DALLAS — Before tipoff of Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals, both teams and the crowd at American Airlines Center paid tribute to late NBA legend Jerry West, whose silhouette is considered to be the basis of the NBA logo.
West died Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86. West’s wife, Karen, was by his side when he died, the Clippers said.
He was an All-Star in all 14 of his NBA seasons, a 12-time All-NBA selection, part of the 1972 Lakers team that won a championship, an NBA Finals MVP as part of a losing team in 1969 and was selected as part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
In their pre-game press conferences, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla shared memories of their interaction with West.
Condolences and tributes for West poured in all day on Wednesday leading up to the game, including from Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, who shared an Instagram post by the NBA to his Instagram stories. The Mavericks and Celtics both posted tributes for West on X.
Dallas and Boston will return to the AAC for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Friday.
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