They changed the name of his high school from East Bank to West Bank for a day. He was, and still is, West Virginia basketball personified -- the leading all-time scorer and rebounder in school history.

He was an All-American who led his team to within one point of a national championship in 1960, and he was still the MVP despite the loss.

He got some redemption as the USA won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics.

He took his game and his talents to the NBA, where he played his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers -- 14 years and an all-star every year. In 1972, the Lakers won the NBC championship.

In 1996, he was named one of the 50 best players in NBA history. He went on to become an outstanding executive in the NBA.

His image will forever live on in the form of the NBA logo -- a silhouette of Jerry West in his playing days.

Jerry West -- the Zeek from Cabin Creek -- made a long trip from West Virginia to basketball immortality.