The only list as lengthy as Jerry West's accomplishments might be his list of nicknames.
West, the Lakers legend who died Wednesday at the age of 86, earned several monikers during his playing career. "Mr. Clutch." "The Logo." Who could forget "Zeke from Cabin Creek"? And... "Tweety Bird"?
The Hall of Famer had a remarkable career as a player, averaging 27.0 points across 14 seasons and 932 games. He was an All-Star in every season in which he played and earned All-NBA honors in 12 campaigns.
How did he get his various nicknames? Here's what you need to know.
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Jerry West nicknames
The Logo
As a nickname and a legacy, "The Logo" stands out for West. The reason is quite self-explanatory: He inspired the NBA's iconic logo.
No, the NBA has not stated officially West is the silhouette in its logo, for reasons both legal and financial. But the designer of the logo has identified West as the inspiration for the emblem.
Alan Siegel, who created the logo in 1969, took a photograph of West shot by Wen Roberts and used it to create the silhouette image. He considered images of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Havlicek, Tom Gola and others, but a shot of West stood out the most, he said.
"I was attracted to it because it was nice and vertical, and it had him leaning and dribbling," Siegel explained to AndScape in 2017. "Had a little motion to it. I designed eight, nine or 10 different versions, and that turned out to be the most effective."
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West, for his part, felt both pride and embarrassment at being the logo, according to co-author of his autobiography Jonathan Coleman. West did not want to call attention to himself, and he said in many ways, he wished the NBA would change the logo.
"I wish that it had never gotten out that I’m the logo, I really do," West said. “I’ve said it more than once, and it’s flattering if that’s me — and I know it is me — but it is flattering."
Mr. Clutch
One legend bestowed this nickname to another. West was first called Mr. Clutch by Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, according to NBA Communications, as a result of his lights-out shooting in the final minutes of close games.
West always wanted the ball in his hands late in games when the outcome was on the line, as Hearn explained, per The Washington Post.
"He figured he could make any shot in the last five seconds," Hearn told the Press-Enterprise, via the Post. "So many times, I saw him pull up, take a 20-foot jumper and keep running, right toward the locker room, because he knew it was going in."
Indeed, West had many iconic moments that helped him earn the nickname. He hit a half-court shot in Game 3 of the 1970 NBA Finals with seconds left to tie the game against the Knicks, though New York won the game and the series.
West averaged 27.0 points per game in his career, and he did even better in the playoffs, averaging 29.1 points per game. That included averaging 40.6 points per game in the 1964-65 postseason.
Despite the Lakers losing the NBA Finals to the Celtics in 1969, West earned the NBA Finals MVP after he averaged 37.9 points per game in the series. He also had a 42-point, 13-rebound, 12-assist triple-double in Game 7 of the series. West became the first — and to date only — player to win the NBA Finals MVP while playing for the losing team.
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Zeke from Cabin Creek
This one is not nearly as straightforward as the first two. It's also not even correct.
West was from Chelyan, West Virginia, but his family got mail in a town called Cabin Creek. Because of the mail location, it was assumed by many that West was actually from Cabin Creek and not Chelyan, according to the NBA.
What about the Zeke part? Mike Peters reported it was because sportswriters said "Zeke" rhymed with "Cabin Creek." West reportedly did not like the nickname.
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Tweety Bird
West's other notable nickname came to him from a teammate: Elgin Baylor. And like Zeke from Cabin Creek, this one was also perhaps less than flattering.
Baylor called West "Tweety Bird" because of his West Virginia accent, according to Sports Illustrated. Baylor also called him "Louella." West's accent reportedly came out the most when he was gossiping.
"Rumors are safe with you, Tweety Bird," Baylor reportedly told West. "You pass them on, but nobody can understand you."
