Jerry West Gives Powerful Speech After Being Honored as NBA Legend of the Year
At this year's NBA Legends Awards (formerly known as the NBA Legends Brunch), Jerry West received the Legend of the Year award. West gave a wide-ranging, powerful, and deeply felt speech. West said that he wants to use this occasion as an opportunity to thank people who he has not previously thanked, and who he feels have not received the praise that they deserve, including both teammates and opponents.
West referenced the writer Joan Didion, who recently passed away. West mentioned that Didion wrote about a topic that he wished he had been able to articulate many years ago: we tell ourselves stories to survive. West said that very few people know about the struggles of his childhood, but that since it has become "in vogue" to speak about mental health he wants to share his story. West explained that he grew up in a house without a lot of love, and that he was often the focus of unwanted, negative attention. Basketball became his refuge and his sanctuary. As a nine year old, he went to the basketball court by himself and created stories. In his stories, he was a player, referee, scorekeeper, coach, and announcer. He could barely heave the ball to the hoop, but he kept putting one second back on the clock until he made the last second shot.
West noted that he had never played with a minority player until college. He said that he learned so much from Oscar Robertson while they were teammates on the 1960 gold-medal winning Olympic team, and West added that Robertson was always the measuring stick for him. West considers it fitting that they entered the NBA at the same time, they left the NBA at the same time, and they each won one hard-earned NBA title. West noted how much Robertson accomplished in his post-playing career, and concluded, "Every player should thank him."
West also acknowledged Elgin Baylor and Ray Felix as L.A. Laker teammates who taught him a lot, and West mentioned gatherings with his Lakers teammates when he was the only white player present.
It is obvious that mortality is very much on the mind of the 83 year old West. He talked about Baylor passing away last year, and he noted the dwindling number of players from his era who are still alive. West also spoke about the death of Kobe Bryant, who West drafted in 1996.
West said that he is not good at receiving awards or accepting praise from others, and he added that not everyone likes that he speaks the truth, but "it is only my opinion." That provided a fitting segue into his thoughts about various NBA owners who he has worked for over the years. West did not have anything positive to say about the owners for whom he played, noting that in those days the players did not have agents to protect them. Reflecting on his long and successful career as an NBA front office executive, West praised former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley, the Golden State Warriors' ownership group, and especially Steve Ballmer, the Clippers' owner for whom West currently works. West said that if he could have played for any owner he would love to have played for Ballmer. It should be noted that West recently expressed tremendous disenchantment with the way that the Lakers have treated him, and he has said that a rift has been created that he does not think can ever be mended, strong words from one of the franchise's greatest players who is also the most accomplished front office executive in the franchise's history.
Sometimes, people talk about replacing Jerry West as the silhouette of the NBA's logo. West himself has at times expressed self-consciousness about his image being the inspiration for the NBA's logo--but anyone who heard him speak today understands that West represents the very best of the league and is, as NBA Legends Awards master of ceremonies Ernie Johnson said, "a national treasure."
Labels: Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, NBA Legends Brunch, Oscar Robertson
posted by David Friedman @ 1:54 PM
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