Jerry West accepted the challenge from the Clippers. It taught me this, though.

During home games, Jerry West sat close to the LA Clippers bench. I made it a point to search for the three-time Basketball Hall of Famer just before the opening tip, even if he wasn’t present every night. I would crouch down, give him a quick handshake, and inquire about his thoughts on the game that evening if he was seated.

 

West’s evaluation of the Clippers was always candid. He wasn’t a sympathiser; he was a consultant. He would call it out if the Clippers were sleepwalking. He’d voice that worry if the squad failed to score.

 

Even at preseason training camp in Hawaii, West and I had such a lengthy conversation that I nearly got in trouble for entering the gym after a closed session started. It was clear to me that West took the Clippers’ camp in Honolulu much more seriously than they had in Las Vegas the year before.

 

Even though West was a famous figure, he was always present in the moment. He was building towards something with the Clippers. More than himself, everyone else was important to West. When we spoke, that was clear.

 

In its Wednesday mourning, the Clippers referred to West as “a mentor, a confidant, and a friend.” Over the past few years, West has been the same to me. When I interviewed him for a story two years ago for The Athletic’s NBA 75 project, I was doing a profile on his old buddy and competitor, Oscar Robertson. By talking about Robertson in this way, West established a rapport. We discussed players from all eras a lot. He served as an NBA living history lesson.

 

I was aware that Hall of Fame centre Shaquille O’Neal and Kanye West were teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers in 1997 and that West’s ear infection prevented him from attending the NBA’s 50th anniversary celebration at the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland. In 2022, West went to Cleveland for the 75th anniversary celebration alongside O’Neal and Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard. One of the biggest achievements of West’s tenure in front office came in 2019 when the Clippers acquired Leonard together with Paul George. West told me how crucial it was to be there with O’Neal, who he characterised as “like a big, furry, cuddly bear.”

 

“K, seems so happy tonight, and I told him so,” West texted me that evening about Leonard, who had knee surgery the previous season and will not play in 2021–2022. I’m a huge fan, of course, and I hope we can all enjoy seeing him once more.

 

His faith in people was evident throughout the company, from broadcasters like Mike Fratello, who was hired by West to coach the Memphis Grizzlies in 2004, to players like Terance Mann, who posted on Instagram that West “believed in me so much,” to chairman Steve Ballmer, who claimed that his wife, Connie, referred to West as his “basketball dad.” On Nicolas Batum’s first day with the Clippers after the veteran accepted a buyout with the Charlotte Hornets in 2020, West made sure to be by his side.

 

“During our first practice together, he approached me and expressed his admiration for my style of play. He said that as a franchise player, he would have cherished having a teammate like me,” Batum, who was traded for James Harden on Wednesday, told The Athletic. “At that moment, it meant everything to me.”

 

While I was present at his inaugural press conference in 2017, it was during my first-ever coverage of the Clippers during the Las Vegas Summer League in 2021 that I truly came to know West. Brandon Boston Jr. (51st), Jason Preston (33rd), and Keon Johnson (21st) were the three guards selected by the Clippers in that year’s draft. Boston was the final choice, although it was obvious that West was enthusiastic about his chances. Boston is the only member of the Clippers that has not left after three years.

 

Jerry West never missed a chance to discuss basketball with Paul George and the Clippers players. (Source: Getty Images / NBAE / Adam Pantozzi))

Frank stated to The Athletic, “Consider him at summer league (at age) 83, 84, 85.” It’s a who’s who. Still, Jerry was the person with everyone there. Furthermore, Jerry wasn’t there for display. Jerry used to sit through every game. How much he liked players and how much he cared. He cherished youthful athletes. As we sat there chatting and me picking his brain about various topics, he would suddenly notice Brandon Boston in action.

 

He said, “Hey, is it okay if I go and show him stuff? I don’t like his footwork.” Naturally. And as he got to the ground, Jerry West was there. Alternatively, if Paul George asked about footwork or shot release, he would go and demonstrate it to him. And I think, “This is history in action.”

 

“I think they want to establish their own identity in this town, and that is what to me is most important,” West said of the Clippers when he first arrived.

