His character, too: though a solitary individual, he led by example and set the standards in teams that always looked to him.
JERRY WEET PROFESSIONAL
These included his renowned rebounding prowess and an extraordinary capacity for playing through the pain, as he showed at several points in his professional career. Scarred by the abuse suffered at the hands of his father and the death of his brother, which both significantly influenced his personality, he began slowly taking shape as a player at his high school in East Bank, West Virginia, shaking off the difficulties caused by his slight stature to develop, through hard work, immense basketball abilities. A weak, scrawny child who needed vitamin injections, he didn’t have the look of a future NBA star indeed, he was initially reluctant to take part in organised team sport because he feared suffering a serious injury. It was a moment in West’s life that had a profound impact on him. An aggressive child to begin with, he became a shy, introspective boy when his brother, David, died in the Korean War in 1951. The fifth of six siblings, he was abused by his father as a child, and had to sleep with a gun underneath his pillow out of fear that he might have to kill him in self-defence.
West’s story is replete with adversity, the least of which are the battles he lost against the Celtics. A leader by example after a difficult childhood Among the Celtics’ many victims, one team stands out: the Lakers. The same number of rings that Michael Jordan won in the 90s against five different opponents - that’s how many slipped through West’s fingers against a single team, one that won 11 titles in 13 years and dominated the NBA more than any other in the league’s long history. As a player, he lost six NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics - a team that inhabits his worst nightmares, Bill Russell casting his long shadow over the light that seemed to shine in Los Angeles every day of the year except when the green tide came in. Of all the colours of the rainbow, green is without doubt Jerry West’s least favourite.
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