Jerry West, one of the most famous NBA basketball players, dies
Kyiv • UNN
Jerry West, one of the NBA's greatest players and the silhouette of the figure on the league's iconic logo, has died at the age of 86.
One of the most famous American basketball players, Jerry West, died on June 12 in Los Angeles at the age of 86. Throughout his professional career, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, he was one of the captains of the U.S. national team, which won gold medals. This was reported by BBC Sport, according to UNN.
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During his time in the world's leading basketball league, West was selected 12 times to the first and second NBA All-Star teams and participated in the NBA All-Star Game 14 times. In 1980, West was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was named one of the 50 best players in NBA history.
After his playing career, West was the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers for three years. In 2002, he became the general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies, and a year later helped them reach the playoffs for the first time in their history.
Jerry West's name is associated with the widely known modern NBA emblem. It was first introduced in late 1969 on the cover of the annual NBA Guide. The emblem was created by Alan Siegel and is a silhouette of a player dribbling the ball. The most common belief is that West's silhouette was used to create the emblem.
Although many reputable basketball players claim that it is him, the NBA has never confirmed this. In 2010, Siegel told the Los Angeles Times in an interview that he created the emblem based on a photo of Jerry West taken during a Lakers game.
