Jerry West.

Jerry West. Jerry West, born in 1938, American basketball player, coach, and general manager, who averaged 27 points per game during his career and is considered one of the best ever to play the guard position. Jerry Alan West was born in Cabin Creek, West Virginia, and educated at West Virginia University, where he was twice named an All-American. After playing on the United States team that won the gold medal at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, he began playing for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He excelled throughout his playing career, gaining a reputation as a perfectionist. He scored more than 25,000 points and had more than 6000 assists during his career. He was named to the NBA's first-string All-Star team ten times (1962-1967, 1970-1973), won the league's scoring title (highest points-per-game average) in 1970, and helped the Lakers win the NBA championship title in 1972. He retired from play after the 1973-1974 season, but he returned to coach the Lakers for three seasons (1976-1979). He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. In 1982 West became the general manager of the Lakers. As an executive he built a highly successful team by means of shrewd draft picks and trades. During the rest of the 1980s, the Lakers played in seven NBA championship finals, winning in 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. In the early 1990s the Lakers experienced several disappointing seasons, but after assembling a team that went to the playoffs in 1995, West was named NBA executive of the year for the 1994-1995 season. After he brought stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson to the team in the mid- and late 1990s, the Lakers won another NBA title in 2000. West left the team after that championship win. In April 2002 the Memphis Grizzlies hired West as their president of basketball operations. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.