Clippers consultant and former Lakers executive Jerry West will reportedly be entering the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for a record third time, with an official announcement coming this weekend.
West will again be enshrined into the Hall of Fame, but this time as a contributor to the game, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday.
West has already been inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player (1979) and as a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team (2010).
The contributor enshrinement will honor his work as a general manager with the Lakers (1982-2000) and Memphis Grizzlies (2002-07), in addition to his time as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors (2011-17) and Clippers (2017-present).
He was named Executive of the Year twice (1995, 2004) as a GM and has totaled 10 NBA championships as an executive.
West, who is credited with being the architect of the Lakers’ dynasties during the 1980s and 2000s, was a scout for the Lakers for three seasons (1979-1982) before becoming the general manager. The Lakers drafted Magic Johnson and James Worthy, acquired Kobe Bryant, signed Shaquille O’Neal and hired Phil Jackson as the team’s head coach during West’s time as an executive with the franchise. He totaled eight NBA titles with the Lakers as an executive (1980, ’82, ’85, ’87-88, 2000-02).
He won two additional NBA championships as an executive with the Warriors (2015, ’17) before joining the Clippers in 2017. West is regularly seen sitting in a baseline seat at the Clippers’ home games.
The Class of 2024 will officially be announced on April 6 in Phoenix during the NCAA men’s Final Four, with the enshrinement taking place Aug. 16-17 in Springfield, Mass.
