Jerry West’s family says no public memorial for the NBA Hall of Fame player and executive
Copyright Source:
Yueke
Wed, Jun 26, 2024
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — There will be no public memorial for NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West.
“We will honor Jerry’s wishes and mourn his passing privately,” his family said in a statement released Thursday by the Los Angeles Clippers.
West was working as a consultant for the Clippers when he died on June 12 at the age of 86.
He was born in the small hamlet of Chelyan and starred at West Virginia University from 1957-60 before becoming the second overall pick in the NBA draft by the Minneapolis Lakers. The team relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a 14-time All-Star and won the 1972 NBA championship with the Lakers.
“Jerry’s heart never left West Virginia,” the statement said.
The family mentioned that West can be honored through donations to four different funds at WVU: the Jerry West Academic Scholarship, the Jerry and Karen West Basketball Scholarship, the Jerry West Scholarship, and the university’s children’s hospital building fund.
The statement was signed by his widow, Karen, and West’s five sons: David, Michael, Mark, Ryan, and Jonnie, along with their spouses and children.
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Jon Rahm Eager to Play Again After Foot Infection Kept Him Out of the U.S. Open
COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (AP) — Jon Rahm is ready to stop watching TV and get back to playing golf.
The Spanish golfer had to withdraw six holes into the second round of his last event due to an infection between the toes on his left foot. This infection also forced him to pull out of the U.S. Open before his tee time.
With the infection now manageable, Rahm is set to return for LIV Golf’s inaugural event in Tennessee starting Friday. He resumes his pursuit of his first win since joining the Saudi-funded LIV Golf last December and his first victory anywhere in the world since the U.S. Open.
“I feel ready to walk and hit it,” Rahm said. “I haven’t been able to do much. It doesn’t take much for me to feel ready to compete. Looking forward to it. Just happy that I’m here.”
Rahm ranks second to Chile’s Joaquin Niemann in the LIV standings, thanks to finishing in the top 10 in each of the tour’s first seven events. His team is also second in the standings, with five events remaining before the team championship in Dallas.
LIV Golf’s next event will be on Rahm’s home turf in Andalucia, Spain, starting July 12. This begins a hectic stretch that includes the British Open, LIV Golf United Kingdom, and the Olympics. Rahm is among six LIV Golf players set to compete in the Paris Games and is eager to win a medal for Spain.
First, the man with 20 career wins has to swing a club again. The three-day event is being played on a course designed by LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman, which opened in 2012 and will play as a par 71 over 7,267 yards.
“Since I haven’t done as much as I would have liked at home, I probably need to make a few extra swings on the range and maybe on the course just to try to get my body up to speed as soon as possible,” Rahm said.
Not Letting Go
Rahm will have to put the U.S. Open trophy down long enough to try and win his first individual LIV title this season. He won twice last year, with his team winning the 2023 championship. This season, his best LIV Golf finish was fourth in March in Saudi Arabia.
He just won his second U.S. Open after finishing as runner-up at the PGA Championship in May. DeChambeau has been carrying the U.S. Open trophy around with him since winning at Pinehurst No. 2, including a Wednesday night party in Nashville’s honky tonk district.
“I’m here to go play the best golf I can and inspire others and give people some great entertainment,” DeChambeau said.
Close to Home
Caleb Surratt is as close as he could get to home at this inaugural event. Born in North Carolina, he played at the University of Tennessee, where he won the 2023 Southeastern Conference title. He still has a home in Knoxville despite turning pro.
That’s why he has lots of friends asking for tickets in what feels like a home game.
Surratt is also LIV Golf’s youngest player at the age of 20, keeping him out of those famed honky tonks.
“I can’t get in anywhere, so it’s not really on my radar, no,” Surratt said.
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