Mr. Clutch: Jerry West Quiz | NBA Players

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Jerry Alan West was given the nickname of 'Mr. Clutch' because he always scored when the chips were down. What was his other given nickname?

Answer: 'Zeke from Cabin Creek'

Jerry was born on May 28, 1938, in Cheylan, West Virginia, just south of Charleston. He was raised in Cabin Creek. He attended East Bank High School from 1952-1956, and helped win the state championship in his final season. Remaining in West Virginia, he then attended West Virginia University, and won the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 1959.

2. Which team signed West to his first NBA contract?

Answer: Minneapolis Lakers

Jerry was a first round, second overall pick in the 1960 NBA draft, second to the great Oscar Robertson who was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals. West spent his entire playing career of 14 seasons with the Lakers' franchise.

3. Mr. Clutch played in the NBA for 14 seasons. How many times was he selected to the NBA all-star team in his great career?

Answer: 14

Jerry made the all-star team even as a rookie in 1961. He was selected in every season that he played. He was selected to the 1969 all-star team, but did not play due to injuries. He was also voted the 1972 All-Star game MVP.

4. The purple and gold of the Lakers saw Jerry West wear which number throughout his career?

Answer: 44

The number seems to be synonymous with great sports legends. Baseball's Willie McCovey, the great Henry Aaron, and football's Leroy Kelly, to name a few. The other Laker numbers belonged to forward Elgin Baylor (22), guard Gail Goodrich (11), and forward Rudy LaRusso (35).

5. Jerry West's image is silhouetted on which registered trademark?

Answer: NBA official logo

The red, white, and blue, official logo of the NBA, enshrined Jerry West for eternity. The logo is found on licensed apparel and other licensed NBA products.

6. The Lakers have experienced some great basketball players in their franchise history, with greats in the names of George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, just to name a few. When Jerry West retired, where did he rank all-time in points made as a Laker?

Answer: 1

West scored 25,192 points in his incredible career all as a Laker. Over 932 games, he averaged a remarkable 27.0 points. Kareem was a Laker after West, but as a Laker, Abdul-Jabbar still did not score as many Laker points as Jerry did. Wilt 'The Stilt' Chamberlain did play with West on the Lakers at the same time, but Chamberlain also played with other teams in his career, and did not surpass the Lakers' 25,000 point mark. Also at the time of Jerry's retirement in 1974, he was ranked number three in career NBA points behind Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson.

7. How many NBA Championships did Jerry West win throughout his great career?

Answer: 1

Jerry West took the Lakers to the playoffs in every season that he was a player except for the 1971 season. Amazingly, he won only one championship ring. He went to nine finals, and 1972 was his only victorious one when the Lakers defeated the New York Knicks.

This was almost unbelievable with such Laker greats as Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Rudy LaRusso, Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston, and Dick Barnett, just to name a few of Jerry's teammates. However, there were the Boston Celtics to contend with.

8. After retiring in 1974, West tried his hand at coaching. Which team did he coach in his first managerial role?

Answer: Lakers

Not only did he try his hand at it, but in his first coaching season, he had the NBA's best team record in the 1976-77 season. All for not as the Portland Trail Blazers knocked out the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, then went on to win the finals against the 76ers.

9. After coaching in the NBA, Jerry West went to the head office. He held titles as managing consultant, team consultant, head of operations, executive vice president, and general manager. This diverse person helped the Lakers to how many championship series appearances from 1980-1991?

Answer: 9

In this 12 year run, the Lakers were on fire and introduced to the world, 'Showtime', starring Magic Johnson and a host of others. In that run, the Lakers won five of those nine championships.

10. Jerry West was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980. During the ceremony, who did Jerry share the podium with, who was also the first player in history to average a triple-double in a season?

Answer: Oscar Robertson

The others listed were all Hall of Famers. Baylor ( Lakers), Cousy (Celtics), and Pettit (Hawks), were all enshrined before Jerry West. Nicknamed, "Big O", Oscar Robertson, after winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1961, averaged an amazing triple-double in his second season in the NBA with the Cincinnati Royals. Also enshrined with West and Robertson, was a player named Jerry Lucas.

He also played with the Cincinnati Royals and later with the New York Knicks in his career.

Source: Author Nightmare

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Mr. Clutch: Jerry West Trivia Quiz

An all multiple choice quiz about one of the most prolific NBA players in history, Jerry West. I hope that you find some great memories. :-)

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