The sports world, and the basketball world in particular, reacted to the death of Hall of Fame NBA player/executive Jerry West, who died Wednesday at age 86.
There are many ways to measure a man’s impact on the world. How the world reacts to his death in public is an imperfect yardstick, but in the case of Jerry West one thing is clear: his impact on the broader sports world was one few basketball players can touch.
Reactions and tributes poured in Wednesday for the 86-year-old Hall of Fame player and executive:
“It’s because of Jerry West that there was even ‘Showtime'”, wrote Byron Scott, the former Lakers guard and coach. “It’s because of you that I am who I am today. You believed in me when no one else did and for that I’m forever grateful. You will always be my ‘Basketball Dad’. I love you Logo my heart is broken. You will be missed.”
“I always wished I could have played against him as a competitor”, former Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan said, via ESPN’s First Take, “but the more I came to know him, I wish I had been his teammate. . He will forever be missed. Rest in peace, Logo.”
“Jerry West was a basketball genius and a defining figure in our league for more than 60 years”, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
