Conversation so far:
who did Jerry West coach?
West became coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
how was he as a coach?
In three years, he led the Lakers and star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to a 145-101 record, making the playoffs in all 3 seasons and.
did he have any other statistics?
reaching the Western Conference Finals once in 1977.
did he win any awards?
for turning the team around, West received his first Executive of the Year Award.

Question: when did he start his executive career?
Self-contained rewrite: when did Jerry West start his executive career?