Scott Clarke / ESPN Images(LOS ANGELES) — Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West will leave his role as an adviser to the Golden State Warriors and a join Western Conference rival, ESPN reports.
The former Los Angeles Lakers great intends to take on a comparable job with the Los Angeles Clippers. ESPN says West knew on Monday night — when the Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers to earn their second championship in three years — that he would be leaving the team.
Still, he said, it was “one of the saddest nights of my life.”
“I knew I was going to be leaving. I didn’t know what I was going to be leaving to,” he told ESPN. “Was this the end of me being productive? Every person is different in terms of their lives and how people age. I don’t feel old; I feel really competitive.”
Sports Illustrated first reported that West would leave the Warriors to join the Clippers.
West has worked with Golden State for about six years. He told ESPN that he will be “forever grateful they gave me an opportunity to be involved.”
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