Jerry West, the man whose form is shaped on the National Basketball Association logo, passed away at the age of 86.

A college star at West Virginia, West took the Mountaineers to the Championship Game where they fell to California, but West was so good that he won the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.  Collegiately, he was also a two-time All-American and two-time SoCon Player of the Year.

A member of the 1959 Pan American and 1960 United States Men’s Basketball Team that won Gold, West was drafted second overall that year by the Minneapolis Lakers, who promptly moved to Los Angeles.  A Laker for the entirety of his career, West was one of the finest guards in basketball history, making 10 All-NBA First Teams, four All-Defensive First Teams, and fourteen All-Star Games.  Echoing his Final Four MVP, West was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1969 when they lost to the Boston Celtics.  West would finally win that title in 1972 when Los Angeles beat the New York Knicks.  Statistically speaking, West averaged 27 Points per Game, won the 1970 Scoring Title, and the 1972 Assists Title, and was later named to the NBA 35^th, 50^th, and 75^th Anniversary Teams.

As phenomenal as West was as a player, he rose to greater heights as an executive.  West took over as the Lakers head coach for three years (1976-79) where he brought L.A. to the playoffs each year and had a winning record (145-101).  He moved on to the front office as a scout and took over as their General Manager in 1982.  Under West, the “Showtime” Lakers were built and dominated winning six NBA Championships.  He also set them up for future success, laying the foundation for their early 2000s success.  West later became the GM for the Memphis Grizzlies and brought them to respectability and later won two more rings as an executive with Golden State.

West was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980, his first year of eligibility.  He would later enter the College Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural 2006 class and entered the Naismith Hall a second time in 2010 as part of the 1960 Olympic Gold Medal-winning team.  He was scheduled to enter a third time this year for his contributions as an executive.

We here at Notiinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends, and family of Jerry West.

It is Final Four weekend, and we know what that means for Hall of Fame watchers as the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has announced the newest members of the Springfield-based institution.

The Class of 2023 consists of:

Vince Carter is the unquestioned headliner of the group, entering the Hall in his first year of eligibility.  Known for his athletic dunks and scoring touch, Carter was the 1999 Rookie of the Year, an eight-time All-Star, and was twice named to an All-NBA Team.  Later in his career, Carter won the NBA Sportsmanship Award (2016) and NBA Teammate of the Year (2020), which was a testament to his development as an elder statesman and teacher, which was not who he was in his younger years.  Speaking of his early seasons, regardless of how he left the Toronto Raptors, Carter brought legitimacy to the franchise and was the catalyst for the explosion of popularity of the sport in Canada.  Would Canada have so many great players now without Carter?  It is a legitimate question to ask.

Chauncey Billups was the 2004 NBA Finals MVP in Detroit’s stunning upset of the Los Angeles Lakers.  An All-American at Colorado, Billups went to five All-Star Games and was a three-time All-NBA Selection and two-time All-Defensive player.  Like Carter, Billups won the NBA Sportsmanship Award (2010) and the NBA Teammate of the Year Award (2013).  Billups also played for Boston, Denver, Minnesota, New York and the Los Angeles Clippers, and he is currently the Head Coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Seimone Augustus was the strongest female candidate, and it is no surprise that she was chosen.  A two-time Naismith Player of the Year at LSU, Augustus had an outstanding professional career, which was spent entirely with the Minnesota Lynx.  She led her Lynx to four WNBA Championships (2011, 2013, 2015 & 2017), was an All-WNBA Selection six times, an All-Star eight times and was named to the 20^th and 25^th WNBA Anniversary Teams.  Internationally, she won Gold in three Olympics (2008, 2012 & 2016) and the 2014 Worlds.

Bo Ryan is a legend in the state of Wisconsin, where he coached Wisconsin-Platteville to four Division III Championships (1991, 1995, 1998 & 1999) and later took Wisconsin to two Final Fours and won three Big Ten Tournaments.  A four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Ryan is already a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, with an overall record of 747-233.

Michael Cooper was the defensive specialist of the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty that won five NBA Championships in the 1980s.  Named the Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and was a five-time First Team All-Defensive Selection and three-time Second Team All-Defensive Selection.

Walter Davis was a six-time All-Star and the 1978 Rookie of the Year.  He is still the all-time leading scorer in Phoenix Suns history.  He was also a two-time Second Team All-NBA Selection.

Michelle Timms enters through the Women’s Veteran Committee.  Timms, an Olympic Silver (2000) and Bronze Medal (1996) winner, played mostly in the WNBL in Australia before joining the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury.  She was also a WNBA All-Star once.

Jerry West is now a three-time Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted as a player in 1980 and in 2010 as a member of the 1960 United States Gold Medal Winning Team.  This long overdue induction is as an executive, with West having won five NBA Rings as the Lakers’ General Manager and laying the foundation for success in the 2000s.  West left L.A. for Memphis, built them up, and later won two more titles in Golden State as an executive. 

Doug Collins was chosen as a contributor, and few have as complete a career a resume as he does.  Collins was an All-American at Illinois State, a four-time NBA All-Star, and was a Head Coach with Chicago, Detroit, Washington and Philadelphia.  Already a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, Collins main contributions here is as a broadcaster, where he has done work with CBS, TBS, TNT, ESPN and NBC.

Dick Barnett enters through the Men’s Veteran Category.  Leading Tennessee State to three NAIA Titles, Barnett played for Syracuse, Los Angeles (Lakers) and the New York Knicks where he was a one-time All-Star and two-time NBA Champion.

Harley Redin was inducted via the Women’s Veteran Category.  He led the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens to six AAU National Championships.

Herb Simon is another Contributor inductee, and is currently the longest tenured governor in the NBA.  Simon is highly regarded in the Indianapolis community, and though he has never won a championship, he brought and continues to bring stability to the organization.

Charles Smith has more wins than any other coach in Louisiana High School Basketball and took his team to six state championships.

Look for our Notinhalloffame.com Basketball List to be updated to reflect the newest additions and those who are now eligible.  That should happen around May.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.