FILE–Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West presents the Western Conference Championship trophy after tthe Western Conference Finals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
EL SEGUNDO, California– The Los Angeles Lakers will honor Jerry West in the upcoming BBA season with a uniform band featuring his No. 44.
The Lakers announced their plan Tuesday to remember West, who died in June at 86.
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The purple band on the left shoulder of the Lakers’ uniforms has No. 44 in gold at the center. West played his entire 14-year NBA career for the Lakers, becoming one of the greatest scorers and most versatile guards of his era while earning 14 All-Star selections and earning the nickname “Mr. Clutch.”
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West went on to be a coach and an executive with the Lakers, most notably building the 1980s “Showtime” roster around Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Lakers won five NBA championships and reached nine NBA Finals in a 12-year span.
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West stayed on for the beginning of the Lakers’ next championship era, acquiring Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal before departing in 2000.
The Lakers also plan to have a formal ceremony honoring West at their season opener against Minnesota on Oct. 22. West worked for the Grizzlies, Warriors and Clippers in the two decades before his death.
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The Laker also confirmed their previously reported plan to retire Michael Cooper’s No. 21 jersey on Jan. 13.
Cooper, the shooting guard on the best Showtime-era teams, was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year. The Lakers only retire the jerseys of Hall of Fame players.
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