Lakers to have No. 44 on uniforms in West's honor
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Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers will honor Jerry West’s No. 44 for all 82 games this upcoming season.
The team will wear a band with West’s No. 44 on the left shoulder of their uniforms for the 2024-25 season, the Lakers announced Tuesday.
West, who played all 14 years of his Hall of Fame career with the Lakers and later served as a coach and highly successful executive with the organization, died in June at the age of 86.
The team will honor Jerry West with a commemorative No. 44 band on their jerseys this season 💜 pic.twitter.com/S8MZ3WN5DB
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 10, 2024
Considered one of the greatest shooting guards ever to play, West led L.A. to nine NBA Finals appearances, winning the championship in 1971-72. He was a 14-time All-Star, and his average of 27.03 points per game ranks No. 8 in league history.
Nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” for his penchant for delivering in big moments, West was named to the All-NBA team 12 times and was the 1969 NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team — the first year that award was given out and still the only time it has gone to a player on the runner-up.
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 tandem that went on to win three straight championships.
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.
