This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/20/2016
The combination of a deadly jumper, tenacious defense, and obsessive perfectionism made Jerry West one of the all-time greats. The 6'4" guard known as "Mr. Clutch" was a winner from the moment he first picked up a basketball. A scholastic phenom at East Bank High School (W.Va.), West spurned offers from countless colleges for his home-state West Virginia University. As a junior, he led the Mountaineers to the 1959 National Championship game and was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament. During his 14-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, West became synonymous with excellence. He was the 3rd player in league history to surpass 25,000 points (after Wilt and Oscar) and finished with career averages of 27 points, 6.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds. West took the Lakers to the NBA finals nine times, winning his lone title along with series MVP in 1972 as L.A. defeated the Knicks in five games. The Lakers' 1-8 Finals record only made West more resilient as a player and thirsty for victory champagne as an NBA executive, which he has tasted a total of seven times (primarily as the Lakers' GM).
Presented here is Jerry West's game-worn Lakers road warm-up jacket from the 1969-70 season, one of the most memorable campaigns of "The Logo." He averaged 31.2 points to win his only NBA scoring title and helped L.A. overcome an early season injury to Wilt Chamberlain to become Western Conference Champions. The Lakers met the Knicks in the Finals and"”despite West's heroics, including his famous 60-footer in Game 3"”ultimately fell to New York four games to three. The short-sleeve button-down jacket comes in road purple with a satin exterior. It has the Lakers patch sewn on the left chest with "WEST" arched on the back in yellow tackle twill outlined in white. Boasting an elastic collar and waistband in purple and gold, the jacket sports vintage gold stripes with Lakers-themed piping around the shoulders. Manufacturer's tagging is no longer present, but the size is fitting of West's build. This vintage jacket appears to match game photos of West during the '69-70 season as well as video footage (6:22 mark) before Game 7 of the NBA Finals! It shows outstanding wear and comes courtesy of the former Maitre D' at the Forum Club who was close with West and other Lakers. It has never before been offered publicly.
Letter of Provenance from son of Forum Club Maitre D' who acquired it.