Jerry West was even greater as an executive than a player. Helped orchestrate the Showtime Lakers, Shaq & Kobe Lakers, Memphis had their first 50 win season when he was an executive for them, & helped put together the Golden State powerhouse in the 2010's
to be fair he was a greater player than executive he went to 9 finals averaged 30 4 times while also leading the league in points and assist. First NBA Finals MVP ever and on losing team the logo was legendary player
@@khaitranngoc4176 The Godfather has kept my team relevant ever since he came to Miami in '95. They have as many finals appearances than losing seasons since Pat got there
This is why I miss the TNT NBA Open Court shows they were doing. I think they stopped in 2016 or so? I loved them. Group of players chatting about the game
The Pistons didn't need a guard as they had Billups and Hamilton in his prime, so why would they have drafted Wade? Carmelo Anthony would have made them worse. It was prescient of the GM to avoid him.
Jerry west is a top 5 SG irregardless of era..his intensity is still felt thru his interviews. Him and Rick Barry always give unfiltered and unbridled interviews as well as perspectives
@@JonSnowsGhost see I don’t know if Melo as a ball dominant player would fit into that team’s system. And would he buy into the defense. Honestly all we would hear is if he’s a good player or not in the wrong system. He would have helped against Wade and lebron but even then he’d have to buy in on defense and they’d cook him
@@finnbalor8021 When Billups went to Denver he helped Melo get to the conference finals. And Chauncey was older. And without Sheed or B Wallace. Those three would’ve taught Melo how to be a winner. On that Pistons team he wouldn’t have been a leader. In Denver he was.
Ran camps for high school prospects who went to college then the league and retired while dude still playing at an extremely high level. Jordan my goat but lebron is a one of a kind specimen for sure.
@@Justs99171 ok bro sorry he did not meet your standards youre actually the goat you have all the rights to say things base on your feelings and not on facts
@@laust5868 going to the finals and losing and then jumping ship is not delivering. Delivering would be winning a championship for the team that drafted you ... not leaving, and then returning as a free agent, and recruiting more guys, and then leaving again.
@@laust5868 blatant denials of facts. Lebron was drafted by the Cavs - fact 1. Lebron carried the Cavs to the finals and lost - fact 2. Then Lebron left the Cavs to go to Miami - fact 3. So how is that delivering? Coming back to the Cavs after delivering a championship to another city is delivering?
jerry west is looking a little frail, I hope he's okay. living legend. we owe him a lot for what he has done to the game of basketball. also a great human being who has dealt with a lot of tragedy in his life.
Cavs - Lebron Magic - Shaq Knicks - Ewing NO - AD Spurs - Vic Those #1 picks were going to those teams no matter what. Those were the times you can say that the NBA knew what they were doing.
@@davidmontgomery1442 they just lost cp3 and needed a major attraction for the new buyer. David Stern was adamant about not moving the team out of NOLA despite years of struggles and low attendance, George Shinn was losing money and wanted to get out but prospective buyers all wanted to move the team and the league wasn’t going to sign off on that
@@davidmontgomery1442 It’s what David Stern wanted, this is well documented. The league took over ownership and coordinated finding a new ownership group. What are you not understanding?
I'd be interested to know who West would've taken had he kept the #2 pick. His remark about Wade seems to imply that would've been the choice, but I'd love to hear his analysis of Wade vs. Melo vs. Bosh as draft prospects. I think we can safely assume he would not have picked Darko.
I think you're right. West is a guard he's always going to be biased towards guards and see potential in guards because he was one. HE also has claimed Jordan is the best player he's ever seen. And you only have to watch a few minutes of Wade footage to see that he played exactly like 80s Jordan. Just all over the court.
@@TjayK2 i think West would have taken Wade though, but you are right, everyone thought Melo was going second except for a select few who claimed Darko was better. We need to refind the old Darko is better articles.
