in full Jerome Alan West
born May 28, 1938, Cheylan, W.Va., U.S.
U.S. basketball player, coach, and manager.
As a sharp-shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers (1960–74), he compiled a career scoring average of 27 points and earned the nickname "Mr. Clutch." As the Lakers' head coach (1976–79), he led them to 145 wins and 101 losses. He later became the team's general manager and executive vice president and contributed to the team's eight NBA titles between 1980 and 2002. In 2002 he joined the front office of the Memphis Grizzlies.