Lakers to honor Jerry West with No. 44 band on uniform
The Lakers will honor the late Jerry West on opening night with a ceremony and all season with a band on the left shoulder of their uniforms, the team announced Tuesday.
The purple jersey patch has No. 44 in gold at the center in honor of West, a 14-time All-Star guard known as Mr. Clutch and architect of the Showtime era as a team executive. He died in June at 86.
The Lakers won five NBA championships and reached nine NBA Finals in a 12-year span under West’s direction, with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fortifying the roster.
West helped build the Lakers’ next championship run by acquiring Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal before departing in 2000.
The Lakers will have a formal ceremony to honor West at their season opener on Oct. 22, when they play the Minnesota Timberwolves. West also worked for the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors and Clippers in the two decades before his death.
The Lakers also announced Tuesday that they plan to retire Michael Cooper’s No. 21 jersey on Jan. 13.
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