Late NBA icon Jerry West won nine championships in his lifetime, but his greatest claim to fame is being on the league’s logo. In 1969, he was immortalized after the league used his silhouette on its new logo, and while most people would be proud of it, he wasn’t too fond. In an interview with journalist Rachel Nichols in 2017, the Los Angeles Lakers legend griped about being on the logo and even suggested changing it.
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In light of his passing, Nichols, formerly a lead anchor on ESPN, shared a clip from the 2017 interview with West and Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar. In it, he revealed that he was among the five people that the NBA considered to have their silhouette used as part of the league’s new logo. West claimed it’s flattering to be immortalized as ‘The Logo,’ but prompted the NBA to replace him. He said,
“I don’t like to do anything to call attention to myself, and when people say that, that’s just not who I am, period. If they wanted to change it, I wish they would. In many ways, I wish they would.”
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West’s brutal honesty was one of his finest qualities and Nichols paid tribute to it with her caption on her Instagram post, writing, “Jerry truly was one of a kind—as nice as he was direct, as humble as he was supremely confident. I will miss talking to him. Very much.”
Nichols wasn’t alone in her praise for West, as LeBron James recently took to X to reminisce about his interactions with West with a heartwarming post. Wishing him all the best for the afterlife, James showered prayers on his family and mentioned his inextinguishable love for the 1969 NBA Finals MVP. James’s farewell post read,
“Will truly miss our convos, my dear friend! My thoughts and prayers go out to your wonderful family! Forever love Jerry! Rest in Paradise, my guy! ”
Will truly miss our convos my dear friend! My thoughts and prayers goes out to your wonderful family! Forever love Jerry! Rest in Paradise my guy!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 12, 2024
Lakers icon Magic Johnson also paid a heartfelt tribute to West, noting his impact on the franchise’s 17 NBA title wins. An excerpt from his lengthy post on X read,
“Laker Nation, the only reason we have 17 NBA championships is because of Jerry West and his expertise in drafting players, trading for players, and hiring the right coaches. Today is a sad day for basketball fans and sports fans across the globe.”
I met Jerry West for the first time in 1979 at the Forum where he introduced me to Bill Sharman, Chick Hearn, and then Laker owner Jack Kent Cooke. My father, agent and I negotiated over lunch then Jerry took me to the locker room to show me my Lakers jersey. I started to cry and… pic.twitter.com/o9xMDu50Wv
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 12, 2024
West had no interest in receiving credit for his outstanding work. He was humble and kind to everyone he came across, and helped countless people achieve their goals. West is one of the greatest pioneers of the game and it’s fitting that he was chosen to be immortalized as ‘The Logo,’ regardless of how much he despised it.
