West, Jerry

in full Jerome Alan West

(born May 28, 1938, Cheylan, W.Va., U.S.) U.S. basketball player, coach, and manager. As a sharp-shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers (1960–74), he compiled a career scoring average of 27 points and earned the nickname “Mr. Clutch.” As the Lakers' head coach (1976–79), he led them to 145 wins and 101 losses. He later became the team's general manager and executive vice president and contributed to the team's eight NBA titles between 1980 and 2002. In 2002 he joined the front office of the Memphis Grizzlies.

West, Jerry (Alan) (1938– ) basketball player; born in Cheylan, W.Va. He was an All-American at the University of West Virginia (1956–60) and he co-captained the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 1960. He then played for the Los Angeles Lakers (1960–74), where he was a ten-time All-NBA (National Basketball Association) first team selection. One of the game's greatest guards, he averaged 27 points per game, fourth best in NBA history, and became known as "Mr. Clutch" for his ability to score when the game was on the line. A Lakers general manager after retiring from the game, he was elected to basketball's Hall of Fame in 1979.