Knicks Rival, NBA Legend Jerry West Passes Away

Jerry West, who beat the New York Knicks with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1972 NBA Finals, has passed away at the age of 86.

Feb 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Jerry West is honored in halftime during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports | David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks and the rest of the basketball world are mourning the loss of NBA icon Jerry West, who passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 86.

West is one of the most decorated NBA figures in history, making the All-Star team 14 times from 1961-74 and the All-NBA First Team 10 times from 1962-67 and 1970-73.

West was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft out of West Virginia, where he joined the Minneapolis Lakers, who opted to move to Los Angeles just months later. From there, West ushered in NBA basketball in Los Angeles, forming one of the greatest franchises in all of sports.

Throughout his career, West averaged 27 points per game in the regular season and 29.1 points per game during the playoffs. In the 1965 postseason, West averaged 40.6 points per game, the best marks of his career. In 1969, West was named Finals MVP despite losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games.

In 1972, West finally got the monkey off his back, winning his first championship after beating the Knicks in five games to win the Finals. Two years later, he retired as one of the best players the league had ever seen. He returned to the Lakers as a coach from 1976-79 and then as an executive until 2000. He also served as an executive for the Memphis Grizzlies (2002-07), Golden State Warriors (2011-17) and Los Angeles Clippers (2017-24).

West's contributions to the league were so dynamic that the league opted to create his silhouette as the league's logo, which is still used to this day. This means that even though he has passed, his legacy will continue to live on.

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