What do you look for in an iconic athlete?  Me, I’d tick off the following attributes. Superhuman skill.  Championship mettle.  An outsized persona, a dude who, love him or hate him, you can’t help but be fascinated by.

Jerry West is an icon.  His greatness on the court earned him the nickname “Mr. Clutch.”  After his playing days were through he moved into management and became the game’s greatest GM, the architect of two great Laker dynasties.

But Jerry had some serious issues.  The more success his teams achieved the more West couldn’t deal with failure.  By the end of his tenure Mr. Clutch’s nerves would not even allow him to be in the building while his teams won their championships.

Quirks aside, West is best known as the man who literally became the image of professional basketball.  Many have played the game, some have better stats, more championships.  But West surpassed all of them. Because only he is the logo of the NBA.

No other icon ever achieved such a feat.  Not Babe Ruth, not Muhammad Ali, not Peyton Manning.  Although I’m sure he gets paid tons to do all those Sony commercials with Justin Timberlake.  Read more...