Jerry West To Accept Position With Clippers

Special consultant Jerry West will leave the Warriors for a similar job with the Clippers, reports Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated.

The Hall of Famer spent six years with Golden State, helping the organization build a team that won two titles in the past three years. He also has front office experience with the Lakers and Grizzlies and was twice named Executive of the Year.

“I’ve told myself time and time again that I would get out of the business when I felt I had nothing to contribute,” West told McCallum. “But I just don’t feel that’s the case. I don’t feel like I’m ready to stop. Sometimes I feel ageless.”

West, who recently turned 79, confirmed over the weekend that he received an offer to join the Clippers in an advisory role. Warriors owner Joe Lacob and GM Bob Myers were hoping to convince him to stay with Golden State, but West opted to make the move. Sources tell McCallum that the relationship between West and the Warriors’ ownership group had grown somewhat strained, though West declined to comment on that, calling the team’s owners “top-notch.”

The veteran executive returns to Los Angeles, where he was a legendary player then later built two dominant teams — the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s and the Shaquille O’NealKobe Bryant version at the turn of the century. According to reports (Twitter links), West had interest in returning to the Lakers this summer, but that interest wasn’t reciprocated.

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