Jerry West will leave the Golden State Warriors to join the Los Angeles Clippers as a special consultant. West had served a similar role with the Warriors over the past six seasons.

“I’m telling you it was one of the saddest, if not the saddest night of my life,” West said on Wednesday night. “These were six of my happiest years. To be around a team like this, with these kind of guys … well, I’ve been around a long time, and I can tell you it’s a rare experience.”

West's contract with the Warriors is expiring and sources say a strain had developed with their ownership group.

"Jerry West has been an incredible asset to our organization over the last six years,” said Joe Lacob.  "He’s one of the most respected and successful executives in the history of the league and he certainly solidified that reputation during his time with the Warriors. We would have loved for him to remain with our franchise moving forward and conveyed that to him in recent weeks, but we respect his decision. He’s earned that right."

West was influential in drafting and not trading Klay Thompson.

West will likely be more involved with the Clippers than he was with the Warriors due to its proximity to his home base.