The Grizzlies had another draft pick. The 13rd pick not shown in this video belonged to them and it was Rockets' pick traded back in 1999, which was the Steve Francis trade. That pick became Marcus Banks. The Grizzlies traded Banks and Perkins for Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones. Bell played only 6 games, Dahntay Jones earned a bad reputation by injuring Kobe. They could have drafted David West or Boris Diaw. But without LeBron, Grizzlies made playoffs 3 times and didn't win a single game. They needed another reboot to win their first playoff game and series, in 2011.
Imagine taking over the GM spot right after the previous one messed it up big time. Really unfortunate for Memphis and also, I feel like LeBron would've won a title with Memphis sooner than with Cleveland because the Cavs back then had no idea how to build around LeBron
Wow, imagine Memphis with Lebron, Pau Gasol, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, James Posey, Mike Miller, Bonzie Wells. And coached by Hubie Brown Surprisingly, Memphis won 50 games the 2003-2004 season and made the postseason. Imagine if they had Lebron there as well. Thats 60 wins right there.
100% agree also I think if they draft Kyrie in 2009 Lebron might of never left Cleveland. Guy was there for 9 years and they never got him 1 good free agent
I really love the hot air balloon moment. Vegas Balloon Rides is really a good pick here. Pretty cool company, their owner is a french guy like Wembanyama. Crazy how it all loop back to this draft man.
IF Lebron was drafted by Memphis with Jerry West, that would have been huge for Lebron's career, I bet that he will be in that franchise forever with the track record of Jerry being what he is, I'm sure he and the Memphis would have done a better job at recruiting and surrounding Lebron with pieces around him that would have made him a champion.
If the Grizz got LeBron, they would have been another small market power. Here's another WI, though? What if the Grizz moved to St. Louis (almost happened, but the prospective owner's intentions were found out) in 2001, and ended up getting LeBron in the 2003 lottery? If LeBron goes to St. Louis, that may improve their sports mojo so much that maybe even the Rams stay, and the Grizzlies win titles with LeBron, Pau, Battier, White Chocolate, etc...
I still can't believe that Joe Dumars watched the National Semi-Finals (Final Four) and the National Championship game and said I'm going to take Darko over Carmelo Anthony.
Because Darko at the time would put up 40 plus in some games against very experienced Serbian pros. He was am extremely promising player but not straight in the head
Would the GOAT conversation be settled if LeBron had an actual competent front office in his developing years? They'd have been serious championship contenders from 2004-2005 just on the strength of Pau and LeBron at 24 and 20 years old. It's insane to think about. The whole NBA landscape would be so different. We know from Pau's time with Kobe that he wanted to win and could take a backseat in service of winning. I can't imagine this duo would have been broken up easily. What a crazy alternate timeline.
Just so happen Lebron was from Ohio, if he was from any other state maybe Memphis would have got it but ain’t no way David stern was not letting Cleveland get the #1 pick the story was too good, as a Detroiter we fumbled the pick anyway 🤦🏿♂️
I would love to ask Jerry West that if the 1 and 2 had gotten reversed, knowing how much LeBron would have meant to Gund and Cleveland, if he would have traded it to them for the #2 and say Drew Gooden or Boozer. The world will never know, but man this was crazy.
Not sure how true this is but I remember reading a story years ago where it was stated that the representatives of each team know the results before it is presented on TV. They all sit in a room with the assistant comissioner so they know the legitimacy of the results. Once the results are in, they all prep for the networks to show the world the results but the representattives are not allowed to tell anyone the results. So for about an hour or so there are less than 20 people worldwide who know the results of the lottery. That's why you hardly see any reaction from the representatives and the few that react is because they are all told to act like they are just finding out.
