RIP Jerry West - One Of The Most Important People In The History Of Basketball, The Logo, Mr. Clutch

The Clippers announced this morning that Jerry West died at 86 years old. You can't tell the history of basketball without Jerry West. Obviously he's the logo, but what he did as a player, as an executive and even as a coach makes him arguably the most important figure in the NBA. He's still the only player to win Finals MVP while being on the losing team. He was a prolific scorer, an elite defender, basically no weakness in his game. 

You wanna talk about more than his playing career? Fine. He built the Showtime Lakers. That's as influential as it gets in the NBA. The NBA needed Magic vs Bird and they got that with the LA storyline, the Showtime storyline, that was influenced by Jerry West. He signed Shaq, Phil Jackson and traded for Kobe before stepping down from his spot with the Lakers. I hate the Lakers with a passion, but we are all smart enough to know how good they were. Again, Jerry West influence. 

He helped build the Grizzlies into a playoff team. He worked with the Warriors during their dynasty run. He last was with the Clippers and played a key role in bringing in Paul George and Kawhi. Again, anywhere he went he had some form of success. That's why he's one of the most influential and important people in the history of basketball. It didn't matter if he was a player or a GM or in the front office, he knew how to build a winner. 

RIP to a legend.