NBA legend Jerry West received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. The basketball icon, who followed up his illustrious championship playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers by becoming a title-winning team executive, said after receiving the prestigious award, "It never ceases to amaze me, the places you can go in this world chasing a basketball."

Interestingly, it's West's silhouette that's the basis of the NBA’s dribbling player logo. The 81-year-old, who won the NBA title as a player with the Lakers in 1972 as well as Olympic gold with the United States at the 1960 Rome Games, was at the Oval Office of the White House for the ceremony, where President Trump hailed the West Virginia native as “one extraordinary American.”

"It's my privilege to award our nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to a remarkable man, Jerry West. Jerry, I'd like to congratulate you on this tremendous achievement and congratulations to your family. Congratulations Jerry," Trump said.

An emotional West, who is popularly known as "Mr Clutch," reflected on his happy and sad moments. "I suffered excruciating losses both personally and professional," he said. "I'm not gonna say how many NBA final losses to the damn Celtics, and exhilarating victories, but the one I cherish most was with a group of fellow amateurs at the 1960 Olympics as I stood on the gold medal stand next to friend and soon to be adversary, Oscar Robertson, and how proud I was to represent the United States of America and West Virginia, and the state of West Virginia."

West, who was an All-Star in all of his 14 seasons with the Lakers, helping the team reach the NBA Finals nine times, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979. Although the Lakers during his stint with the team reached the NBA Finals nine times, the dominance of Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics meant he won only one title as a player, in 1972. 

He had a similarly outstanding post-playing career as a Lakers executive, signing a galaxy of stars like Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal to championship teams.  

West, who is currently a consultant with the Los Angeles Clippers, also played a pivotal role in shaping the Golden State Warriors into title contenders. A two-time NBA Executive of the Year, West was part of the front office for eight NBA title-winning teams - six with the Lakers and two with the Golden State Warriors in 2015 and 2017. 

(With agency input)