history in 1996. He was the joint captain of the 1960 Rome Olympic gold medal team.
Early life and college career
Jerry West was born in Chelian, West Virginia in 1938, the fifth of Cecil and Howard’s sixth children. Although he began to be extroverted as a child, after his brother David died in the Korean War, West became timid and introverted. From 1952 to 1956, he attended East Coast High School and played basketball under the guidance of coach Duke Shaver. West quickly became the captain of the freshman team and then the starting small forward. From 1953 to 1956, he was named the best player in the United States; the following year, he was named the best player in the United States. In 1956, West led his school to a state championship title.
Attracting interest from more than 60 universities, West finally decided to stay in his hometown and attend West Virginia University. In his freshman year, his team created a perfect record of 17 undefeated games. In his junior year, he tied the NCAA record of 160 points in 5 games and was named the most outstanding player in the Final Four that year. West set a career high in his senior year, including averaging 29.3 points and 134 assists per game. Overall, he ended his college career with 2,309 points and 1,240 rebounds.
Start with the Lakers
In 1960, West was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers with the second overall pick in the first round, just before the team moved to Los Angeles. West achieved success almost immediately, helping the Lakers improve their season to enter the 1961 NBA playoffs. The following season, he established himself as the main scorer of the Lakers, averaging 30.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and won the honor of the NBA All-NBA First Team. The Lakers entered the playoffs again, then entered the Finals, and finally lost to the Boston Celtics when one of the NBA’s greatest opponents began.
In the 1962-63 season, West was once again selected to the NBA All-Star and All-NBA First Team. The Lakers played against the Celtics again in the Finals, and the result was the same as the previous year. The team struggled the following season, winning only 42 games and losing to the Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.
NBA logo
The famous icon of the NBA is the silhouette of Jerry West. In the photo of Jerry below, the logo on the chair in the background is a famous logo based on his silhouette:
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Further career
In the 1965 playoffs, West averaged an NBA record of 46.3 points per game. Nevertheless, the Lakers were defeated again by the Celtics in the Finals. The following season, West averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game and set an NBA record of 840 free throws; as a result, he won more All-Star team and NBA All-NBA first team nominations. In the Finals, the Lakers lost again to the Celtics. After experiencing the disappointing 1966-67 season and losing to the Celtics in the 1968 Finals, the Lakers introduced the Philadelphia 76ers NBA MVP Wilt Chamberlain. The team struggled to advance to the sixth finals series against the Celtics in eight years. Despite West’s triple-double with 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, the Lakers lost 108-106.
West played one of his best seasons in the 1969-70 season. He led the NBA in points per game and won his first vote for the All-Defensive First Team four times. In the first NBA Finals between the Lakers and the New York Knicks, West made a lore 60-foot shot, which became one of the most famous moments in NBA history. However, the Lakers were defeated by the Knicks in the upset. Greater success came in the 1971-72 season, when West and the Lakers started a record 33 consecutive victories and scored 69 victories in the regular season. West was selected as the All-Star, NBA All-NBA and All-Defensive First Team, and was selected as the MVP of the 1972 All-Star Game. The following season, West and the Lakers finally defeated the Knicks in the Finals; this was West’s first NBA championship. West ended his last season as a player in the 1973-74 season, winning 47 games, of which 5 were lost to the Bucks. Since then, he retired due to contract differences. When he left, West scored more than any other player in the history of the Lakers.
Coaching and executive careers
West became the head coach of the Lakers in the 1976-77 season. In the three years of coaching, he led the Lakers to a 145-101 record, entered the playoffs every season, and entered the Western Conference Finals in 1977. After coaching, West spent three years as a scout before becoming the general manager of the team. Lakers. In the latter position, he helped the Lakers win five championship rings in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988.
In 2002, West became the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies and then helped the team win its first playoff spot. In recognition of his management of the Lakers and Grizzlies, West won the NBA Executive of the Year award twice. Later, after retiring from the position of general manager, West joined the Golden State Warriors as a member of the executive board. In 2017, he became a member of the executive board of the Los Angeles Clippers.
personal life
West married his college lover Martha Jane Kane in 1960. They had three sons David, Mark and Michael, and they divorced in 1976. Two years later, West married his current wife Karen and had two sons: Ryan and Jonny.
