Meet Karen West, Jerry West’s wife: Biography and all the details

Meet Karen West, Jerry West’s wife: Biography and all the details

Claudia Kogi
updated at September 7, 2023 at 9:57 AM

Basketball fans recognise Karen West as Jerry West's wife and mother of his children. The American-based basketball executive and former player's spouse lives a highly private life but has ardently supported Jerry's career. Here is her biography and all the details of her background and career.

Karen West
Karen (L) and her husband, Jerry West, attend the Eagles concert and after party during The Forum Grand Opening at the Forum on 17 January 2014 in Inglewood, California. Photo: Lester Cohen
Source: Getty Images

Who is Jerry West? The silhouette in the NBA logo is that of West. He is an American-based American basketball executive and former player who spent his professional career playing for franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers and is now an NBA executive. Who is the professional's wife, and what are some of her life details? Here is the story of Karen, the wife of Jerry West.

Karen West's profile and bio summary

Full name

Karen Christine Bua West

Date of birth

16 June 1963

Age

60 years as of September 2023

Place of birth

Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America

Nationality

American

Ethnicity

White

Zodiac sign

Gemini

Religion

Christianity

Hair colour

Dark brown

Eye colour

Brown

Marital status

Married

Spouse

Jerry West

Children

Ryan and Jonnie

Famous for

Being the wife of the NBA executive, Jerry West

Social media presence

Facebook

How old is Karen West?

As of September 2023, reports suggest Karen West's age is 60 years. Sources state she was born on 16 June 1963 in Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America. She has been discreet regarding details about her family or childhood background.

The wife of Jerry West, Karen attended a local high school in Los Angeles, her hometown, where she was known to be one of the best cheerleaders.

Karen West's husband
Jerry West attends a basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Phoenix Suns at Crypto.com Arena on 20 April 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Allen Berezovsky
Source: Getty Images

What does Karen West do?

Karen was an assistant teacher at the Los Angeles Unified School. She worked with the California State Controller's office. Jerry West and his wife have built a family, and they reside in California.

What is Jerry West's wife's net worth?

She has been overly discreet about how much she is worth. As per sources, her husband, a basketball executive and former player, has an estimated net worth of $50 million.

Karen and Jerry West's houses

In 2017, Karen and NBA icon Jerry West purchased an estate in La Quinta, California, from Fred Couples, winner of the 1992 Masters, for $3.2 million sources reported. In 2019, Karen and Jerry West sold their home in the Bay Area community of Hayward, California, for $1.58 million.

How long has Karen been married to Jerry West?

Karen West and her husband of over 55 years met while she was a cheerleader in Los Angeles. The two started dating despite their age difference, which sparked the public's attention.

How long has Karen been married to Jerry West?
Jerry West looks on before an NBA game between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers on 23 October 2022 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, CA. Photo by Brian Rothmuller
Source: Getty Images

Karen and Jerry West tied the knot on 28 May 1978, sharing their wedding vows in a fancy wedding with family and close friends populating the guest list.

Does Karen West have children?

The former basketball player and his wife have a family with two sons. Their names are Ryan and Jonnie West.

Jonnie played as a guard for the West Virginia Mountaineers college team. His notoriety skyrocketed when he started dating the professional golfer Michelle Wie, who plays on the Ladies Professional Golf Association, LPGA Tour.

Jerry and Karen's oldest son, Ryan, followed in his father's footsteps as an executive rather than a player and joined the LA Lakers as a scout in 2009. He spent a decade with the team and later joined the LA Clippers to work with his father.

Karen West's photos
The first photo displays Johnnie West (L), Jerry(C), and Karen, while on the second one,Jerry (L), Michelle Wie and Johnnie (C), and Karen West (R) during Johnnie and Michelle's wedding. Photo: @karenbuawest (Modified by author)
Source: Facebook

How many kids does Jerry West have?

Jerry has five children in total. Besides his two sons with Karen, Jerry has three other sons from his previous relationship with his college sweetheart, Martha Jane. Although they went their separate ways, they have three sons: David, Mark, and Michael.

Karen West came into prominence as the wife of basketball executive and former NBA player Jerry West. She has been a permanent fixture in the NBA scene and her husband’s career. Having married in 1978, Jerry and Karen are parents to two sons, Jonnie and Ryan West, and the family resides in California.

READ ALSO: Who is Eden Hazard's wife? All the details about Natacha Van Honacker

Sports Brief published an article featuring Eden Hazard's wife, Natacha Van Honacker. Several fans have spotted her attending her husband's matches with their children. What are some interesting facts about her?

Natacha was born on 7 March 1992 in Belgium. She met Hazard in high school, and they dated for a while before tying the knot in 2012. The couple has three children. Check out all the details about the Real Madrid player's wife in the above article.

Authors
Claudia Kogi photo
Claudia Kogi
Claudia Kogi is a Kenyan content creator with over 3 years of experience. Claudia joined Sportsbrief.com as a writer in January 2022, covering sports and relatable content.