Derek Moore's Blog

“We are elated to add Jerry West and his incredible list of credentials to our Executive Board,” said Warriors Owner Joe Lacob.  “His accomplishments in this business as both a player and executive are almost beyond comprehension and certainly well-documented.  He’s simply a winner and, quite honestly, you can never have too many of those in your organization.  After spending time with him in recent weeks, including a terrific meeting two weeks ago that included Peter Guber, Larry Riley, Bob Myers and our entire Basketball Operations staff, it’s quite evident that he still has an unrelenting passion for the game and the business.  His vast experiences, knowledge, credibility and intuition will benefit our organization on many different levels.  We’re fortunate that we will have the ability to tap into his expertise on a wide-array of subjects on both the basketball and business side of the operation and I would expect that he will be a valuable representative on many fronts.”

“I’m really pleased that we were able to add someone the caliber of Jerry West to our organization,” said Warriors’ Co-Owner Peter Guber.  “He has earned great respect in all circles, including the entire entertainment field, and his business savvy will serve us well and prove invaluable.  Overall, his career has been nothing short of remarkable and his name alone has become synonymous with winning and success.  I could sense his love for the game and tremendous passion during our meetings in recent weeks and I think his attitude will be infectious.  He will be a tremendous resource for us in this particular role and it is also a position that suits Jerry very well at this stage of his life.”

“I’m excited about this opportunity and, quite frankly, humbled that the new ownership group with the Warriors inquired about my interest in joining the organization in this capacity,” said West.  “I’ve had the good fortune to work for two wonderful owners, Dr. Jerry Buss and Michael Heisley,  as an executive and I know that you must have a commitment at the top to succeed.  I sense that is certainly the case with the Warriors or I would not have made this decision.  This role is appealing at this particular time because it will provide me an opportunity to remain close to the game and contribute to an organization in a meaningful, all-encompassing manner.  It had to be the right situation with the right group of people and this opportunity certainly meets those criteria.  I’ve been extremely impressed with Joe Lacob, Peter Guber and the members of the Basketball Operations staff during our conversations and I’m looking forward to working with them and other members of the Warriors’ organization as we move forward.”

A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, West was a 14-time NBA All-Star during his illustrious 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.  He is one of only seven players in NBA history to play at least 14 seasons in the league and be selected as a member of the All-Star team every year.  Additionally, he ranks 15th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list (25,192 points) and guided the Lakers to nine (9) trips to the NBA Finals and one NBA Championship (1972) as a player.  Overall, he averaged 27.0 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds during his 14-year NBA career.

Following his playing career, West spent a successful three-year period as the head coach of the Lakers (1976-79, .589 winning percentage) and a brief three-year tenure as a consultant (1979-82, two NBA titles) with the team before transitioning full-time into the front office, where he spent a total of 18 years with the Lakers as General Manager/Executive VP of Basketball Operations.  During his tenure at the helm of Basketball Operations in Los Angeles, the Lakers captured four (4) NBA Championships (1985, 1987, 1988, 2000) and appeared in the playoffs in 17 of 18 seasons.  West’s most recent foray with an NBA team occurred in Memphis from 2002-2007, when he led the Grizzlies, who had previously never made the playoffs, to three consecutive post-season appearances (2004, 2005, 2006) as the team’s President of Basketball Operations.