Plaschke: Laker legend Jerry West’s final legacy sadly includes estrangement from Lakers

The sadness was compounded by the strangeness.

The announcement of the death of the greatest Laker was made by the Clippers.

“Jerry West, the personification of basketball excellence and a friend to all who knew him, passed away peacefully this morning at the age of 86,” read the Wednesday morning release from the Clippers’ communications department.

The Clippers loved Jerry West, and were loved by him, and he was treated with the utmost dignity and respect during his seven years as their adviser.

But he will forever be a Laker.

He built the Lakers into a Southern California institution as a player. He constructed and nurtured the Lakers’ greatness as a general manager

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