The Warriors trade decision that helped Jerry West to another HOF enshrinement

NBA legend Jerry West will be enshrined to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for a record third time, with the 85-year-old's latest election coming thanks to his contributions at a number of franchise's including the Golden State Warriors.

Reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowksi on Wednesday, West's latest honor comes after he had previously been inducted for his playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers, along with being a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic Team.

Jerry West retains a lasting legacy at the Golden State Warriors after his decision to veto a Klay Thompson trade in 2014

West spent six years with the Warriors between 2011 and 2017, acting as a consultant and executive board member where he aided the franchise to a pair of championships in 2015 and 2017.

Yet despite leaving Golden State for the LA Clippers seven years ago, West is still having an impact on the Warriors thanks to the Hall of Fame career of franchise legend Klay Thompson.

For all West did during his time in the Bay, nothing will come close to his decision to veto a trade between Golden State and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the summer of 2014.

Warrior owner Joe Lacob and General Manager Bob Myers were reportedly ready to trade Thompson to the Timberwolves for Kevin Love, only for West and head coach Steve Kerr to step in to stop the deal.

Things were even more dramatic than that though, with West reportedly threatening to resign from his position with Golden State were the franchise to go ahead with the trade. In a 2020 interview on 95.7 The Game's 'Damon, Ratto and Kolsky', West clarified his position from the Thompson-Love trade talks.

"But to me, the perfect player -- and he wasn't as far along in his career when this trade had been talked about -- the perfect player for Steph was Klay. He never seeks the spotlight. He just plays the game. And he has gotten better and better, and frankly, he's one of the most underrated players in the league who gets not as much love as he should get."

- Jerry West

Love was instead traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a package centered around current Warrior forward Andrew Wiggins, with the 6'8" big man going on to play in four NBA Finals against Golden State from 2015-2018.

In the decade since West vetoed the trade, Thompson has helped the Warriors to four NBA championships, earned five All-Star selections, a pair of All-NBA honors, and has combined with Stephen Curry to become one of the all-time greatest backcourts in league history.