The Architect of Showtime: West as Lakers GM

In 1982 Jerry West became general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers, opening his executive legend. If the player was "Mr. Clutch," the GM was "Mr. Talent"—he had a venomous eye for genius.

In the 1980s West assembled "Showtime": Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar under Pat Riley played gorgeous fast-break basketball, winning three titles in five years. West, the behind-the-scenes operator, kept hitting in drafts and trades.

The masterstroke came in 1996. The Lakers traded center Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the 13th pick—a 17-year-old named Kobe Bryant—then signed free agent Shaquille O'Neal from Orlando. Those two pieces directly built the 2000-2002 three-peat.

West's philosophy was simple: bet on talent rather than settle for role players. He dared to trade a proven big for an unknown teen (Kobe) and to spend big on a free-agent headliner (Shaq). That "trust the young genius" instinct was his consistent edge from player to executive.

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