Exclusive: Man Who Helped Jerry West Save His Job With the Lakers Calls Him the “Greatest Ever”

One of the most accomplished contributors to the NBA, Jerry West, died peacefully at the age of 86 today. His presence in the league for over 3 decades, showering his wisdom, has massively altered the NBA landscape as we know of today. He has been a player, a coach, a scout, a consultant, and an executive. He built the Los Angeles Lakers to win 10 of their titles in the ’80s and 2000s and shared his prudence to build the Golden State Warriors dynasty.

The NBA world lost a superstar today, who was a visionary and a perfectionist. In an exclusive conversation with EssentiallySports, Leonard Armato, Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent also talked about the greatness of Jerry West. He spoke of the interesting contributions he has made during his tenure in the NBA.

Armato: Well, I mean, if you think of great front offices, the first person you think of is Jerry West. Jerry West, if you remember, orchestrated the Magic-Kareem dynasty. He created the dynasty with Shaq and Kobe. Jerry West helped Memphis put their team together. He even consulted with Golden State and helped them put the whole thing together. So, I mean, he was a sort of the mastermind of the old school of General Managers and putting teams together and doing things of that nature. 

Truly, his success cannot be replicated. West was the “greatest ever”.

Remembering Jerry West, MVP, Champion, Dynasty Builder, and much more

The modern-day silhouette of the NBA is the way it is because of Jerry West. As Adrian Woj puts it, West is “literally the logo of the NBA“. Even NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver did not hesitate to point this out in 2021, when he said, “While it’s never been officially declared that the logo is Jerry West. It sure looks a lot like him.” He has had quite a storied career as an NBA player and an executive.

His journey began in Chelyan, West Virginia, catapulting him to become the country’s greatest basketball legend and a pioneer in the Lakers’ history. For many decades, as a player and as an executive, he’s played a powerful role in evolving the NBA landscape. All of this began in 1960 when the Lakers moved from Minneapolis to LA. He was picked to be the first draft choice then.

He went on to win many championships along with other Lakers stars and was an All-Star in the 14 seasons he has played.

West was often called “Mr. Clutch” for his exploits as a tremendous player that he was. His presence was also seen in the Hall of Fame in 1980. In fact, West also represented the country as a part of the US Olympics, winning a gold at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Later this year, his name will be enshrined once again for his contributions. And what a good deal might not know, he was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019.

One of the many exploits people remember him by is his 60-foot shot against the Knicks in the 1970 NBA Finals, leaving people confused and baffled as to what they had witnessed at the moment.

He retired in 1974, soon after which he transitioned into a successful executive to share the many dynasties that Leonard Armato mentioned in the video. His strategies worked amazingly well as they made the Lakers become the dominant franchise during the 1980s and early 2000s. He took care of the draft picks and the various trades that brought to us the many pairings fans love to this day, including Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. For a few years, he also became the head coach for the Lakers, adding 6 Championships to their front office.

He also played an advisory role to the Warriors, Memphis, and the Clippers. He spent 5 years mentoring the Grizzlies before retiring in 2007 as a full-time shot-caller. Later, he joined the GSW franchise in an executive role and showed utmost passion when it came to Klay Thompson. He threatened to resign the moment others thought of trading Thompson for Kevin Love. He defended Klay for his defensive prowess, which, as per West, Love lacked. West also made a triumphant decision by recruiting Kevin Durant in 2016, post which he led the team to win their second of a total 4 championships in 2017. He then joined the Clippers, contributing to the major decisions they made while roping in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

For West, basketball wasn’t just a sport of an “occupation”, it was his life. It was a way to escape his chaotic and rough life at home, with an abusive father and a withdrawn mother. He worked at finessing his skills, earning him many accolades and the success he truly was deserving of. In his memoir, West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life, he spoke about lifelong batter against depression. The feeling of being worthless haunted him his entire life, and to combat that, he literally poured his heart and soul into the game.

Today, Jerry West is survived by his 5 children, his wife, Karen, and millions of fans.

To watch more on what Leonard Armato said in the exclusive conversation with EssentiallySports, check this video out.