TITLE: Jerry West Secures Only Career Scoring Crown to Close 1969-70 Season
SLUG: jerry-west-1969-70-scoring-title-lakers-history
CONTENT:
On the final stretch of the 1969-70 regular season, Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West locked up the NBA scoring title, finishing his 10th year in the league with 31.2 points per game.
West entered the last five contests of the schedule in a tight race for the league lead. After a 10-point showing against the Philadelphia 76ers, he rebounded by averaging 37.8 points over the remaining four games, pushing his season total to 2,309 points in 74 appearances. The surge clinched the first and only scoring crown of his Hall of Fame career.
The milestone highlighted a campaign in which the Lakers, powered by West, Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, remained one of the NBA’s marquee attractions. West supplemented his scoring with 7.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 82.4 percent at the foul line.
Los Angeles carried that production into the postseason. After falling behind the Phoenix Suns 3-1 in the opening round, the Lakers stormed back with three straight wins, then swept the Atlanta Hawks to reach the NBA Finals. Their title bid ended in Game 7 against the New York Knicks.
Despite the disappointing finish, West’s offensive outburst placed him atop the NBA’s scoring chart for the 1969-70 season, cementing another chapter in the franchise’s storied history.
Source: Lakers Nation
