JOINT SECURITY AREA, Panmunjom, South Korea - A legendary Los Angeles Lakers player, coach and general manager visited the Korean DMZ and met with United Nations Command Security Battalion Soldiers here June 24.
Jerry West, a 14-time NBA All Star, and his wife Karen West visited the most forward deployed military post in South Korea during the week of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.
The NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist said he was honored to meet with the Soldiers who maintain security inside the world's most heavily armed border.
West toured Conference Row in the Joint Security Area where the Military Demarcation Line divides the two Koreas and ate lunch with Soldiers on Camp Bonifas.
"I've always had respect for the military. But seeing something like this, it's been great," said West.
During a visit to the basketball court at the post gymnasium, West thanked the ROK and U.S. Soldiers there for their service and gave them some pointers on how to improve their game.
As 2nd Lt. Greg Gifford attempted to stop him, West demonstrated some of the footwork that had made him one of the NBA's all-time leading scorers.
"I like you," said West, as he glided past Gifford and went to the hoop.
UNCSB-JSA Commander Lt. Col. Edward Taylor said hosting Jerry West at Camp Bonifas was a great experience.
"It's a real honor and a real privilege to have an American sports legend, Jerry West, a hall of famer, come all this way to actually take the time to talk with us, to give us a basketball clinic, to coach us," said Taylor. "I'm really in awe as I stand here and I'm watching Jerry West talk to us about shooting and dribbling, the fundamentals of basketball, right here in our little gym just a few hundred meters from the DMZ."
For West, his first trip to the Republic of Korea had an especially poignant meaning. His brother, Sgt. David West, died in action during the Korean War in 1951 when he was only 12.
"Losing someone is devastating but it is gratifying to see what has happened here," said West. "To look around, to see this country the way it is today, it's been a powerful experience for me."
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