OAKLAND — As the Muhammad Ali tributes pour in on this somber Saturday, it’s the athletes who played during Ali’s era that are making some of the most impactful remembrances.
Jerry West fits that category. The Warriors executive met with reporters at Oracle Arena Saturday to reflect on a person many are calling the most influential athlete in American history.
“Being around him, you almost felt a God-like presence around him. You really did,” West said. “He just — he had it. He had it. I think everything he went through in life, certain people are courageous. He’s very courageous in doing what no athlete probably would’ve ever dared to have done — and particularly a black athlete.”
West and Ali practically rose to prominence at nearly identical times. West entered the NBA in 1960; Ali turned professional in 1960. West was making to it championship games all throughout the 1960s and 70s; Ali was conquering the boxing world and becoming the country’s biggest sports phenomenon since Babe Ruth.
But to West, and many others, Ali’s legacy is all about what he did outside of the ring — staring down the US Army, publicly changing his religion and name and taking bold stances despite global scrutiny.
“To me, he’s inspired people who looked at the inequities in this world, and I think some of the things he did, he changed the perception of people,” West said. “He was a magnificent person. I loved that guy, I really did.”