With the clock ticking and the eyes of the crowd fixed on him, waiting to witness that split second of victory or defeat, West told West Virginia University's 2008 graduating class that as a child he imagined himself: “Success or failure was in his hands.”
“He couldn't float, he couldn't rely on anybody. He couldn't run. He had no one else to turn to,” he added, acknowledging that watching young kids cheer them on must have been a “strange sight” but it was necessary to reach sports legend status on and off the court.
“I never allowed myself to fail,” West recalled of the game he played in his mind, which became foundational when he became a professional athlete and coach.
West, who died on Wednesday, left behind a legacy as a Hall of Famer, record holder, Los Angeles Lakers coach and player, and powerful executive. Some may recognize West without even realizing it, as his image is widely known as the inspiration for the NBA logo itself.
In his commencement speech, West said it was once said that there are three types of people in the world – fighters, flighters and floaters, and urged all to strive to be fighters by following in the heavy footsteps he had intentionally left behind.
A warrior's life
The former basketball player had a difficult childhood and jumped into basketball to escape his troubles. He says dreaming was the key to his success, chasing those dreams was the foundation, and fantasy games were “how to become a fighter.” But that's not the case for everyone.
West defines a floater as “someone who floats through life, accepting things, going with the flow, experiencing successes and failures but rarely determining their own destiny.” These easy-going people can avoid pitfalls and accomplish a lot if they just position themselves correctly, but their triumphs are no real feat, he says.
“In my opinion, success without personal fulfillment isn't success; it's just positioning,” West added, explaining that floaters often see their talent as financial, but in his eyes, “money is a measure of purchasing power, but it's rarely a measure of success.”
David Liam Kyle/NBAE—Getty Images
West said runaways follow vagrants, explaining that these people “go from job to job, running away from challenges and opportunities.” They tend to avoid responsibility and blame others, which actually only hurts themselves, but West said they can discourage vagrants. They may discourage vagrants because “misery needs company,” but fighters are a runaway's “worst nightmare.”
“Fugitives and fighters are at opposite ends of the self-determination spectrum,” West adds, arguing that “fighters are the ones who succeed.” They are not all that different from drifters and fugitives; rather, they are driven and differentiated by “goals, dreams, and visions.”
Looking back on his life, he recalls, “Driveaway basketball games were a dream come true,” and that dream expanded when he went to college and realized, “I had God-given talent, but talent alone wasn't enough.”
West's life off the court
West's determination to achieve his goal, and that of his fellow warriors, was fueled by three traits: character, determination and resolve.
These pillars “help us to stand firm as warriors, to rise above the floaters, and to push beyond the fugitive grapevine.” Ultimately, they are “the virtues that can lead us to success,” he added.
Those attributes were put to the test when West was off the court and his goals changed or became less clear: He experienced “self-doubt” and realized he had to keep pushing forward with the same no-fail attitude he had as a player.
In reality, being one of the three prototypes is not as immutable as it may seem. “Any path to success will have its difficulties and challenges,” West acknowledges. “These challenges create internal struggles. These challenges also create new and exciting opportunities.”
To overcome these challenges, “you will once again have to rely on your character, your resolve, and your determination,” and each time the path forks, “you will be faced with a new group of floaters, flighters, and fighters. In fact, you will once again have to decide what type of person you are.”
The road to success will always be fraught with obstacles: “You have to wake up every day and decide who you are, because every day is an opportunity to succeed or fail,” West noted. Reflecting on his days on the court, and the countless days spent in his driveway before that, West knew he could choose to keep believing in himself.
“When my time on the court was over, I decided to be a fighter. I decided to be a leader. I didn't know how, but I knew what I had inside of me, so I knew I could do it,” he said. And he became a leader, leading the Lakers to six championships and winning the NBA Executive of the Year award twice, proving he was a fighter to the end.
