Recounting Late Hall of Famer Jerry West's Adoration for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

He was the logo.

The famous silhouette that virtually any basketball fan would be able to recognize -- it was Jerry West.

The NBA Hall of Fame, an NBA title, 14 All-Star appearances, countless championships as an executive, West truly was a legend in the basketball sphere, and his legacy will continue to live on through the NBA and the entire basketball community.

He cultivated special relationships with many who crossed his path. One of those happened to be the Oklahoma City Thunder's budding superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Crossing paths during the very start of Gilgeous-Alexander's career as an L.A. Clipper while West was working on the team as a consultant, the NBA legend saw the vast potential that the incoming Kentucky product possessed.

“Shai’s just going to be a tremendous player in this league," West said in an interview with Clutch Points in September 2018. "He’s so young, he’s got instincts that set him apart from other players. he’s going to be a really good player. Obviously, Shai is going to attract a lot of attention the way he plays. He’s a terrific young player for a kid so young.”

Playing a part in bringing Gilgeous-Alexander onto the Clippers, West's and Gilgeous-Alexander's relationship grew organically.

Before the now Thunder superstar had departed from L.A., he had plenty to learn from West, saying, “It’s pretty cool [to have West there]. He’s obviously ‘The Logo.’ He’s giving me some pointers and stuff like that. Him obviously being a legend is pretty cool, [and I’m] just trying to pick his brain, learn from him as much as possible."

But of course, Gilgeous-Alexander was inevitably traded when Sam Presti offered Paul George for a lucrative package that West, reluctantly, gave up.

“The demands from Oklahoma City were pretty strong, and I just felt that it was in our best interest to go ahead and (do the deal)," West said in an interview with The Athletic in 2019 post-trade. Everybody talks about all the draft picks we gave away. Well, we did give a lot of draft picks away. But two of them were not ours – period, ok? Not ours.

“So at the end of the day, we gave up three of our draft picks and a terrific young player in Shai, who I think we all feel horrible about. And Gallo (Gallinari), who is a very good player himself. Those are the difficult things, letting players go who you really like.”

Harping back, West's decision to move Gilgeous-Alexander wasn't an easy one, and I'd bet he wished he didn't make that decision back then looking at the player he has become. But that love from Gilgeous-Alexander to West shouldn't have dissipated, as the co-sign he gave to a young guard from Kentucky had to have been a feeling like no other, especially from 'The Logo.'

Just as Gilgeous-Alexander will look back to those moments as a Clipper, West will always be remembered throughout the NBA community and beyond.

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