Clippers to honor the late Jerry West with empty seat and court decal at new arena

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Clippers will honor Jerry West with an empty seat at their new arena and a court decal with the Hall of Famer’s initials this season.

He served as a consultant for the franchise from 2017 until his death in June at age 86.

The team will debut the decal and memorial seat, as well as a video tribute for West, at their season opener on Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns at Intuit Dome.

“Jerry was a lifelong learner and teacher who inspired all of us with his intellect, enthusiasm and love for the game,” team chairman Steve Ballmer said in a statement. ”He gave his whole heart to the NBA. We think about him and we miss him every day.”

The Clippers also left an empty seat for West in their war room during the NBA draft in June.

Earlier this month, West became the first three-time inductee to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame when he was inducted as a contributor, honoring his front office contributions to the Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers also are honoring West this season with a uniform band featuring his No. 44. He played his entire 14-year NBA career with them and was an All-Star every year.

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