Four Jerry West feats that will likely never be replicated

There will never be another Jerry West. It's hard to think of one athlete who donned as many hats and flourished in each of them.

As a player? 12-time All-NBA, 14-time All-Star, one-time NBA Champion.

As a coach? A respectable 145-101 record and three playoff appearances in three years as head coach of the Lakers.

As an executive? Eight-time NBA Champion, two-time Executive of the Year.

As a talent evaluator? Noticed greatness in a 16-year-old Kobe Bryant, advised the Warriors against trading Stephen Curry in 2011 and vetoed the Warriors from trading Klay Thompson in 2014.

But there are three unique feats West achieved that would likely never be replicated 

Three Hall of Fame inductions 

Earlier this year, West was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame for a record third time, this time for his contributions to the sport as a contributor (executive). The Laker legend previously made it to Springfield as a player in 1979 and again in 2010 in recognition of his exploits at the 1960 Olympics. There are five categories for a person to make the hall: as a player, contributor, coach, referee and team member (in recognition of great teams). West knocked three out of the park with flying colors. Only five have made the Hall as both player and coach — John Wooden, Lenny Wilkens, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and Bill Russell. John McLendon made it as a coach and contributor. 

The only player to win Finals MVP in a loss

As is well documented, West won the 1969 NBA Finals MVP despite his Lakers losing 4-3 to the Celtics. West averaged 37.9 points, 7.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds and played his heart out but his Lakers couldn't overcome the greatest winner in NBA history, Bill Russell, in his swan song. Despite the loss, West earned the revere of his opponents, so much so that John Havlicek, whose team had just won the chip, walked over to West and said, "I love you, Jerry. I just hope you get a championship. You deserve it as much as anyone who has ever played this game."

West would finally win the NBA title in 1972 after seven losses in the finals. 

Most 30-point games in NBA Finals history

West scored 30-plus points on 31 occasions in the NBA Finals (in 55 games across nine appearances). That is eight more than Michael Jordan's 23 and nine more than LeBron James' 22. With 1,679 points, West is also the all-time leading scorer in the finals over James (1,562) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,317).

With the way the modern NBA is progressing — six different champions in six seasons — it's unlikely a player appears in 55 finals games the way West did. His final records are nearly unassailable.    

All-Star every year

There's another feat West achieved that would likely not be replicated — making the All-Star team in each of his 14 seasons. Only four others achieved the feat — Julius Erving, Yao Ming, Bob Pettit and Paul Arizin. 

If Victor Wembanyama couldn't make the All-Star team, the chances of any prodigious future rookies bucking the mold seem slim, especially with fans losing a lot of say in the voting process.