The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most storied franchises in the NBA, and one of their icons will be part of the team’s 2024-25 campaign.
On Tuesday, the Lakers announced they would wear No. 44 stripes on the left shoulder of their jerseys to honor the late Jerry West, who passed away on June 12.
The second overall pick in the 1960 NBA draft, West was a 14-time All-Star and 12-time All-NBA selection. He played so well that he was not only a face of his generation, but the man behind the NBA logo mask. A star player for the Lakers in their first season after leaving Minneapolis, he helped build the franchise’s popularity from the start.
With a career that resembled LeBron James in some ways, West went 1-8 in the NBA Finals. However, when he led the Lakers to a victory over the New York Knicks in the 1972 NBA Finals, it was not a fairytale ending for the future Hall of Famer. Less than two seasons later, West retired as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer.
After briefly serving as head coach of the Lakers during the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar era, he became one of the most respected executives in the NBA. West stayed with his beloved Lakers and was part of some of the most successful and sensational teams. Dubbed the “Showtime Lakers,” that team operated thanks to the magic of a different point guard.
They would win five championships before West embarked on acquiring two of the most iconic stars in franchise history: Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
West was with the franchise for the duo’s first championship season, then left for the Memphis Grizzlies, looking for a new challenge.
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