After 15 excellent seasons in the bigs, David West is hanging up his sneaks. The veteran capped his career by winning the NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, with whom he spent two years as savvy bench option. To label David West a ring chaser would be to discredit all the hard work that paved the way for this fitting end. West entered the league in the storied 2003 NBA Draft which included the boys club of LeBron James, Carmelo, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, of which only two remain in the league (three if you count Dwyane's rumored Miami Heat return). Shoutout to Kyle Korver standing the test of time as the 51st pick.
David West would eventually fall to the New Orleans Hornets (anachronism yes) where he spent his formative years. Then he became a key piece in the strong Indiana Pacer teams led by Paul George between 2011-2015, before settling for the league minimum to close his career with NBA title-hopefuls such as San Antonio and Golden State.
"David was a consummate professional throughout his entire career and was a huge presence in our locker room the last two years," coach Steve Kerr said Thursday while accepting the honor of his dismissal. "The respect that he commanded was palpable every single day he walked in the door, and the leadership that he provided to our team was critical to our success."
West was a two-time All-Star both as a Hornet, but the Golden State Warriors' franchise is eternally grateful for his presence those two years.