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Lakers to Honor Jerry West This Season with No. 44 Uniform Band

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated10 Sep 2024

Los Angeles Lakers to Honor Jerry West This Season with No. 44 Uniform Band

The Los Angeles Lakers will honor NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West in the upcoming 2024-25 season by wearing a band with West’s No. 44 on the left shoulder of their uniforms, the team announced Tuesday.

West, who died in June at the age of 86, played all 14 years of his Hall of Fame career with the Lakers and later served as a coach and successful executive with the organization.

Nicknamed “The Logo” and “Mr. Clutch,” West was the third player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points. As a 6-foot-3 guard, he was an All-Star every year of his career and led the Lakers to the NBA Finals nine times, winning one championship in 1971-72.

In 932 career NBA regular-season games with the Lakers, he averaged 27 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 2.6 steals, and 39.2 minutes per contest while shooting 47.4% from the field and 81.4% at the free throw line.

West also received 14 All-Star selections, and he is still the only player in league history to win Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969. Additionally, he scored the most career points (1,679) in the NBA Finals in league history.

Los Angeles Lakers will honor Jerry West on opening night when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves

Furthermore, West recorded the most 30-point games in NBA Finals history with 31. Plus, he is 25th on the league’s all-time scoring list with 25,192 points. He received 12 All-NBA nods as well.

West was the architect of the “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s that won five titles and the formation of the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal duo that completed a three-peat under then-head coach Phil Jackson.

In April, West became the first individual to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame three times in his career as a player (1980), executive (2010), and contributor to the game (2024).

The contributor election is for his work as a general manager with the Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies, along with his time spent as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers.

The Lakers also announced Tuesday that they will honor West on opening night of the regular season when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 22, with a West No. 44 jersey giveaway for the fans.