This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/10/2004.
Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers franchise for more than four decades, from 1960 to 2002. As a player, coach and general manager Jerry West was a direct cause of Laker success. Although he was drafted second overall by the Minneapolis Lakers in 1960, West never played in Minneapolis, as the team moved to Los Angeles for the 1960-61 season. During his illustrious 14-year career West was selected to represent his team at the All-Star game every year. He averaged more than 20 points per game in all but his first year in the league and more than 30 in four years while helping his Lakers to nine NBA finals appearances. Unfortunately, he only had one ring to show for his troubles by career's end, that championship coming against the Knicks in the 1972 Finals after he had contemplated retirement in the off-season. West was just the third player to break the 25,000 point barrier, but more than his impressive numbers, he is remembered for his incredibly clutch play and for the passion with which he played the game. In Game 3 of the 1970 NBA finals, West was "Mr. Clutch" when he hit an impossible 60-foot buzzer beater to send the game into overtime. Whether or not he hit his shots, though, West was a tenacious player on the court, showing little respect for his body and claiming to never be satisfied with his play. In fact, West broke his nose around nine times in his career, a result of the type of unrestrained game he played. Despite his retirement in 1974, West just could not walk away from the game. He returned to the Lakers' locker room as head coach in 1976 and brought the Lakers back to the playoffs (after the team's two-year failure to make a playoff appearance in his absence). After another short hiatus from the game, West was hired as the Lakers' general manager in 1982 and was integral in shaping the Lakers dynasty of the 80s. A decade later, West was again the architect of a Lakers dynasty, landing both Kobe and Shaq in the late 90s, who together brought three consecutive championships to L.A. Easily the most important figure in Lakers history, this Jerry West Lakers jersey is a significant piece of basketball history as well. Across the front of this cheesecloth jersey is "LAKERS" done in purple on white tackle twill. Below that, and on the back is the player number "44" done in white on purple tackle twill. Across the back of the jersey is "WEST" done in purple on white tackle twill. The jersey has staining - mostly on the back left tail - due to storage. The jersey shows excellent game-use, and appears to have no alterations of any kind.