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Jerry West to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

By Ethan Smith

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: Golden State Warriors Forward Kevin Durant (35) talks with talks with Executive board member of the Los Angeles Clippers Jerry West before game three of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers on April 18, 2019 at Staples Center in Las Angeles, CA.(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 18: Golden State Warriors Forward Kevin Durant (35) talks with talks with Executive board member of the Los Angeles Clippers Jerry West before game three of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers on April 18, 2019 at Staples Center in Las Angeles, CA.(Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Jerry West has placed his stamp on the LA Clippers over the past couple of seasons and he adds yet another award to his name as he will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Jerry West, also known as ‘The Logo’, has done many influential things for the sport of basketball.

West was drafted in 1960 by the Los Angeles Lakers and played 14 years of professional basketball before moving into a coaching position in 1976, coaching for three seasons in Los Angeles.

His list of accolades as a player runs deep with his No. 44 being retired by the Lakers along with one NBA Championship in 1972, 14 All-Star appearances and 10 All-NBA First Team awards just to name a few.

West didn’t stop after his playing days as his short stint in coaching would lead to him becoming the GM of the Lakers and helped lay the foundation for the Lakers team that would three-peat from 2000-2002.

After his GM days, West joined Golden State as an executive board member where he helped build one of the better dynasties we may ever see in the sport of basketball.

Shortly after his departure from Golden State in 2016, West took on the challenge of joining Doc Rivers, Steve Ballmer and Lawrence Frank with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017 and was instrumental in the decisions of trading star PG Chris Paul and franchise cornerstone Blake Griffin.

West has many more accolades but will add another after United States President Donald Trump announced that West would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

The award comes shortly after West’s 81st birthday on May 28 but no date has been confirmed for his ceremony.

President Trump recently bestowed the medal upon Tiger Woods, another influential sports star who has done unthinkable things in his sport, much like West.

West will be the seventh basketball figure to receive the award with John Wooden, Bill Russell, Pat Summitt, Dean Smith, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan receiving the medal over the past 15 years or so.

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Congratulations to Jerry West on this accomplishment and hopefully many more to come with the LA Clippers.

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