Jerry West: 'I Get Too Much Credit' for Kawhi Leonard, Paul George to Clippers

Jerry West is uncomfortable with the amount of credit given to him in the wake of the Los Angeles Clippers signing Kawhi Leonard and acquiring Paul George in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Speaking to TMZ Sports, West said the deals were the result of "hard work by our front office," including president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank and general manager Michael Winger. 

West, who has worked with the Clippers as an executive board member since 2017, has repeatedly disputed how much involvement he actually had in the franchise adding Leonard and George this offseason. 

On the July 15 episode of The Dan Patrick Show, West described his role in the process as "very small" and emphasized how vital the front office was in pulling off the Clippers' coup. 

The question was bound to come up because of West's reputation in NBA front offices. West was the Los Angeles Lakers general manager when the team traded for Kobe Bryant during the 1996 draft and signed Shaquille O'Neal as a free agent that summer.

He was general manager of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2002-07, leading them to three straight playoff appearances from 2003-06 after the franchise had losing records in each of its first eight seasons. 

The Golden State Warriors added West to their executive board in 2011. The 81-year-old has won eight NBA championships in his front-office career dating back to the 1982-83 season.