I could watch a Jerry West narrated story for a whole day about his life as a player and as a gm
Hes the best logo in sports. Truly a legend of the NBA, and we should celebrate his greatness and give him his flowers while hes still alive!
amen
Jerry West was even greater as an executive than a player. Helped orchestrate the Showtime Lakers, Shaq & Kobe Lakers, Memphis had their first 50 win season when he was an executive for them, & helped put together the Golden State powerhouse in the 2010's
And now working for the Clippers and helped orchestrate them getting Kawhi and PG13.
to be fair he was a greater player than executive he went to 9 finals averaged 30 4 times while also leading the league in points and assist. First NBA Finals MVP ever and on losing team the logo was legendary player
Pound for pound, maybe the greatest NBA Employees of All Time, though his old Lakers pal Pat Riley runs him close.
@@khaitranngoc4176 The Godfather has kept my team relevant ever since he came to Miami in '95. They have as many finals appearances than losing seasons since Pat got there
@@LaTrey_95 tbf, if ol' Pat was better as a player, maybe he would have been equal to Logo.
We need more stories like these
This is why I miss the TNT NBA Open Court shows they were doing. I think they stopped in 2016 or so? I loved them. Group of players chatting about the game
jerry has been on tv more often and I love it never u will have somebody this famous, good and one of the smartest mind in basketball.
Always loved Jerry West, but also love hearing the perspective from the side that lost.
the crazy part detroit used the 2nd pick for darko instead of mello, bosh, or wade.
No thanks to chad ford
If darko went to memphis and be under Pau... what if
The Pistons didn't need a guard as they had Billups and Hamilton in his prime, so why would they have drafted Wade? Carmelo Anthony would have made them worse. It was prescient of the GM to avoid him.
@@RobbieStacks90 pick the best player available. They had sheed and ben wallace also.
@@wkdlama SHEED CAME MIDWAY IN THE 2003-2004 SEASON.
Crazy story. I remember watching that as a kid and not understanding why Memphis was just gone from the draft after they got 2.
Who's the number 2 pick in 2003
@Johnny Natural crazy how both Memphis & Detroit both dropped the ball in this draft.
The most amazing thing about this is that Jerry STILL found a way to turn Memphis around despite the heartbreaker. He is the greatest.
What a story from a GM perspective that’s very unfortunate for the grizzlies
No way Cavs would ever lose that draft lottery, if you know what I mean
Draft lottery is everything but luck 😉
Absolutely. It would have been better if he didn't get edited.
@@sonik6892 it is rigged
For all of the young and uneducated NBA fans out there this man Jerry West is one of the 🐐 and also the NBA Logo. 😎.
Why are you so obsessed seeing men play with a ball?
@@goodnightmunchie excuse me,??
@@Allmenshouldrespectallwomenbecause its fun to watch sports, people hunt, cook, clean, watch or play anything for fun, its human
@@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen because we can all get together and cheer for the same thing like we're family. Great way to bond with ppl
@@goodnightmunchie you sound like one of those ignorant individuals who goes to school with 20 other ppl and has only dated 2 of your cousins
Jerry west is a top 5 SG irregardless of era..his intensity is still felt thru his interviews. Him and Rick Barry always give unfiltered and unbridled interviews as well as perspectives
They should do “2003 through Joe Dumars eyes”. He needed Lasik. 😂
Yes! I've been wanting to hear that for the longest 😅
He won the title the next year. And no Larry Brown wasn’t gonna use Melo right 😂
@@finnbalor8021 They did win the next year. But they could’ve won a few more if Melo had been on that team.
@@JonSnowsGhost see I don’t know if Melo as a ball dominant player would fit into that team’s system. And would he buy into the defense. Honestly all we would hear is if he’s a good player or not in the wrong system. He would have helped against Wade and lebron but even then he’d have to buy in on defense and they’d cook him
@@finnbalor8021 When Billups went to Denver he helped Melo get to the conference finals. And Chauncey was older. And without Sheed or B Wallace. Those three would’ve taught Melo how to be a winner. On that Pistons team he wouldn’t have been a leader. In Denver he was.
Drafted 2003 and still one of the best in 2023 without any signs of retiring(yeah I know he said hes considering but thats a cap lol). Unbelievable
Ran camps for high school prospects who went to college then the league and retired while dude still playing at an extremely high level. Jordan my goat but lebron is a one of a kind specimen for sure.
