![Jerry West](https://dl.bookem.ir/covers/ISBN13/9780345519269.jpg)
Jerry West
The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon
کتاب های مرتبط
- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
![Publisher's Weekly](https://images.contentreserve.com/pw_logo.png)
February 22, 2010
Going beyond the facade of the multifaceted NBA legend, Lazenby, a professor of journalism at Virginia Tech (The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers
), examines West, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960 to 1974. From the frail kid from West Virginia coal country through his rebellious youthful hoopster to the crowning of a pro sports icon, this entertaining biography explicates how West, a shy, introverted perfectionist, emerged as a fabled college star with the West Virginia Mountaineers, using his patented one-hand jumper, pushing himself with endless drills to change the fate of the pro ball leagues. Lazenby accurately captures the inner man, his quirks, his rituals, his competitiveness when West, “Mr. Clutch,” faces off with Bill Russell's Celtics and Wilt Chamberlain's 76-ers. Even when the topic is life after active duty in pro ball, this book continues as a great example of old school sports bio without tabloid muck, satisfying all fans.
![Kirkus](https://images.contentreserve.com/kirkus_logo.png)
January 1, 2010
In-depth biography of one of the NBA's greatest players and executives.
Decades after the conclusion of Jerry West's career,"Mr. Clutch," the bumpkin-turned-superstar whose graceful silhouette serves as the NBA logo, is still considered one of the best players ever. Despite his star status, he often shunned the spotlight during his career. As Lazenby (Journalism/Virginia Tech Univ.; The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers in the Words of Those Who Lived It, 2005, etc.) peels back the layers of mystique surrounding his historically reticent subject, West is revealed as a peevish perfectionist whose hypercompetitive nature, which provided such an edge on the court, made him a high-strung, obstinate womanizer off it. The author painstakingly recounts West's early years growing up in West Virginia, delving into his family history and focusing in particular on his contentious relationship with his father and similarities to his mother, from whom he derived his stoicism and legendary work ethic. After considerable success in high school, West earned All-American status at West Virginia University before being drafted by the Lakers. His professional career was marked by historic personal success (14-time all-star and Hall of Famer) and agonizing team disappointment—though he won one NBA title, West's Lakers lost in the championship round eight times. A brief stint coaching the Lakers followed, but West ultimately found his post-career niche as a Lakers executive, proving to be an astute judge of talent in constructing multiple championship teams led by the likes of Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant. Lazenby gives short shrift to West's decades of work as a scout and executive, however, and though the author makes a game effort, it's impossible to make West as compelling on paper as he was on the court.
Lakers diehards and hoops historians should give it a shot, but others may pass.
(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
![Library Journal](https://images.contentreserve.com/libraryjournal_logo.png)
May 1, 2010
Prolific Lakers author Lazenby ("The Show: The Inside Story of the Spectacular Los Angeles Lakers in the Words of Those Who Lived It") has crafted the best biography so far published about the compelling and even enigmatic NBA forward/guard/coach/executive Jerry West. Lazenby focuses mainly on West's playing career, including long sections on his high school and college years in his home state of West Virginia. By nature a perfectionist, West struggled with self-doubt throughout his career as a player and executive. Even during times when he was scoring 40 points per game he would still think he was playing poorly. Fans of the Lakers and the NBA in general will enjoy details of West's relationships with competitor Oscar Robertson, teammates Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and favorite recruit Kobe Bryant. One minor complaint: little space is devoted to West's time as general manager for the Memphis Grizzlies after leaving the Lakers. VERDICT Highly recommended for old-school Lakers fans and those who enjoy sports biographies. Any library collecting the history of basketball and/or sports in America should acquire this. (Photographs and index not seen.)Todd Spires, Bradley Univ. Lib., Peoria, IL
Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
![Booklist](https://images.contentreserve.com/booklist_logo.png)
Starred review from February 15, 2010
Jerry West is one of the best five or six basketball players who ever lived. However, his career paralleled the greatest winner in the history of team sports, Bill Russell. Wests Los Angeles Lakers lost to Russells Boston Celtics six times in the NBA finals, lending a Sisyphean context to West's playing career. It was only after Russell retired that West was able to win his single championship as a player. Later, as the Lakers general manager, he was able to build seven championship teams, but as related by Lazenby, longtime NBA writer and author of six previous basketball books, readers will conclude that Wests administrative championships did not compensate for the losses as a player. Lazenby reaches back into Wests hardscrabble West Virginia youth to provide a background for the hypercompetitive athlete to come. He incorporates contemporary interviews with Westand teammates, coaches, and rivalsas well those done through the years into a portrait that will mesmerize basketball fans who remember the man who became the model for the NBAs ubiquitous logo. A thoughtful, serious biography of an athlete both blessed and cursed by talent and a competitive spirit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)
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