Photo: Lakers Icon Jerry West to Be Honored with West Virginia CFB Helmet Decal

West Virginia University revealed a helmet decal the football team will wear Saturday in honor of legendary basketball player Jerry West.

The decal, which is located on the back of the Mountaineers' helmets, features West's name and his iconic No. 44 jersey number:

West, who was born in West Virginia and played collegiately at WVU before enjoying a Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, died in June at the age of 86.

Known to some by the nickname Zeke from Cabin Creek due to a creek located near his hometown of Chelyan, West Virginia, West led the Mountaineers to the most successful season in the history of the basketball program in 1958-59.

West helped take WVU to the National Championship Game, and he was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

The Lakers then selected West No. 2 overall in the 1960 NBA draft, and he would go on to spend his entire 14-year NBA career with the franchise.

West was a 14-time All-Star, 12-time All-NBA selection, one-time scoring champion, one-time NBA champion and one-time NBA Finals MVP. He was also chosen as the silhouette featured in the NBA logo, resulting in the apropos nickname of The Logo.

He was arguably even more successful as an executive after his playing career ended, winning eight championships in front office roles with the Lakers and Golden State Warriors.

One of the most beloved figures in basketball history, West is a member of both the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and his No. 44 was retired by both the Lakers and West Virginia University.

With a 9-4 record in 2023, the West Virginia football team had its best record since going 10-3 in 2016.

There is plenty of hype surrounding the program entering the 2024 campaign as a result, but getting off to a strong start won't be easy.

The Mountaineers are hosting No. 8 Penn State on Saturday in one of the biggest games on the college football Week 1 slate.