NBA legend Jerry West passed away on June 12th, and perhaps more than any other person, is responsible for the success of the NBA today. Per Wikipedia, he “was an American basketball player and executive. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included ‘the Logo,’ in reference to his silhouette being the basis for the NBA logo; ‘Mr. Clutch,’ for his ability to make a big play in a key situation such as his famous buzzer-beating 60-foot shot that tied Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks; ‘Mr. Outside,’ in reference to his perimeter play with the Lakers and ‘Zeke from Cabin Creek’ for the creek near his birthplace of Chelyan, West Virginia.”
West was also quite uni-notable, and was the inspiration for the NBA logo.
Those were the words I wrote on June 14th, as I introduced UW reader/contributor Steve Dodell, who penned a Uni Watch Look at Jerry West.
Now that the NBA 2024-25 Season is almost upon us, yesterday the Los Angeles Lakers announced the team will honor Jerry West by wearing a band with West’s No. 44 on the left shoulder of their uniforms for the 2024-25 season.
Here’s how the Lakers announced the memorial band on Twitter:
The team will honor Jerry West with a commemorative No. 44 band on their jerseys this season 💜 pic.twitter.com/S8MZ3WN5DB
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 10, 2024
The memorial band is purple (not black) and will be located on the left shoulder of the Lakers’ uniforms. The No. 44 in rendered in gold at the center. West played his entire 14-year NBA career for the Lakers, and was one of the greatest scorers of his era. He was selected to the West All-Star team 14 times. After his playing career ended, West went on to be a coach and an executive with the Lakers. During his tenure, the Lakers won five NBA championships and reached nine NBA Finals in a 12-year span.
I like the memorial band, and think it’s a wonderful gesture for West. I was wondering if the Lakers would somehow create a memorial patch for West that in some way incorporated West’s NBA Logo image. But the problem is, with a maker’s mark and an ad already taking up the valuable real estate on the jersey, there probably wouldn’t be sufficient space for such a memorial patch.
So a memorial band is probably about the best the Lakers can do for Mr. Clutch. If you look at the front of the Lakers jersey, the swoosh and the ad don’t leave much room for any sort of memorial patch of any size.
Of course, the “44” won’t be visible at any kind of distance (the ad typeface has a larger font size). And placing a memorial patch so close to the maker’s mark poses its own aesthetic problems. So the band will have to suffice.
The Lakers also announced Tuesday that they will honor West on opening night of the regular season, which begins October 22nd, when the team hosts the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team will also give away West No. 44 jerseys to fans on that date.
Classy and classic. A black or purple roundel with a gold 44 (like the Russell 6) above the swoosh was also an option, I guess.
FYI, “The purple band is purple” first sentence after the tweet
Thanks — meant to say “the memorial band is purple” — now fixed.
Simple and classy. I don’t mind at all that the band is purple and not black. As for it not being visible at a distance, NBA players, especially LeBron get enough close ups that we’ll see it just fine.
I wonder if the Clippers will also do something, since this was his last employer. For that matter, certain players make sense for the entire league to honor. I don’t remember if this happened for Bill Russell?
Every team wore an identical “6” memorial patch for the entirety of the 2022-23 season. The 6 was in the Celtics’ number font. I believe he received such an honor due to his impact in the civil rights movement, not just his achievements in basketball.
“the life of jerry west” – PRESENTED BY BIBIGO. Very classy LA, very classy. Somehow this feels like a new low in the Uni-verse.
Exactly this! I saw Phil’s splash photo and thought it was a perfect memorial. However, the Lakers tweet just HAD to have the sponsor in it.
Should have put it in the middle above “Lakers” like the scudetto
They could easily remove the ad, made a great memorial patch, and let it be. Obviously money is higher on their priority list than Jerry west.
Or perhaps the advertiser had language in the contract that forbids the cancellation or removal of the ads without a huge financial penalty. Or perhaps the team asked and the advertiser told them no. Or, like you said, greed.