Richard Rafferty
stood patiently, as asked, and then moved, as asked, and then turned, as asked, looking left, and then right, and then straight as the photographer worked diligently to capture the ideal angle and light for the photo shown above.
He pointed out the significance of the many photos and artwork lining the walls of the intimate bar and lounge of his Bel Air home, and teased about the value of the vast wine collection locked behind a nearby glass door.
It went on this way for about a half hour, until, after one too many requests, West shut the photo shoot down, abruptly.
“I think we’re done,” he said, slipping past the camera and light stands, heading back to his living room, and his favorite chair, where he calmly resumed an interview.
West always knew when he was done; as an NBA superstar, then a coach, and then a basketball executive — twice — and finally, in the larger and inevitable sense, on that Wednesday morning, when he drew his last breath at home beside Karen West, his wife of 46 years. He was 86.
In 14 seasons as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers, West appeared in more NBA Finals than all but four others, was named an All-Star in every season of his career, and owns the league’s seventh-highest, regular-season scoring average (27.0 ppg) and fifth-highest, playoff scoring average (29.1 ppg). In 17 seasons as the Lakers’ general manager, West built teams that made the Finals eight times and claimed four titles.
Though often slowed by illness of late, he continued to work in basketball after retiring as a GM in 2007, serving as a consultant to Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for the last six years. He attended last year’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago and pre-draft workouts at the Clippers’ training facility. He advised on trades and free agent signings.
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Though often held up as the model for the NBA’s iconic logo, he demanded a role that was more than ceremonial.
“Most people would think, well, he just likes to stay involved,” West said a few weeks before last year’s draft. “That’s really not the case for me. For me, it’s to contribute. The way my brain is wired, I still love to learn, still love to watch. So it’s just, can you still help? Or do you feel like you’re just a bouquet of flowers? And I would never want to do that. Because that’s not me.”
Longtime NBA executive Rod Thorn met West when both played at West Virginia University. Because West was three years older, they knew each other only casually as players. When both became NBA general managers, their friendship grew.
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Reached a few hours after learning of his friend’s death, Thorn said West should be remembered “on so many levels” — and not just as one of the league’s greatest shooting guards and more accomplished GMs.
“A lot of people will think of those, and rightfully so,” said Thorn, who as GM of the Chicago Bulls drafted Michael Jordan and served as the NBA’s president of basketball operations for a dozen years. “But he should also be remembered as incredibly well-read. He could discuss virtually any subject. And he was an unbelievable friend. If he liked you, he’d do anything for you.
“He was one of a kind, that guy.”
