When he retired in ’74 from the Lakers, JERRY WEST had scored over 25,000 points. Known as “Mr. Clutch” for his consistent ability to make the pressure shot, West was the symbol of the league. In at least one respect, he still is: His silhouette is the player image for the NBA logo. A two-time All-America player at West Virginia Univ. and co-captain of the U.S. Olympic Gold Medal team in ’60, West became an All-Star in each of his 14 seasons in L.A. and a ten-time All-NBA first-team selection. Elected to the Basketball HOF in ’80 and named one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players, West coached the Lakers for three seasons before moving to their front office, where he had a hand in eight NBA titles. In ’02, he ended a 40-year association with the Lakers and joined the Grizzlies as President of Basketball Operations. Under West’s direction, the team reversed its fortunes, improving from 28 victories in his first year to 50 in his second and 59 and a playoff berth in his third. West spoke with SportsBusiness Journal New York bureau chief Jerry Kavanagh.
Q: What happened to the violations that used to be called “traveling” and “palming”?
West: It’s in marketing the league. We have great players who walk every time they get [the ball], and they don’t call it. We have players who get every call. It’s just part of the league -- and it’s not meant to be critical. But officials know that the extraordinary skills that some of these incredible players have are greatly responsible for their team’s success. There’s no question that those things exist to some extent. It’s not done deliberately; it’s not done with people sitting around thinking. But it’s just watching the amazing skills that these people have. And they do it so cleverly. It gives you a tremendous advantage if you’re a good offensive player.
Q: After so many successful years with the Lakers, you walked away from the game. Now you are now closer to your West Virginia home. What led you to go to Memphis?
West: I retired. The stress and pressure are something I feel. I had just given about all I could give to [the Lakers] franchise. I needed to get away for a while. And within about a year and a half, I started to feel not as stressed and harried as you would feel when you’re working for these franchises.
When the season starts, there’s no in-between. You’re happy if you win; you’re miserable when you lose. [In L.A.], winning was always expected. You didn’t worry about winning games; you worried about winning championships. The Lakers have been such a dominant part of the Los Angeles sports scene. I believe that added even more pressure to all of us, but particularly for me. I was there so darn long, as a player, coach and executive, and it just got to the point where it didn’t feel good. Winning was not fun and losing was even worse.
Q: The business of the game has changed since your playing days, hasn’t it?
West: Oh, it was like the stone age. The Lakers are now wearing five different uniforms. It’s mind-boggling to me that somebody would even want to make that many uniforms, but it tells you the marketing of the league is obviously important. It brings great community pride to see people from the community that you’re in wear player shirts that identify them with the local product.
Q: About the NBA, you said, “We expanded very fast and we’re getting younger and younger players in the game.” Is that a good thing? How do you assess the state of the league today?
West: We’re a league that has started to kind of reinvent itself. What has driven this league in the past has been our personalities and our stars. And we certainly have those. But they just don’t come along every day and those types of players are few and far between. Now, all of a sudden, we have a wealth of young talent. We’re hopeful that they’ll grow into the kind of citizens that represent the league the way that I think the people who care about the league would like to see it: to see it presented not only publicly but particularly in print and also when people get in front of news cameras. I think some of these kids have done a nice job in that. I think they’re getting better. In some ways, we are bringing along the next group of stars. The league does a great job in promoting those players.
Q: Would you favor an age minimum for the NBA?
West: I think all of us feel that there’s a lot more work in having younger kids, but that’s not for me to say. I think that’s something that has to be discussed behind closed doors. We’ve had some wonderful young kids come in and play extremely well and be a viable part of the league.
Q: Do the colleges serve as the minor leagues for the NBA?
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| West Feels System Works Best When
Players Develop Collegiate Brand Identity |
West: At one time, very definitely yes. But now, because so many kids bypass the college system, it’s certainly not that way anymore. At one time, players used to be able to brand themselves with a college team. That meant that the league inherited a bunch of players that were kind of household names already throughout the country, particularly among basketball fans. It’s a little bit different job for the league now, I believe. We have to help brand those kids ourselves. The system seems to work best when you have an attractive college team and you inherit those players who are proven and who established tremendous records and have identified themselves as being the best players in America. We don’t do that quite often anymore. If you look at the last four years, I believe the No. 1 player in the draft, three of them have been high school kids and the other one has been from China.
Q: You were not a demonstrative player, but in today’s game the culture is a little different. Players celebrate dunks, scores, blocks and so forth. Is showtime an inextricable part of the game now?
West: I suppose it is. You see it all the time. You see some guy go do something and you watch his man kick his ass the whole game, and you start to say, “Hey, that guy after the game is probably laughing at you.” But we do have excitable and emotional players and, again, that’s part of the game today. We’re seeing the changing culture of the game a little bit. If you watch ESPN, which is kind of the sports junkie quick review of a game -- always showing you dunks or spectacular plays -- they don’t show the nuts and bolts of the game, and I think that’s created the other side of the game, glorifying the spectacular but ignoring the substance of the game.
Q: What was the most difficult thing for you in the transition from the playing court to the front office?
West: To me, the worst thing is when you have to say good-bye to someone who has played a long time in the league and doesn’t have much left -- or anything left. You say, “Congratulations. You had a great career, but we’re going to move in another direction now.” That is a cold feeling because these dreams have been there since they were kids. They get drafted and you have them on your squad and you decide that maybe somebody else is better. You feel like judge, jury and executioner.
Q: You’ve had a good eye for talent, especially with the Lakers, which didn’t always have a high pick in the draft. Is there something particular you look for in a player?
