Rumors

The statue will be unveiled April 9, 2027, before the Lakers' game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. .... Jackson will be the ninth member of the Lakers with a statue at Star Plaza outside Crypto.com Arena, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elgin Baylor, Chick Hearn, Magic Johnson, Pat Riley, Jerry West, O'Neal and Bryant (who has two). The statue was commissioned by the Lakers to be designed and created by Omri Amrany of Rotblatt Amrany Studio.

ESPN

Jay Wagers: "Byron, you experienced the organization when Dr. Jerry Buss was alive. So, what did Jerry Buss create culturally that made the Lakers different from any other NBA franchise?" Byron Scott: "I think the main thing is he made us feel a very much of a sense of pride of wearing purple and gold, that it meant something different than being in any organization, that it was more of a family organization than most organizations that were either hobbies for some of the owners or that was their money maker. I think Jerry really wanted it to be more of a family-oriented organization and he made that point clear from day one. And he also hired the people to do their jobs. He hired Jerry West to be the general manager, make decisions. He didn't go behind his back or go in and say, 'No, no, we're not doing this, we're not doing that.' He hired these guys to do their job and he allowed them to do their jobs. He was just first of all, a very unique owner, still to me, one of the best owners in any sport that you can imagine. And he treated all of us the same. He treated every player the same. He treated Magic Johnson no different than he treated Wes Matthews. He would come in the locker room and he talked to everybody. He was one of the most humble owners that I've ever met."

YouTube

West, the Lakers' general manager at the time, understood that getting O'Neal would never be easy. Nothing of worth rarely is. But as negotiations lengthened, West knew he had to turn into Mr. Clutch to get the job done. And just like his 60-foot, buzzer-beating heave in Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals, he had one more Hail Mary left in his back pocket. "I always tell the story. Jerry West met me in a hotel. He said, 'I got some good news and some bad news,'" Shaq recalled. "I said, 'What's the bad news?'" "He said, 'I can't get you to 150, but I can get you 120. And I got some movie deals signed up for you that'll come out to about 180.' And I said, 'Shit, let me see the contract,'" he continued.

Yahoo! Sports

But the $120,000,000 deal that the Lakers offered him was just on another level. "So he showed me the contract, and I've never seen so many zeros in my life. But when I seen that one, 120 for seven with the option after three to renew, I was like, 'Man,'" Shaq stated. While Shaq didn't get the $150 million that he initially demanded, playing in the City of Angels meant numerous opportunities to burnish his brand through endorsement deals and business partnerships. West also held up his end of the bargain as Shaq eventually had starring roles in the movies "Kazaam" and "Steel."

Yahoo! Sports

When Shaquille O'Neal went to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, he knew he was about to become the NBA’s highest-paid player, but didn’t know what would come after. O’Neal appeared as a guest on “Full Send Podcast,” where he detailed the events that resulted in him signing with the Lakers, while meeting with Hall of Fame general manager Jerry West. “Jerry West met me in a hotel. He said, ‘I got some good news and some bad news,” O’Neal said. “I said, ‘What’s the bad news?’ He said, ‘I can’t get you the $150 [million] you asked for, but I can get you $120 million, and I got some movie deals signed up for you that’ll come up to $180 million.”

New York Post

Once the ink dried on the paper, O’Neal was about to begin an eight-year stretch on one of the most dominant eras of basketball. “And as I’m signing, he puts his hand on my shoulder. He said, ‘Let me tell you something, I just got this kid; in two or three years, you and him are going to win a lot of championships,” O’Neal said. “I’m like, yeah, okay, because I’m trying to sign. He was talking about Kobe Bryant.”

New York Post

James is now the first player in Laker history to leave the franchise in free agency the offseason after averaging at least 20 points per game. The other Lakers to have left Los Angeles the season after averaging 20-plus points per night - O'Neal, Clyde Lovelette and Jerry West - left either via trade or, specifically in West's case, retired.

HoopsHype

During your childhood, what do you recall Jerry (West) saying about Kobe (Bryant)’s pre-draft workout? Jonnie West: “That summer was pretty crazy, in general. Ryan and Kobe were a few months apart. I was eight at that time. Ryan was a lot closer to it. But I remember the excitement that my Dad had after a couple of workouts even before the reality that he would ever become a Laker. My Dad became obsessed with finding a way to get this done. He started at the top of the draft and then went all the way trying to find something that could work. It didn’t happen until the 13 pick. There were some roadblocks along the way that they navigated around, and Kobe made it to 13.”

essentiallysports.com

Jonnie West: “He actually ended up in the hospital after all the stuff with Shaq and going through that. He ended up in the hospital for a few days because of exhaustion. But getting those two transactions in one summer was impressive. Obviously, one was a known thing. At the time, Shaq was a multiple-time All-Star at that point even though he was still young. Kobe was a project. But one of the things about my Dad that has always stuck with me was his conviction. He was dead set on Kobe, and that he was going to be great.”

essentiallysports.com

You mentioned in the documentary that Jerry is often misunderstood. What examples come to mind? Jonnie West: “When I say ‘misunderstood,’ the people that know him on a personal level see who he really is. He was this insanely competitive person that at times was not very healthy. But it’s what made him as a player and what made him as a GM. But he had such a level of compassion and caring for people. The thing that he loved the most was helping people. That can mean taking time just talking to somebody, mentoring somebody or financially helping somebody. That was the thing that drove him. It was the mentoring side of him. “

essentiallysports.com

Brandon Rahbar: SGA on Jerry West, who the Clutch Player of the Year is named after: "He always believed in me from the jump. Having a guy like that believes in you really gives you a push in the back.. I always kept that in the back of my mind." SGA says Jerry wrote a letter to him after his rookie season and he still has it to this day.

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NBA Communications: Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year, earning the Jerry West Trophy.

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NBA History: Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown record their 50th playoff game both scoring 20+ PTS, becoming the 8th duo to reach the mark. They join Larry Bird & Kevin McHale as the only Celtics duos to do so. The other duos: 74 - Jerry West & Elgin Baylor; 68 - Scottie Pippen & Michael Jordan; 67 - Shaquille O'Neal & Kobe Bryant; 58 - Kevin McHale & Larry Bird; 56 - Russell Westbrook & Kevin Durant; 53 - Klay Thompson & Stephen Curry; 50 - Tony Parker & Tim Duncan.

Twitter

James Worthy: At the premiere of Jerry West “The Logo” documentary w @kaj33 @StephenCurry30 #MitchKupchak #jerrywest @PrimeVideo

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