Jerry West, who was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame three times in a storied career as a player and executive and whose silhouette is considered the basis of the NBA logo, died on Wednesday morning, the Los Angeles Clippers announced. He was 86.

West, nicknamed “Mr Clutch” for his late-game exploits as a player, went into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1980 and again as a member of the 1960 US Olympic Team in 2010. He will be enshrined for a third time later this year as a contributor.

As a player, West was one of the sport’s first superstars, leading the Lakers to nine NBA finals appearances. He lost six title series to Bill Russell’s dynastic Celtics but became the only player in league history to be awarded finals MVP on a losing team in 1969. West also hit one of the most famed shots in finals history, a 60-footer at the buzzer of Game 3 of the 1970 series between the Knicks and Lakers to force overtime. He won his lone title as a player with the Lakers in 1972, defeating the Knicks.

“The greatest honor a man can have is the respect and friendship of his peers,” Russell wrote to West in 2011. “You have that more than any man I know. If I could have one wish granted, it would be that you would always be happy.”

West was named to the NBA’s All-Star team 14 times, was an All-NBA selection 12 times and was named to the league’s All-Defensive team five times. He was also selected as part of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team.

After his playing days, West became the most seminal team executive of his era. With the Lakers, he helped construct the “Showtime” dynasty of the 1980s. Among his many highlights as an executive: he drafted Magic Johnson and James Worthy. West was also instrumental in trading for Shaquille O’Neal and acquiring the rights to Kobe Bryant, laying the foundation for the Lakers to win five titles between 2000 and 2010. As the team’s general manager, he was twice named Executive of the Year. He also worked in the front offices of the Memphis Grizzlies, the LA Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.

West joined the Warriors as an adviser in 2011 and was pivotal in opposing a would-be trade of Klay Thompson for Kevin Love in 2014. Thompson formed part of the “Splash Brothers” backcourt where, alongside Steph Curry, he would transform modern basketball – and help the Warriors to four championships. West was also crucial to the franchise recruiting Kevin Durant as a free-agent in 2016.

His basketball life bridged generations: West played with Elgin Baylor, whom he called “the most supportive and the greatest player of that era,” and Wilt Chamberlain. As a coach and executive, he worked with a who’s-who of NBA stars from the last 40 years: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Worthy, O’Neal, Bryant, Curry, Thompson, Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George among them.

Even in the final years of his life, West was considered basketball royalty. He routinely sat courtside at Summer League games in Las Vegas, often watching many games in a day while greeting long lines of players – LeBron James among them – who would approach to shake his hand.

“The game transcends many things,” West said while attending Summer League last year. “The players change, the style of play may change, but the respect that you learn in this game never changes.”

James, on social media, offered his condolences: “Will truly miss our convos my dear friend! My thoughts and prayers goes out to your wonderful family! Forever love Jerry! Rest in Paradise my guy!” the NBA’s all-time scoring leader wrote on Wednesday. “My mentor, My friend! Hopefully I continue to make you proud!”

West was “the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him,” the Clippers said in announcing his death. West’s wife, Karen, was by his side when he died, the Clippers said.

West was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019.

Tributes from across the sports world started quickly after the announcement of West’s death. The Los Angeles Dodgers released a statement calling West “an indelible figure on the Los Angeles sports landscape for more than 60 years,” and the NBA announced a was pregame tribute to West before Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

“Jerry West is one of my favorite people that I had the honor to get to know in the NBA,” Miami Heat managing general partner Micky Arison said. “He welcomed me to the league, offered advice from the first day, and asked nothing in return. He will be missed.”

A native of Chelyan, West Virginia, West was known as a tenacious player who was rarely satisfied with his performance. He grew up shooting at a basket nailed to the side of a shed and often shot until his fingers bled. He became the first high school player in state history to score more than 900 points in a season, averaging 32.2 points in leading East Bank High to a state title.

Basketball, he would later reveal, was his therapy.

In his memoir, West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life, West chronicled a lifelong battle with depression. He wrote that his childhood was devoid of love and filled with anger as a result of an abusive father. He often felt worthless, and to combat that, he said he put his energy into playing the game.

West led West Virginia University – where he is still the all-time leader in scoring average – to the NCAA final in 1959, when the Mountaineers lost by one point to California.

“Success without a personal satisfaction or sacrifice isn’t success at all,” West said during a 2006 speech at a West Virginia commencement. “It’s posturing. Money is a means of power, but seldom a measure of success.”