 

That was no minor task, since the Hall of Famer was directly involved in building the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA’s cultural powerhouse. He was an integral member of the team for more than 40 years, serving as a player, coach, and executive, starting with the Shaquille O’Neal-Kobe Bryant combination when he was drafted in 1960. Outside the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, there is a statue of West in his prime as a Laker.

 

But West was eager for the Clippers challenge. What motivated him was what was ahead.

 

“I am embarking on my final journey of a lifetime,” West declared during the inaugural Clippers press conference in June 2017. 

 

After Ballmer replaced the suspended Donald Sterling as chairman of the Clippers in 2014, West proceeded to forge a new culture there. One of the main reasons West decided against playing for the Clippers was Sterling’s presence. West was upset with Sterling’s treatment of Elgin Baylor, the longstanding general manager of the Clippers and a former Hall of Fame teammate of West’s. In 2009, Baylor launched a lawsuit against the Clippers, claiming age and racial discrimination, even though West won numerous championships with the Lakers as general manager before departing in 2000.

 

Shortly after Baylor passed away in March 2021, West stated in a radio broadcast that “how he was treated was beyond belief.”

 

The Athletic was informed on Wednesday by former longtime Clippers commentator Ralph Lawler that the team made several attempts to bring in West, both to replace Baylor and following Baylor’s 2008 departure from the team.

 

“Jerry’s timing never seemed right,” Lawler remarked. After making stints in Memphis and Golden State, he eventually joined the team, lending the Clippers’ growing success more credibility. He was a very valuable basketball consultant who provided the front office with a wealth of information and experience.

 

“At Clipper workouts, training camps, or summer league games, I used to sit next to him. Every time, I gained new knowledge about the game. He spoke his ideas honestly and freely. It was from his time working in the front office of the Laker team. This dude was unique. The NBA’s logo has vanished. I’ve lost yet another reliable friend.

 

West was “sold” on Ballmer heading the ownership group and supported Ballmer’s management of the Clippers organisation for the remainder of his professional life. Tyronn Lue, the head coach of the Clippers, was drafted by West with the Lakers in 1998, and West has always been one of his strongest fans. After spending five years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lue returned to the Clippers coaching staff in 2019.

 

Those who collaborated with and knew West well, on the other hand, supported West. Before West even got around to requesting a retraction and apology, they withdrew their support after seeing how he was represented on HBO’s “Winning Time.”

 

Even though West was seen as angry on the show, those who knew him said that despite his lifelong history of showing vulnerability to depression, he sought to keep things light while he was in the building. Frank remarked that West “wanted to make sure guys were having fun in the office—’make sure people are smiling,’ because it’s a hard job.'”

 

Kyle Rohde described West as “a total friend to all of us” on Wednesday. Rohde was a member of the Clippers equipment department from 2017 to 23 and is currently the head equipment manager of the New York Knicks. “He would come down to BS, and it was always full of interesting questions, laughs, and stories. He knew we were all avid golfers, so one Christmas, he parked his van outside and unloaded forty boxes of ProV1 and Chrome Soft golf balls. Each box numbered roughly twenty. Jerry made sure we didn’t have to pay for golf balls for three years.

 

As the Clippers prepare to relocate to Inglewood, California—where West played in The Forum during the latter part of his Lakers career—I asked West about his desire to assist the team in reestablishing connections with former teammates at the groundbreaking in 2021. I was thinking of West’s brother, Baylor, who had passed away earlier that year.

 

That day, West remarked, “At my age now, I look around, and I see players passing away.” And you begin to think back on the times you had with those folks. And all you can think is, “Oh my god.” It’s simply difficult for me to accept that some of the people I loved, admired, and enjoyed playing with are no longer with us. And it would be fantastic if they could view the IntelliJam, the Forum, Staples Centre, and the former Sports Arena.

 

“I believe you make every effort in life to stick to your ideals. Be truthful, forthright, and charitable. Try to be kind to others.

 

When the Clippers relocate to their new location, they will undoubtedly try to honour West. I am aware of the exact location of his assigned seat in the arena. Even if he won’t be present in person, I have learned too much from him to confine myself to one location and focus just on the past.