Former NBA superstar and longtime executive Jerry West will reportedly be leaving the Warriors after six years with the team to take a role with the Clippers, according to Sports Illustrated.
West has been an executive board member and worked in an advisory role with the Warriors since May of 2011, but rumors had surfaced in recent weeks that he was considering taking a similar position with the Clippers. According to the report from SI’s Jack McCallum, West made his decision over the past couple of weeks, while Golden State was in the midst of winning their second title with him as a member of the organization.
West has been equally, if not more so, successful as an executive in his career than he was as a player. A Hall of Famer on the court, West won an NBA Championship in 1972 with the Lakers. He has since won eight rings, including six as the general manager of the Lakers.
One of West’s most notable impacts on the Warriors in the past few years was his reported insistence on the team keeping Klay Thompson instead of trading him for Kevin Love when Love was made available by the Minnesota Timberwolves. There were likely a multitude of other behind-the-scenes consultations that included West, though, and it’ll be interesting to see both what kind of role he has with the Clippers and whether or not he can get them over the hill they’ve been trying to climb the past few years.