RIP, Jerry West

A Brief Tribute in Honor of Greatness

I grew up hearing my Dad talk about “the greatest basketball shot ever made.”

He saw it live, in-person, at Madison Square Garden in 1970. He was given free tickets through his job at Delta Airlines, and a free flight from Dulles to La Guardia. It was one of his favorite memories of his entire life. He just lit up talking about it! It makes me smile to remember him relive it, visualizing his face and excitement. He said it was one of those moments that everyone experiences at the same time, where something you thought was impossible was shown to be possible. Even though he was a Celtics guy, he forever loved Jerry West after that. 

Whenever Jerry West’s name came up, Dad would launch into how he’d seen the Game 3 Lakers-Knicks full court shot with his own eyes, and felt the whole stadium go nuts. My Dad would always end his story with something like, “and that’s why sports are so great.” I overheard many discussions between my Dad and his brothers on why sports were so great, and why cheating in sports was the worst thing a person could do aside from murder. Over time, I’d listen to many conversations like this from most of my male friends and their Dads or brothers, including my husband, Richard, and his Dad and brother. The consensus is that outside of War, when it’s life or death, sports are the only place where true greatness in truly clutch moments can happen. 

I felt this feeling myself for the first time watching Tim Tebow play as a Gator, in The Swamp with my student tickets. The way Tebow made these unbelievable plays at the most critical moments that no one could have predicted or prepared for—watching him throw that iconic jump pass in 2006 as a true freshman–it was unbelievable to behold. The next time I felt it was watching Kobe’s last game. As his points passed 40, I felt like I was watching a fairy tale unfold in real life. The stuff legends are based on. I called my Dad to ask if he was watching, even though I knew it was very late in Florida. As expected, he had been asleep–but when I told him what was happening, he rushed to the TV and turned it on. Me, Rich, and my Dad all screamed our heads off that night, and my Dad kept saying “I can’t believe he did that, I just can’t believe it!” 

The next day when I called him again, I knew he was going to bring up Jerry West. And he did. He said, the only thing he could think of that was like that, was Jerry West’s full court shot that he saw at MSG in 1970. Something that defied what anyone thought was possible. It didn’t matter that they lost the game, Jerry West showed every player and fan that a shot like that, at the buzzer, was possible. Jerry West contributed substantially to the molding of players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, who have both spoken at length about studying him, and what he taught them about the ethos of true greatness.

RIP, Mr. Clutch. I know you’re getting the standing O of a lifetime over there in the Great Beyond. I can see my Dad, clapping wildly while waiting patiently for his turn to pat you on the back, and tell you that he was there for “the greatest basketball shot ever made.” 

Watch: Jerry West’s 60-ft “Buzzer Beater,” 1970

Jerry West

May 28, 1936–June 12, 2024

Written the morning of June 12, 2024, after hearing the news of Mr. West’s passing.