Rest in peace, the Logo
how is he dead he did this video
bron came in the league out of high school with the weight of the world's expectations on his shoulders and delivered.
He definitely did NOT deliver
@@Justs99171 ok bro sorry he did not meet your standards youre actually the goat you have all the rights to say things base on your feelings and not on facts
@@laust5868 going to the finals and losing and then jumping ship is not delivering. Delivering would be winning a championship for the team that drafted you ... not leaving, and then returning as a free agent, and recruiting more guys, and then leaving again.
@@Justs99171 youre so wrong but i wont elaborate, you can do your own research instead of hating over your lack of information.
@@laust5868 blatant denials of facts. Lebron was drafted by the Cavs - fact 1. Lebron carried the Cavs to the finals and lost - fact 2. Then Lebron left the Cavs to go to Miami - fact 3. So how is that delivering? Coming back to the Cavs after delivering a championship to another city is delivering?
So the Logo brought a goat 🐐 to the draft of the 🐐 goat. Seems poetic 😂
jerry west is looking a little frail, I hope he's okay. living legend. we owe him a lot for what he has done to the game of basketball. also a great human being who has dealt with a lot of tragedy in his life.
He is 85 years old
He's a corpse
@@patrick553 more sharper than you tho.
I think he looks quite good for his age. Unfortunately, no one lives forever.
@@kinggambino3698 Wrong
Cavs - Lebron
Magic - Shaq
Knicks - Ewing
NO - AD
Spurs - Vic
Those #1 picks were going to those teams no matter what. Those were the times you can say that the NBA knew what they were doing.
I would say Zion to NO
@@davidmontgomery1442 they just lost cp3 and needed a major attraction for the new buyer. David Stern was adamant about not moving the team out of NOLA despite years of struggles and low attendance, George Shinn was losing money and wanted to get out but prospective buyers all wanted to move the team and the league wasn’t going to sign off on that
@@davidmontgomery1442 It’s what David Stern wanted, this is well documented. The league took over ownership and coordinated finding a new ownership group. What are you not understanding?
Dwight as well
I'd be interested to know who West would've taken had he kept the #2 pick. His remark about Wade seems to imply that would've been the choice, but I'd love to hear his analysis of Wade vs. Melo vs. Bosh as draft prospects. I think we can safely assume he would not have picked Darko.
I think you're right. West is a guard he's always going to be biased towards guards and see potential in guards because he was one. HE also has claimed Jordan is the best player he's ever seen. And you only have to watch a few minutes of Wade footage to see that he played exactly like 80s Jordan. Just all over the court.
Nobody would’ve taken Wade over Melo.
Melo just came off a natty.
@@TjayK2 i think West would have taken Wade though, but you are right, everyone thought Melo was going second except for a select few who claimed Darko was better. We need to refind the old Darko is better articles.
They had gasol battier wright and williams maybe posey..I think they take wade...not bosh..melo maybe...but they needed a sg
One of the biggest what ifs.... right after if Jordan would've been picked by Portland
The Grizzlies had another draft pick. The 13rd pick not shown in this video belonged to them and it was Rockets' pick traded back in 1999, which was the Steve Francis trade. That pick became Marcus Banks. The Grizzlies traded Banks and Perkins for Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones. Bell played only 6 games, Dahntay Jones earned a bad reputation by injuring Kobe. They could have drafted David West or Boris Diaw. But without LeBron, Grizzlies made playoffs 3 times and didn't win a single game. They needed another reboot to win their first playoff game and series, in 2011.
Imagine taking over the GM spot right after the previous one messed it up big time.
Really unfortunate for Memphis and also, I feel like LeBron would've won a title with Memphis sooner than with Cleveland because the Cavs back then had no idea how to build around LeBron
Wow, imagine Memphis with Lebron, Pau Gasol, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, James Posey, Mike Miller, Bonzie Wells. And coached by Hubie Brown
Surprisingly, Memphis won 50 games the 2003-2004 season and made the postseason. Imagine if they had Lebron there as well. Thats 60 wins right there.
