Jerry West leaving Warriors to join Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have successfully lured "The Logo" away from the newly crowned NBA champions.
Jerry West is leaving his role as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors to join the Clippers in a similar capacity, according to Sports Illustrated's Jack McCallum and ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.
The decision was reportedly made over the last couple of weeks.
West is yet to sign a contract with the Clippers, but said his decision to leave Golden State was "one of the saddest nights of my life," citing the tremendous respect he has for the organization.
"I don't feel old, I feel really competitive," West told Shelburne. "Sometimes you need to be challenged. I've kind of been defiant my whole life."
The 79-year-old had been with the Warriors since 2011, coming aboard as an executive board member and adviser. His contract was set to expire shortly after these past Finals.
Jerry West on the Clippers: "I’m very intrigued. This owner, [Steve Ballmer] is a winner and he wants to win."
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 15, 2017
West is no stranger to the Los Angeles area, although his past success came with the Lakers, not the Clippers. He won a championship as a player in 1972 and is credited as being the architect behind some of the greatest teams in franchise history as both a general manager and president of basketball operations.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob had previously been optimistic that West would remain in the Bay Area, but said he respects the decision to leave.
"Jerry has been an incredible asset to our organization," Lacob said in a statement, via USA Today's Sam Amick. "He's one of the most respected and successful executives in the history of the league and he certainly solidified that reputation during his time with the Warriors. We would have loved for him to remain with our franchise moving forward and conveyed that to him in recent weeks, but we respect his decision. He's earned that right."