Jerry West has found another wind as he presides over the LA Clippers’ roster makeover, but the bad taste in his mouth from his last stop still remains.
In a feature by Marc Stein of the New York Times that ran on Sunday, West, who previously served as an executive for the Golden State Warriors from 2011 to 2017, said that he left after feeling that his influence was fading.
“You have to be wanted,” the 79-year-old was quoted as saying. “Leaving the Warriors was probably the most difficult thing for me in my whole life. I didn’t want to leave. You get to the point where maybe you don’t feel as valued, but it’s just something that happened. I hold no malice toward anyone over there.”
The Warriors won two titles during West’s time there, and he was widely credited as an instrumental force in recruiting Kevin Durant to the team. But he left last summer, signing a two-year deal with the rival Clippers to serve in another executive capacity. Owner Steve Ballmer also said in Stein’s feature that the team could go beyond West’s current deal should he desire to do so.
In any case, these latest comments from The Logo come just months after he spoke regrettably about his departure from the Warriors on another occasion.