85 and still sharp as a tack.
why wouldn't he be?
Shout out Jerry West 💕
To watch those bron clips in hs n see he’s a billionaire while still an active player that’s amazing idc what nobody say
Sad part is the Grizz won 50 games the next year imagine how many titles he and Pau win.
Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
The hilarity of all of that just for Detroit to get Darko
My favorite NBA Legend. He keeps it real 😂
The amount of Finals he lost is incredible. Idk how the tf he dealt with it. There is no modern parallel.
The greatest GM in nba history. No doubt about it.
He’s looking, moving, and sounding GREAT!
He’s mad chill
Lebron probably has a better start to his career if he is in Memphis. Memphis was a better team and had better pieces to start.
100% agree also I think if they draft Kyrie in 2009 Lebron might of never left Cleveland. Guy was there for 9 years and they never got him 1 good free agent
Memphis even won 50 games the next year
LeBron, Pau Gasol, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and Jason Williams.
That was the team.
Jesus christ, they can win it all.
Just imagine if Memphis got the pick, with Gasol that team would have been special
Imagine LeBron being drafted by a competent team builder like a Jerry West. Talk about changing the course of history.
At that time they have gasol and jason williams i think. He could have won more championship if he went to grizz.
Zeke from cabin creek! Still got it!
“And now the real winners” as he pulls out the last 3 names. Meanwhile the other teams not realizing how good D-Wade was gonna be.
Really well produced content
Thank you for this video
Thanks to you Jerry my childhood is full of championships and parades 😮
Thanks to him mine wasn't. So just stop
@@jude3180 No, you didn't deserve it
I really love the hot air balloon moment. Vegas Balloon Rides is really a good pick here. Pretty cool company, their owner is a french guy like Wembanyama. Crazy how it all loop back to this draft man.
No way they thought NBA wouldn't fix the draft so that LeBron goes to his hometown team 😂😂 I guess that's what desperation does to people.
This was my thought while watching it, Memphis got the first pick, but they have to swap it for Cleveland.
NBA did rigged it...😒
The NBA doesn't fix drafts or rig games. Only small brain people think that
@@Jetsua02how come the memphis got the 1st pick? Lol
@@GreaterSociety yeah... ok
Gotta Love The Logo 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿
The goat story remind me of the Chicago Cubs 😂😂😂😂
From Podcast P to this video, he looks much more different. Love his humor :)
Jerry’s amazing
4:54 He looked disappointed but little did Caron know, being #5 was going to turn the franchise around completely.
IF Lebron was drafted by Memphis with Jerry West, that would have been huge for Lebron's career, I bet that he will be in that franchise forever with the track record of Jerry being what he is, I'm sure he and the Memphis would have done a better job at recruiting and surrounding Lebron with pieces around him that would have made him a champion.
Yes indeed
He earn his logo,he have to be the logo dead or alive forever.The game owe him that much.
He's openly said he doesn't want to be the logo anymore. Ave suggested Kobe. If the logo nominates another logo then it's only right to honor that
the wnba is demanding the logo to be a woman. with giant fake eyelashes.
@@LordZevv its not his say...
I need more of these ❤
I just was watching this, this week.
The greatest basketball person ever. And then after that it's Larry Bird.
God Bless the logo, masterclass all the way
GOAT GM
can't tell me this wasn't rigged.
What's crazy was Detroit messed up too
Great story
If the Grizz got LeBron, they would have been another small market power.
Here's another WI, though? What if the Grizz moved to St. Louis (almost happened, but the prospective owner's intentions were found out) in 2001, and ended up getting LeBron in the 2003 lottery?
If LeBron goes to St. Louis, that may improve their sports mojo so much that maybe even the Rams stay, and the Grizzlies win titles with LeBron, Pau, Battier, White Chocolate, etc...
