Honoring the Legendary Jerry West

I've learned how to win and also I've learned how to lose, but I'll probably learn more from losing than winning. I'll be forever grateful that that basketball somehow came into my life because it did change my life forever.

Welcome to Young Hollywood. Hey everyone, Nikki Novak here for Young Hollywood at the 11th annual Harold Pump Foundation Gala. We're about to fill this couch with one of the biggest legends in sports. Sitting here with the legendary Jerry West. How are you doing tonight?

I'm great. Thank you. It's fun to be here and particularly for an evening that's so important for raising money for a very worthwhile cause. I think as you go along in your life, I think the one thing that I realized that one of the most important things you can do is to give. There are a lot of people have passions and Dana and David both have passions, their mother and this foundation is obviously in the memory of their father. And they've done a great job in promoting it and growing this event every year and it brings thousands and thousands of dollars to the hospital. So I'm happy to be a part of that.

And you're being very humble because you're being honored tonight. How does that feel having all these incredible athletes and people come out to honor you?

Well, you know, I'm a real, I'm a really normal person and people make a bigger fuss than they should. Um, I sort of like to fly under the radar.

Well, even though you say you fly under the radar, you're known, you're a great basketball player, a great manager, you you're known to be one of these people that's a perfectionist in their work. Where do you think that comes from and do you think that's helped you with your success?

I've always been a dreamer in my life. No means yes to me if someone says you can't do that.

Well, How do you change somebody's mind if they say no? Give us a tip here.

I think determination and um and a desire to compete and excel. Competition brings out the best in some people and it obviously brings out the worst in others. I've learned how to win and also I've learned how to lose, but I'll probably learn more from losing than winning. They're completely opposite sides of the spectrum. You know, people see team celebrating when they win some sort of a championship. Oh, you all ought to go in the other locker room. I've been in the other locker room more than I wanted to be, to be honest with you.

Where did you come from?

I come from a little town in West Virginia, about 500 people. And um and growing up there, um I had a gift. And um I'll be forever grateful that that basketball somehow came into my life because uh it did change my life forever. My high school team won the state championship and they provided me an opportunity to frankly go to almost any school I wanted to. Um but I chose my home state, West Virginia University, and I'll be forever grateful I did that.

I know everybody's excited to see you tonight. Is there anybody that you're really excited to see yourself?

Well, you know, I've seen most of these old buzzards a number of times in my life and it's about respect more than anything. I greatly respect what athletes do. Um it's hard. It's a it's a very competitive world and obviously, you know, about a competitive world. Less loyalty than there used to be, I think in sports.

Uh, yeah, absolutely.

I've always said trust has to be earned because so many times in life, um there's people you trust and um you know, you wish you hadn't trusted them.

Never happened to me.

Oh, I'm sure it never has. Well, it never happens in the in the in the sports world. Uh people can be very, very fickle and they can be wonderfully kind and they can really say some very mean spirited things. But I've always felt the press has been a balance in my life. I've never taken myself seriously and uh if they wrote something very critical, if it was absolutely wrong, I would call them. I really would call them. But if it was just some their their opinion of me or what we're trying to do, It wasn't personal. I have no problem with that.

No, no.

It does. It helps keep you balanced and um uh balance is the most important thing we have in our life. uh if you can find it.

Thank you so much for chatting with us.

Well, thank you.