Jerry West Is the NBA Logo. He Played His Entire Career for the Lakers and Never Won MVP.

# Jerry West Is the NBA Logo. He Played His Entire Career for the Lakers and Never Won MVP. Jerry West is a basketball icon. He’s so iconic, his silhouette is literally the **NBA logo**. But here’s the wild part: the NBA has never officially admitted it’s him. And even crazier? The man who is the face of the league **never won a regular season MVP award**. 🤯 ### The Logo In 1969, the NBA hired brand consultant Alan Siegel to create a logo. Siegel found a photo of Jerry West dribbling and knew he had it. "It was perfect," he said. "It was vertical and it had a sense of movement." The NBA, however, has always been cagey about it, likely to avoid paying West royalties. It wasn’t until 2021 that Commissioner Adam Silver finally said, "it sure looks a lot like him." 😂 West himself was embarrassed by the attention. "I wish that it had never gotten out that I’m the logo," he said in 2017. "If they would want to change it, I wish they would." He was too humble for his own good. ### Mr. Clutch, But No MVP Jerry West was known as "Mr. Clutch" for his ability to hit big shots in big moments. He was a 14-time All-Star, a 10-time All-NBA First Team selection, and a 4-time All-Defensive First Team selection. He played his entire 14-year career with the Lakers. But he never won the regular season MVP. He finished in the top 5 of MVP voting **8 times**, including **4 second-place finishes**. He was always the bridesmaid, never the bride. 😬 He did, however, win the **Finals MVP in 1969**... on the losing team. He’s the only player in NBA history to ever do that. His team lost, but he was so dominant (averaging nearly 38 points per game) that they had to give it to him. That’s how good he was. He finally won a championship in 1972, but the fact that the NBA’s own logo never won a regular season MVP is one of the wildest stats in sports history. 🤷‍♂️ ### Sources & More Reading **1. CBS Sports - "How Jerry West became the NBA's logo"**

The full story of how Alan Siegel created the logo and why the NBA won't admit it's Jerry West.

Read at CBS Sports **2. Medium - "Jerry West Is the Best NBA Player to Never Win the MVP"**

A great article about West's MVP snubs and his place in history.

Read at Medium **3. Wikipedia - "Jerry West"**

A complete rundown of his career stats, awards, and accomplishments.

Read at Wikipedia