I love the Logo
Lebron still in the nba...what a time..mj was still playing that year same for stockton pippen malone
how is he dead he did this video
Imagine Lebron mentored by Jerry West. Would've won even more chips.
Jerry would have had him in MVP form by 2005. Both ends of the floor. The story would literally shift overnight from Shaq and Kobe, to LeBron and Pau.
6:36 that's greatness right there
David Stern wasn’t going to pass up on the opportunity for Lebron to be drafted by anyone else. It was just too good of a storyline…
I still can't believe that Joe Dumars watched the National Semi-Finals (Final Four) and the National Championship game and said I'm going to take Darko over Carmelo Anthony.
Melo wouldve had a ring lol
Because Darko at the time would put up 40 plus in some games against very experienced Serbian pros. He was am extremely promising player but not straight in the head
@@vladimirmihajlovic2485 🤣🤣🤣
Maybe the greatest NBA employees of all time (players/coaches/execs)
The Logo of the League is still alive
Imagine if Memphis actually got Lebron.
Lebron+Pau in the 2000s and 2010+ could have actually won some chips.
Would the GOAT conversation be settled if LeBron had an actual competent front office in his developing years? They'd have been serious championship contenders from 2004-2005 just on the strength of Pau and LeBron at 24 and 20 years old. It's insane to think about. The whole NBA landscape would be so different.
We know from Pau's time with Kobe that he wanted to win and could take a backseat in service of winning. I can't imagine this duo would have been broken up easily.
What a crazy alternate timeline.
Legend
There he is!
Why are we censoring stuff on youtube it's getting ridiculous
Without Jerry West, we would have lost the Splash Brothers, Warriors were so close to trading Klay for Kevin Love.
Such a fascinating look into the mind of a basketball genius
Just so happen Lebron was from Ohio, if he was from any other state maybe Memphis would have got it but ain’t no way David stern was not letting Cleveland get the #1 pick the story was too good, as a Detroiter we fumbled the pick anyway 🤦🏿♂️
the GOAT Jerry West and Maynard the lucky goat. 😂
Jerry knew the League had already set CLE to get Bron.
I would love to ask Jerry West that if the 1 and 2 had gotten reversed, knowing how much LeBron would have meant to Gund and Cleveland, if he would have traded it to them for the #2 and say Drew Gooden or Boozer.
The world will never know, but man this was crazy.
Anyone that doesn’t think the nba is corrupt is foolish. It’s just like wrestling.
Sit down children class is in session. Mr. West proceed.
Wow brutal trade
Great man great job 👏🏼 👍🏾 my ke safe ☘️🌿💙💙
Great story 🇺🇸🌄🆗️💙💙
LeBron James & Pau Gasol in his prime...
For such an amazing man, he’s looking rough!
I’m speechless 😂😂😂😂
Another painful moment in West’s career.
nah the end was HILARIOUS 😂
The Logo!
Lebron should’ve been in Memphis is crazy 😂
Well that’s the goat of 2003
That's a big what if in NBA history having Pau and Bron on Memphis
Luka was winning big man leagues at highschool age. Most underrated draft pick after Jokic
Not sure how true this is but I remember reading a story years ago where it was stated that the representatives of each team know the results before it is presented on TV. They all sit in a room with the assistant comissioner so they know the legitimacy of the results. Once the results are in, they all prep for the networks to show the world the results but the representattives are not allowed to tell anyone the results. So for about an hour or so there are less than 20 people worldwide who know the results of the lottery. That's why you hardly see any reaction from the representatives and the few that react is because they are all told to act like they are just finding out.
awesome video
And the Detroit Pistons with the 2nd pick of that legendary draft selected.. Darko Milicic😂
Caron Butler looking upset even though landing 5th got them DWade & in twist of fortune, LeBron a few years later!
Lakers great Jerry West
Wow this is an awesome what if Jerry could of managed another once in a life time player.
Caron Butler disappointed not knowing they ended up getting Wade lol