West: I think we all look for different things. Obviously skill and physical capabilities are vitally important. But I think what is sometimes overlooked is the ability to work hard. To me, hard work is a skill. Some players just don’t have the same energy levels as other players; they don’t bounce back as quickly from playing so many games in so many days. And some players seem to play well for 60 games, and 22 games they take off. I don’t mean take off from not being able to play. They just can’t get anything accomplished. They don’t seem to have the energy. But yet we pay them for 82 games. It really is a players’ league. They have an enormous advantage today because of all the rights and things that have been negotiated with the advent of the players association.
Q: It can’t be easy trying to predict how the young players will turn out.
West: It’s getting more and more difficult. I don’t think there’s any question. We’re drafting on talent, and talent is sometimes not good enough. You see a kid who’s really gifted physically, and I think everyone gets enamored with dunking. Unfortunately, there are not many dunks made in a game. I think we’re all victims of that because we understand the fans want to be entertained. They want to see something spectacular, which often happens in the flow of a normal game.
Q: Does the game need any changes?
West: I wouldn’t think so. The advent of the three-point shot has put the game out of doubt, but sometimes it’s a license to shoot shots that players shouldn’t be shooting. One big change I see in players today, in almost all players of all sizes, is that they can all handle the ball pretty well. But I think the biggest difference is the way the game is taught today. The positive part of it is that we seem to be getting back to where we’re scoring more points. We’re in the entertainment business. I would much rather see a game where there are some points scored as compared to the games where there are not many points scored.
Q: Is there anything in basketball you would not miss if it were eliminated?
West: There are some things that I would certainly like to see different, but if I talk about it I’ll get fined. I wouldn’t miss the three-point shot, even though I think it adds intrigue.
Q: Too bad that wasn’t around when you played.
West: I wish it were around, yes. It would have won a few more games for us, that’s for sure. Oh, and I can do without the dunk shot, too, by the way. One point for a dunk.
Q: Your old backcourt teammate GAIL GOODRICH said that what he enjoyed most in sports was the camaraderie. What do you think is the best thing about sports?
West: The harshest lessons learned in life are probably through sports. There is no gray area. You either win or you lose. And I think it tests the character of all players. It tests the character of the people working internally. And it can lead to hastily made decisions that sometimes damage a franchise more than they would ever help because people don’t want to lose.
I think management has a great responsibility to the ownership, almost to the point where I believe that you should lose your job if there’s something that the owner wants to do and it’s just not the right thing to do because it is an emotional thing. I do think that were all at risk sometimes because we’re opinionated and we think we know what’s best for the team, and we don’t own the team. I like to think I’d never work for money in my life. I do it because I love it. Obviously it’s important to get paid if you’re in a business like this. But I think the most important thing is, if somebody hires you, they should trust your instincts enough to let you run the team and for them to not interfere with some things that maybe they’re not very familiar with.
Q: Do you have a basic business philosophy?
West: I’ve always felt that players should not be underpaid. Nor do I think that they should be overpaid. I just think that in today’s world, with the agents playing such a prominent [role] and free agency being so important, I think all of us would tend to overpay if we want a free agent. And paying money to players does not make you win. It’s been pretty evident in all sports. Does it give you a better chance? You would think it would. But you look out around the league today and some of the teams with the biggest payrolls have not accomplished very much. I think it’s almost a testament to the agents: They can get people to buy into how great their players are when they might be average players, wanting these average players to make enormous salaries, which a lot of them do.
Q: What is your favorite movie?
West: I had a brother killed in Korea, and not a week goes by that I don’t think of him in some way. I like to read and I like to examine historical things. There have been two or three movies regarding wars that sometimes you scratch your head [and think] why does this make sense, why does that make sense, and movies abut conflicts have always probably emotionally tuned me in. I thought “Apocalypse Now” was a great movie. I thought “Band of Brothers” was a very good series on the horrible nature of war. “Seabiscuit” was tremendously inspirational to me. “Finding Forrester,” about a young kid getting involved with someone who had this great wealth of knowledge, was a touching movie.
Q: Who is the athlete you most enjoy watching?
West: TIGER WOODS. Golf is the most challenging sport for me. Not only are you playing against the course, but you are trying to control yourself. Watch VIJAY SINGH and the incredible work ethic he has.
There are some players in the NBA I greatly admire: MAGIC JOHNSON and MICHAEL JORDAN from the past, BILL RUSSELL and LARRY BIRD. Among the current players, I’m a great fan of TIM DUNCAN. He’s probably the player that has what I think is most important. He has style and he has a substance. He also plays the game with class and grace. And KEVIN GARNETT is very much the same. SHAQUILLE O’NEAL and KOBE BRYANT. LEBRON JAMES -- the sky is the limit for him. Those are just some of the ones I’ve most enjoyed, watching them compete and excel.
Q: What is your favorite vacation spot?
West: The Greenbrier in West Virginia.
Q: What is your favorite sporting event?
West: The Ryder Cup. We don’t have as much nationalism in this country. I think everyone wants to say we do, but we don’t. And I think that’s one thing where nationalism comes to the fore.
Q: What is your favorite type of music?
West: Growing up in West Virginia, everybody used to listen to country music. I like classical music. Now my tastes run to soft rock and some jazz. I like some of the old, traditional people. I like ELTON JOHN. I think he’s a tremendous entertainer. I listen to a lot of music from different areas.
Q: What is the last book you read?
West: I read a lot. I just read a book on GEORGE WASHINGTON. I’m reading a book on Germany in the last part of the war. I’ve just about finished “Kite Runner,” a very touching book. My reading tends to vary. I learn a lot through reading.
