Who were your heroes growing up?
I had so many.
In baseball, I loved Sandy Koufax, Brooks Robinson, and Willie Mays.
In football, it was Johnny Unitas and Lance Alworth.
And in basketball, it was Jerry West. Number 44 of the Los Angeles Lakers. Their All-Star guard who was nicknamed Mr. Clutch.
West could do anything on a basketball floor.
In 1969, a man from my church took my brother and me to 13 Laker games at The Forum, including all four games in the Finals against the hated Boston Celtics.
Jerry West scored 53 points in Game 1, and although plagued by a hamstring problem, he scored 42 in Game 7. He was named the MVP of the Finals, the only player ever so named from a losing team.
When he came off the court after Game 7, the great John Havlicek of the Celtics told West, “I love you and I just hope you get a championship. You deserve it as much as anyone who has ever played this game.”
The great Bill Russell – the second greatest player of all time – told West at a night held in his honor two years later, “If I could have one wish granted, it would be that you would always be happy.”
That’s how his opponents felt about the guy.
Last year, I worked my way through Roland Lazenby’s Jerry West: The Life and Legend of a Basketball Icon.
This past Tuesday, West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life, his psychological autobiography, was released to the public. I had to have it.
What a book!
It’s a glimpse into the mind and heart of a champion, but also an honest portrayal of why West is such a complex person.
West talks about the beatings he received from his father as a child – for no reason at all. (West kept a shotgun under his bed and told his father that he’d use it if he had to.)
Because hanging around the house was so unpleasant, West found solace in a variety of solitary outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing – and shooting hoops.
Jerry West worshiped his older brother David. David planned to study for the ministry and become “a man of God.”
But when David was killed in the Korean War, life in the West household changed forever.
Despite the heartaches, West eventually became one of the greatest athletes in West Virginia history. He became a first-team All-American, won the gold medal in basketball (along with Oscar Robertson) in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, and went on to establish an incredible 14-year career in the National Basketball Association.
I got his autograph on several occasions. He once appeared at the Broadway Department store near my home. Hardly anybody showed up to meet him or obtain his signature (they weren’t worth much then) – so I got signed pictures for many of my friends.
When my wife was pregnant with our first child, we didn’t know what to name him if he was a boy. (We didn’t want to know the sex.) One month before his birth, I noticed in the LA Times that Jerry West had named his new son Ryan Andrew.
And that’s what we named our son.
West was so good that his silhouette is on the NBA Logo. In Bill Simmons’ The Book of Basketball – published in 2009 – Simmons rates West the 8th greatest player of all-time, ahead of immortals like Oscar Robertson and Kobe Bryant.
Jerry West is now 73 years old. He serves as a consultant with the Golden State Warriors, having left the Lakers after spending four decades with the organization.
And yet with all his accomplishments, West has never truly been happy.
He talks openly in the book about how much he hated losing to the Celtics (6 times in the Finals in the 1960s) and how that led to a divorce, how he’s never learned to swim, how he hates the limelight, how he’s spent years battling depression – and how tough it is being a perfectionist.
I always hoped that Jerry West was a Christ-follower, yet there isn’t any evidence to support my wish.
But I have to admire his honesty.
I’ve been seeing some TV commericals recently featuring happy people who finally say, “I’m So-and-So, and I’m a Mormon.”
Translation: if you become a Mormon, you can become happy like me.
(If I became a Mormon, I’d have to commit intellectual suicide, so that’s not an option.)
Mormons come off to me as image conscious. In my opinion, they’re not very good at being real.
They’re too busy trying to be perfect.
We Christians are anything but perfect. We not only have weaknesses, but we sin. That’s why we need Jesus – and why only Jesus will do.
In fact, sometimes we struggle with sins for years. And sometimes we struggle with our humanity, too – just like Jerry West.
I resonate with people who are honest, which is why I love West’s book.
I’m drawn to honest people, even if they’re deeply flawed. It’s why I love the Psalms so much.
I can’t relate to seemingly perfect televangelists who cultivate an antiseptic image so they can keep the donations flowing.
But I definitely connect with people who are real.
Thank you, Jerry, for letting me know I’m not the only person who struggles with certain issues.
I just wish I knew more Christians who are like you.
Restoring Kingdom Builders 
Jerry West was interviewed on KNBR recently when he took the job with the Warriors. He talked about his then soon to be released book and his life. He talked about some of the things you mentioned. There was no doubt that he was greatly admired by every single person at that radio station, and everyone knew he was the best thing that could have happened to the Warriors. The guys who interviewed him (I think it was The Razor and Mr. T.) were also sad for him and what he has been through. But some of the people who called in to the show after Jerry West left were incredulous-they just could not understand how someone who has had such a “charmed” life could be so unhappy. Those callers just don’t get it. As I read your article and thought back to that interview (and your last blog) I wondered-who was there to take care of Jerry West’s soul?
I’m with you, Jim, on the subject of television preachers. I am especially turned off by the two very famous women who are on Christian television quite often. They have both written books and speak all over the country. One has a private jet. Both always look flawless in their designer clothes and perfect make-up with not a hair out of place. Now, don’t get me wrong-there’s nothing wrong with looking good or even owning a private jet for that matter. I just can’t relate to perfection. As Carrie Underwood expressed in her first hit song, I need Jesus to “take the wheel” in some form or fashion every day.
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For some reason, the Builder generation tried to portray Christian perfection a lot. Many Boomer Christian leaders displayed more authenticity, which is why I’ve always liked Bill Hybels. His authenticity drew people to Willow Creek rather than repulsed them. Gen Xers believe in authenticity even more than Boomers do. Jerry West is a Builder who could only write his book within a Buster ethos. It would have been shocking had he written it 40 years ago. And on the TV preachers … they represent another kind of Christianity, the kind that picks out verses that espouse “positive thinking” and ignore all the warnings of Scripture. May their tribe depart. Thanks for writing, Ce Ce!
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