Jerry West, who passed away last year at the age of 86, is a rare figure. First he was an amazing basketball player who was so well regarded that his silhouette is still on the NBA logo.
And his second career, as an executive, was arguably better than his playing career. Who does that?
For all his accomplishments, West was tormented by emotions for most of his life. Losing was devastating for him and left him racked with self-doubt and self-loathing. He was truly hard on himself, which is really too
bad, given his enormous accomplishments.
We’re going with two videos today. In the first one, West is asked to answer questions in lightning-round style. And second, he names his all-time NBA starting five, but he limits himself just three:
- LeBron James
- Kobe Bryant
- Michael Jordan
He picked those three because he thinks they’d have played well together and because they were all able to play multiple positions. Then he refuses to name anyone else.
He declined to name himself but he might have, and fairly, and given what he’s said in the past, he might have gone with Bill Russell in the fifth spot. Incidentally, we learned recently that Russell leaped high enough to touch the top of the backboard. Now there’s a shotblocker.
More from dukebasketballreport.com:
- Recruiting: Javin DeLaurier Chooses Duke
- TJ Douglas Kicked Off Football Team
- ACC Football Roundup - Down To Four Undefeateds
- Homer Simpson: Duke/State Fan?
- DBR Podcast 30: Laura Keeley Returns
- ACC Preview #5 - The Florida State Seminoles
- Football Season Has Potential, But Turnovers Could Be A Fatal Flaw For Duke
