The Los Angeles Lakers will honour the late Jerry West with a No.44 band across the left shoulder of their jersey for the entirety of the season.
The franchise will also celebrate West’s life in their October 22nd season opener against the Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena.
West passed away in June at the age of 86 having crafted one of the sport’s great legacies as a player, coach, and executive.
West – who was drafted out of West Virginia with the second pick in the 1960 NBA Draft – spent all 14 years of his NBA career with the Lakers earning 14 All-Star nods and 12 All-NBA nods.
He was also a key member of the Lakers’ 1972 title winning team before coaching the franchise for three seasons upon his retirement and eventually transitioning into a front office role.
He would spend 21 years as an executive with the Lakers helping to build the Showtime squads of the ’80s and the Kobe & Shaq teams of the ’00s.
West ushered in six banners in his time as an executive with the Lakers before finishing up his time with the franchise at the end of the 1999-00 season.
