West played 14 NBA seasons and made the All-Star game in every season. The only other players to play at least 10 seasons and make the All-Star game in every season are Julius Erving (11 seasons), Bob Pettit (11) and Paul Arizin (10).
West never won an MVP. He finished in the top-5 eight different times. He was runner-up 4 times. That is the most runner-up finishes for a player than never won the MVP award. It is tied for the most runner-up finishes ever (Larry Bird).
Jerry West
Runner-Up MVP Finishes
Winner
1965-66 Wilt Chamberlain
1969-70 Willis Reed
1970-71 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1971-72 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
West was nicknamed Mr. Clutch and made the NBA Finals 9 times in his 14-year career. But, he was just 1-8, with his lone championship coming in the 1971-72 season. Six of the Finals losses were to the Celtics and two to the Knicks.
West scored 25,192 points for the Lakers. There are 8 other players in NBA history to score at least 25,000 points for one franchise: Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Tim Duncan (Spurs), John Havlicek (Celtics), Michael Jordan (Bulls), Karl Malone (Jazz), Reggie Miller (Pacers), Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks) and Hakeem Olajuwon (Rockets).
Jerry West won the Executive of the Year award twice – once with the Lakers (1994-95) and once with the Grizzlies (1995-96). The only other people to win the award with multiple teams are Bryan Colangelo (Suns and Raptors) and Bob Bass (Spurs and Hornets).
Peter Newmann is an analyst and writer who spent 10 years at ESPN, 8 as the NBA senior researcher working 24/7 on the league. He wrote game notes for crews, articles for ESPN.com, analysis for studio shows, and regularly assisted reporters and writers. Follow him on Twitter, and check out his Web site, www.peternewmann.com.