However, West\u2019s journey with the Lakers was far from over as he first served as the team\u2019s head coach for a brief three-year stint and later assumed the role of general manager in 1982.<\/p>\n
The Lakers enjoyed phenomenal success<\/a> during West\u2019s 18-year stint as the team\u2019s GM. But there were a few hiccups along the way as well<\/a>, especially in 1996.<\/p>\n Although West\u2019s official tenure as an executive ended in 2007 with the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a>, the NBA legend returned to the league in 2011 as a consultant for the Golden State Warriors<\/a>.<\/p>\n But what was the reason behind not taking the general manager role with the Dubs?<\/a> Well, he wanted to avoid landing in the hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I were handling the day-to-day thing here, with the way this year is going and some of the games we\u2019ve lost, I\u2019d probably be in the hospital again, to be honest with you,\u201d West said in a SLAM Magazine interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t like to lose. Before the season starts you look at your team and say, \u2018How many games can we win?\u2019 To me, that is kind of a checks and balances system for executives and you\u2019re basing that estimate on reasonably good health,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n West was referencing the time he landed in the hospital in 1996 after negotiating contract deals with Kobe Bryant<\/a> and Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/a>.<\/p>\n What Jerry West absolutely hated<\/p>\n Even though West was in his 70s when he took on the advisory role on the Warriors, the NBA legend\u2019s competitive spirit was still alive.<\/p>\n It was evident from his answer to what he hated the most during his short tenure with the Warriors during the 2010s.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we have a bad loss, I still don\u2019t sleep. It drives me crazy to this day because you see one or two little plays that are made in the course of a game that you wish could be undone,\u201d West revealed. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a fast game, but in the heart of the game, great players make plays that win games for you. More importantly, they make the right plays, and at times we don\u2019t do that,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n![\"Golden](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-468251444-1-852x627.jpg\")
Photo by Stephen Dunn\/Getty Images1996 health concern led to Jerry West not taking a GM role with Golden State Warriors<\/p>\n