Honors and Regrets: West’s Career by the Numbers

Jerry West's resume is dazzling even in all-time context:

• 14-time All-Star (1961-1974 consecutive), All-Star Game MVP in 1972;
• 10 All-NBA selections (first/second/third team combined), multiple first teams;
• 4-time All-Defensive first team—proof he was a lock, not just a scorer;
• 1972 NBA champion, his only ring;
• 1969 first Finals MVP, and the only losing-team FMVP;
• 25,192 career points, second all-time at retirement behind only Chamberlain;
• Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame (1979);
• NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2022).

Beyond the numbers, West's "regrets" are equally stark: nine Finals trips, one win; multiple Game 7 or clutch falls. That is exactly why his greatness is not measured by rings but by being irreplaceable even in defeat.

In 2024 the Lakers retired his No. 44, enshrining him alongside Chamberlain and Gasol. The man who once "lost the MVP" was finally welcomed home with the highest honor.

Related Reading

• 1969 NBA Finals MVP: Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers)
• Teaming With Wilt: Two Lonely Stars Align
• The 1972 Title: West’s Redemption at Age 34
• Kobe and West: A Cross-Generational Bond
• From West Virginia to Number One: West’s Rise