The NBA honored Hall of Famer Jerry West on Wednesday night before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, just hours after his death.
West, who died at his home on Wednesday, was 86 years old.
The league played a tribute video and then held a moment of silence before the national anthem before Game 3 between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Both coaches addressed West’s death before the game.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said one of the “most impactful phone calls” he ever received was from West when he was in college.
“He had a hard way of showing you he loved you, but he was super super competitive and really cared about you.”
Joe Mazzulla remembering his fellow WVU alumnus, the great Jerry West pic.twitter.com/FLkVEtqvK0
-NBA (@NBA) June 12, 2024
“He had a tough way of showing you that he loved you, but he was super competitive and really cared about you,” Mazzulla said.
Both Charles Barkley and former Warriors general manager Bob Myers also honored West on their respective pregame programs Wednesday afternoon.
“In between [Jerry West] and Bill Walton, it’s been a tough week for our NBA family. … The world was a better place with Mr. West in it.
Chuck pays tribute to Jerry West
(by @NBATV) pic.twitter.com/tKcbkNjK1l
– NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 12, 2024
Bob Myers remembers Jerry West: “The best thing I can say…he was a friend. He was my friend. And that’s what hurts me the most.” pic.twitter.com/nnE8GqC5gA
– Horrible ad (@awfulannouncing) June 12, 2024
, was one of the biggest names in the league for decades. He won nine championships as a player, scout, coach, executive and consultant. He reached the NBA Finals nine times as a player, although he fell six times to Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics, and was named Finals MVP in 1969 despite being on the losing team. West, who spent his entire playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, was one of the league’s leading scorers with 25,000 points. He averaged 27 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds over his career.
He helped build the “Showtime” Lakers in the 1980s and signed Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant before leaving the franchise in 2000. West also spent time managing the Memphis Grizzlies and served as a member of the executive board of the Golden State Warriors – where he helped oversee two more titles before leaving in 2017 – and the Clippers.
, first as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic gold medal-winning team in 2010. He will be inducted again this fall as a contributor. West also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019.
“Jerry West was a basketball genius and a defining figure in our league for more than 60 years,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “He distinguished himself not only as an NBA champion and All-Star in all 14 seasons of play, but also as a consummate competitor who embraced the biggest moments. He was the league’s first Finals MVP and made preparation for the occasion your signature quality.”