For Jerry West, basketball was once just a dream. As a kid, he would spend hours playing basketball in his driveway with a ball in his hand. But every time his dream ended the same way.
With the clock ticking and the eyes of the crowd fixed on him, waiting to witness that split second of victory or defeat, West told West Virginia University's 2008 graduating class that as a child he imagined himself: “Success or failure was in his hands.”
“He couldn't float, he couldn't rely on anybody. He couldn't run. He had no one else to turn to,” he added, acknowledging that watching young kids cheer them on must have been a “strange sight” but it was necessary to reach sports legend status on and off the court.
“I never allowed myself to fail,” West recalls of the game he played in his mind, which became foundational for him as a professional athlete and coach.
West, who died on Wednesday, left behind a legacy as a Hall of Famer, record holder, Los Angeles Lakers coach and player, and powerful executive. Some may recognize him without even realizing it, as his image is widely believed to have been the inspiration for the NBA's logo itself.
In his commencement speech, West said it was once said that there are three types of people in the world – fighters, flighters and floaters, and urged all to strive to be fighters by following in the heavy footsteps he had intentionally left behind.
A warrior's life
The former basketball player had a difficult childhood and jumped into basketball to escape his troubles. He says dreaming was the key to his success, chasing those dreams was the foundation, and fantasy games were “how to become a fighter.” But that's not the case for everyone.
West defines a floater as “someone who floats through life, accepting things, going with the flow, experiencing successes and failures but rarely determining their own destiny.” These easy-going people can avoid pitfalls and accomplish a lot if they just position themselves correctly, but their triumphs are no real feat, he says.
“In my opinion, success without personal fulfillment isn't success; it's just positioning,” West added, explaining that floaters often see their talent as financial, but in his eyes, “money is a measure of purchasing power, but it's rarely a measure of success.”
West said runaways follow vagrants, explaining that these people “go from job to job, running away from challenges and opportunities.” They tend to avoid responsibility and blame others, which actually only hurts themselves, but West said they can discourage vagrants. They may discourage vagrants because “misery needs company,” but fighters are a runaway's “worst nightmare.”
“Fugitives and fighters are at opposite ends of the self-determination spectrum,” West adds, arguing that “fighters are the ones who succeed.” They are not all that different from drifters and fugitives; rather, they are driven and differentiated by “goals, dreams, and visions.”
Looking back on his life, he recalls, “Driveaway basketball games were a dream come true,” and that dream expanded when he went to college and realized, “I had God-given talent, but talent alone wasn't enough.”
West's life off the court
West's determination to achieve his goal, and that of his fellow warriors, was fueled by three traits: character, determination and resolve.
These pillars “help us to stand firm as warriors, to rise above the floaters, and to push beyond the fugitive grapevine.” Ultimately, they are “the virtues that can lead us to success,” he added.
Those attributes were put to the test when West was off the court and his goals changed or became less clear: He experienced “self-doubt” and realized he had to keep pushing forward with the same no-fail attitude he had as a player.
In reality, being one of the three prototypes is not as immutable as it may seem. “Any path to success will have its difficulties and challenges,” West acknowledges. “These challenges create internal struggles. These challenges also create new and exciting opportunities.”
To overcome these challenges, “you will once again have to rely on your character, your resolve, and your determination,” and each time the path forks, “you will be faced with a new group of floaters, flighters, and fighters. In fact, you will once again have to decide what type of person you are.”
The road to success will always be fraught with obstacles: “You have to wake up every day and decide who you are, because every day is an opportunity to succeed or fail,” West noted. Reflecting on his days on the court, and the countless days spent in his driveway before that, West knew he could choose to keep believing in himself.
“When my time on the court was over, I decided to be a fighter. I decided to be a leader. I didn't know how, but I knew what I had inside of me, so I knew I could do it,” he said. And he became a leader, leading the Lakers to six championships and winning the NBA Executive of the Year award twice, proving he was a fighter to the end.
