The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Jerry West about playing for arguably the best amateur basketball team of all-time and winning a gold medal in 1960. Today marks the 3rd anniversary of Golden State winning the 2017 NBA Finals over Cleveland while Jerry was a team executive for the Warriors.
You joined Oscar Robertson and several other future Olympic teammates (Bob Boozer/Burdie Haldorson/Adrian Smith) to win a gold medal with team USA at the 1959 Pan Am Games: how crucial was your experience in 1959 to your success in 1960? I did not think that much about it. Growing up in West Virginia I was deprived of some information but I really admired Oscar in college. The weather that summer in Chicago was stifling and I recall not being able to sleep very well. I was most surprised at how physical the games were. We were 20-21 year-olds thrown together and playing against veteran teams who also wanted to win. Nationalism was pretty high so it was thrilling to win for our country. The gym was like an oven with no air conditioning: I was drenched even before the games started!
You made the Olympic team in 1960 after winning an 8-team tournament as part of the College All-Stars: how did you feel about having some AAU/Armed Forces players on the team rather than some other college stars such as John Havlicek/Lenny Wilkens? The way they assembled the team back then was very different than today. I am unsure why those 2 were not included because I do not know how the selection process went, although many of those AAU teams had very accomplished college players. There had never been a College All-Star team who had won anything so the odds were against us. We had a bunch of truly great players who were committed to winning, and Coach Pete Newell assembled a bunch of different personalities into a great team. I did not score a lot the 1st night and was really despondent but Pete called me and said not to worry because everything would be fine. In the final game I scored around 40 PTS but went back to my hotel room still not knowing if I would make it. When Pete called me to say I made it, at that point of my life it was my proudest moment by far.
What made Pete such a great coach, and what the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He was a defensive coach and for him to let us play the kind of game that would let us do our best was an adjustment for him. It almost forced him to do something that was unnatural for him: he had to change some of his offensive principles.
You and Oscar were co-captains of team USA in 1960: what is the key to being a good leader? Everyone is different but back then I was very quiet and did not say a word so I just led by example. If your best players are playing harder than everyone else then they will certainly drive the rest of the team. The AAU guys were older and their backgrounds were different because they were preparing to have a professional career while we were still just amateurs. It was a thrill to be a co-captain.
What was it like to play with Darrall Imhoff after losing to him and his Cal team in the 1959 NCAA title game (even though you were named tourney MOP)? Darrall was a really nice guy and we both liked to hunt/fish so we had a lot in common: it was part of my childhood. We later had many friends in common while playing together on the Lakers.
You scored a game-high 19 PTS in a win over the Soviet Union: where does 7’3”, 320-pound Soviet center Janis Krumins rank among the biggest opponents you ever faced? They were a HUGE team: it was not just him. If you are quicker and have great anticipation then it is easier to go out there and feel like you have an advantage. It was an unbelievably dirty game: someone hit Walt Bellamy and he got kicked out for retaliating. The teams had 2 different ideologies and there was so much tension in the world so to go out and beat the big bad Russian machine was good, even though we did not play our best game.
You ended up beating Brazil in the final game: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? It was the proudest moment of my life: I never thought that I would have a chance to represent my country or win a gold medal. Growing up I had my dreams/imagination but there was nobody encouraging me. I grew up in a very abusive household where I was the target of it. My will/determination were important to me and nobody around me had accomplished anything like that in my small town where coal mines dominated the area. My work ethic has carried me throughout my life: if I was going to dig a ditch then I would dig it better than anyone else. Hard work is a skill, which is what drove me. The thing I learned early on is what happens if someone wants you bad enough: it was crazy to see how many other schools were interested in me due to my skills.
You won all 8 of your games by an average of 42.4 PPG and your team is considered to be 1 of if not the best amateur basketball teams of all time: did your team just have more talent than everyone else or was there another factor that made your team so dominant? We had better players but it is important to not have duplicate players. We had guys who came off the bench and did different things besides score. We did not play very many minutes: I was lucky to play 22 MPG because we were just murdering teams. Pete was really good at putting people together as a team.
In 2010 the team was inducted into the Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I was also selected as a player in 1980 but it was nice to see the guys who were still alive 50 years after we played in the Olympics. It was a nice way to honor a truly great team. As you get older you have memories: I am a history buff so to go there and see the ancient ruins reminded me how advanced the Roman Empire was with their streets/aqueducts/cobblestones/Colosseum/etc. They were far ahead of the other countries in the world at that time and it was great to be there. I had not really traveled before so it was more than special.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? What I did was a gift/by-product of hard work and my dreams. I cannot control what other people think about me but I hope that they view me as a great teammate, a giver rather than a taker, and someone who truly helped other people. The facilities/rules have changed and I wonder what my career would have been like if I had people back then helping me rather than having to do it all myself. Anticipation is the greatest gift an athlete can have.