The Los Angeles Lakers will pay tribute to a legend during the 2024-25 season, honoring him with a number on their jerseys all season. The Lakers have had as many superstars as any NBA franchise throughout their history, but perhaps none as impactful as the man they will honor. What follows is a look at why the No. 44 will be on LA's jerseys this season.
What does the 44 on Lakers jerseys stand for?
The No. 44 on the Lakers' jerseys honors the great Jerry West. West, who died at the age of 86 in June, spent much of his NBA life as part of the Lakers' franchise. The man whose likeness became the NBA's logo was a dominant player, then a coach and executive for the Lakers over several decades. While he finished his NBA tenure working for other franchises, he will always be linked to what he did in LA. He wore No. 44 as a player.
The then-Minneapolis Lakers drafted West with the No. 2 pick in the 1960 NBA Draft after he was a two-time All-American at West Virginia. He went on to become one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. West was a 14-time All-Star, was named first-team All-NBA 10 times, and second-team twice. He led the Lakers to an NBA title in 1972 but also won NBA Finals MVP in 1969 despite his team losing to the Boston Celtics in seven games. He spent all 14 of his professional seasons with the Lakers.
After his career ended, West became the head coach of the Lakers in 1976 and he spent the next three years leading the franchise. After his coaching stint ended, he worked as a scout before taking over as the team's general manager before the 1982-83 season. While in the position he constructed the Lakers' "Showtime" dynasty that won five championships in the 1980s.
After some struggles in the early 1990s, West rebuilt the Lakers into greatness again by signing Shaquille O'Neal as a free agent, engineering a trade for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant and convincing Phil Jackson to sign up as the team's new head coach in 1999. That group won three consecutive titles (2000, 2001 and 2002).
What did Jerry West do after leaving the Lakers?
In 2002, West left the Lakers to become general manager of the Memphis Grizzles. He claimed he wanted a new challenge and he helped take his new franchise from a perennial doormat to a competitive franchise. He won NBA Executive of the Year in 2004 in recognition of his work, then retired in 2007.
West joined the Golden State Warriors as a board member in 2011 and he assisted in building yet another juggernaut. When the Warriors won their first championship in 40 years during the 2014-2015 season, then again for 2016-17 season they were the seventh and eighth titles won by teams with West as an executive.
In June of 2017 West joined the Los Angeles Clippers as aboard member and he finished out his career working several years with the franchise.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Does the Number '44' on Lakers Jerseys Stand For?.
