A Post Inspired By Socks

I got a present last week from my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces. They gave me socks.

OK, so now you're thinking they must not like me very much. Socks aren't normally a present one brags about. These foot warmers, however, feature a vintage photo of Laker great Jerry West on-court, driving to his left, repeated twice on each sock. They have stripes, too. They look way cool, in a sports nerd sort of way.

I thanked my family for the present, of course, which I truly did like. It also got me to thinking : Why? Why do I have an affinity for these garish stockings featuring a player I never saw play live clad in the uniform of a team I never particularly liked?

At various points in my life, I have shown some fan's animosity for the Lakers. I rooted for the Mavericks in the 1980s, and still contend that Byron Scott shot better against Dallas than anyone else and that Magic Johnson cajoled his way into favorable officiating. Later, Kobe Bryant's legal shenanigans soured me on his L.A. teams. The Lakers' position in the industry and showy image will likely preclude any future embrace of them as plucky underdogs. So maintaining at least a dulled antipathy seems the likely continued relationship between the Lakers and me. But then there's Jerry West. Jerry West is different.

I've never met Jerry West during my career in sports business, so my perspective on him comes strictly as an outsider. But he's the, um, logo. He's the guy they modeled the NBA logo after.⁽¹⁾ The photograph on my footwear looks very similar to the one they used for the design.

That project (the logo, not the hosiery, as far as I know) came toward the end of his playing career. It wasn't done to honor him per se, but it wouldn't damage the mark's credibility if it had been.

The Hall of Fame inducted West in 1980 on the strength of superb offensive statistics (including a career 27 ppg), an impressive defensive acumen, and a reputation for late-game heroics so substantial it earned him the nickname "Mr. Clutch."⁽²⁾ The superb long-range shooter put up his scoring numbers without the benefit of the three-point shot, too.

West played his last game shortly before I turned six, so I didn't get the chance to appreciate his game by watching it. As my elementary-aged self became increasingly sports geeky, however, books like the Lincoln Library of Sports Champions, volume 13 (Traynor to Worsley), helped me understand his greatness.

In addition to multiple professional All-Star selections, the guy also scored 18 in an Olympic Gold Medal Game road win against Italy in 1960.⁽³⁾ He won a high school state title, earned top player honors in an NCAA championship game (albeit in a losing effort) and eventually won an NBA title as well. I kind of think that if I had watched the league in the 1960s, I might have actually rooted for the Lakers as the relative little guys battled the Celtics dynasty (although my parents did like the Celts). West tried his best to get his team some rings. In the 1965 playoffs, he averaged 40 points a game, but the Celtics won the championship series in five games.⁽⁴⁾ I can see myself embracing those sorts of doomed heroics.

As surpassing a player as he became, West's shooting and defending alone don't make him sock-worthy. As I grew up and worked in team front offices, I came to appreciate the difficulty my colleagues in player acquisition faced in putting together winning squads. I also saw that not all players fully grasp the nuances of franchise management.

West stayed in basketball after his on-court years. He coached the Lakers for three seasons, posting winning records in each. He then moved into the front office to help build the Showtime dynasty, and, most impressively, the Bryant/O'Neal powerhouse team. As General Manager, West brilliantly figured out a way to free up the cap room to sign one future Hall-of-Famer⁽⁵⁾ while projecting another's potential as a high schooler.⁽⁶⁾ Like the Lakers or hate them, those were brilliant basketball moves. He later improved a going-nowhere Memphis team, too. The great player made the transition to great manager better than perhaps anyone has ever done it. If you reopened the job of league logo model today, the humble West probably wouldn't apply. But if he did, the addition of his non-playing credentials to the ones he garnered wearing sweatsocks moves his resume to the top of the stack.

Jerry West's record as a Hall-of-Fame caliber executive cements my willingness to wear his likeness on my feet, and indeed, I need to do some research. Maybe these exist as part of a set. If so, I really want the executive version showing West in a suit trading for cap room to sign Shaq or expertly evaluating a Gasol. Note to the family : I do have a birthday coming up.

* Note to any members of the Lakers organization reading this : whatever I thought of the Lakers in the past means nothing if you need some creative services work done. I love my clients and will endeavor to help you entertain fans and win more rings to the best of my ability. Also, I will buy more socks at your gift shop.

Rush Olson has spent two decades directing creative efforts for sports teams and broadcasters. He currently creates ad campaigns and related creative projects for sports entities through his company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports.

RushOlson.com

Linkedin.com/company/rush-olson-creative-&-sports

Facebook.com/RushOlsonCreativeandSports

Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ “The story of the NBA logo,” Logo Design Love. http://www.logodesignlove.com/nba-logo-jerry-west (accessed April 18, 2014)

⁽²⁾ “Jerry A. West,” Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/jerry-a-west (accessed April 18, 2014)

⁽³⁾ “Jerry West,” Sports Reference/Olympic Sports. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/we/jerry-west-1.html (accessed April 18, 2014)

⁽⁴⁾ “Jerry West 1964-65 Game Log,” Basketball Reference. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/westje01/gamelog/1965/ (accessed April 18, 2014)

⁽⁵⁾ Mark Medina, “Jerry West recalls struggles in acquiring Shaquille O'Neal,” Los Angeles Times.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/19/sports/la-sp-ln-la-jerry-west-recalls-struggles-in-acquiring-shaquille-oneal-20120719 (accessed April 18, 2014)

⁽⁶⁾ Lance Pugmire, “Q&A: Lakers great Jerry West reveals strained relationships,” Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/16/sports/la-sp-pugmire-qa-20111017 (accessed April 18, 2014)