antiracist." he's interviewed. >> i don't think even well-meaning people, even people who are trying to be part of the movement against racism, recognize that really the history of this. when a eugenicist would classify as racist, they would say i'm not racist. jim crow segregationists were charged with being racist, they said i'm not racist. annette today, white nationalists are saying i'm not racist. whether in the white house or planning the next mass shooting. >> at 11:00 p.m., former defense secretary jim mattis recounts his military career and talks about his leadership in his book. weekend ontv every c-span2.

>> on thursday, president trump awarded the medal of freedom to basketball hall of fame player jerry west, who played for the los angeles lakers. this was about 15 minutes. president trump: thank you very much for coming today. it's my privilege to award our nation's highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom, to a remarkable man, jerry west. jerry, i'd like to congratulate you on this tremendous achievement and congratulations to your family. congratulations, jerry. fantastic. [applause] president trump: we're delighted to be joined by jerry's wife, karen, and their wonderful family. thank you very much, everybody. look at that family, huh? you did a good job. it's beautiful. we're also pleased to have with us senator joe manchin and governor jim justice, two terrific people. jim, thank you. stand up, jim, in case they can't see you. now you can see him.

that's great. great to have you. joe, thank you very much. thank you both for being here. they're busy. they're very busy people, and i think we're going to meet on a certain subject later on, joe, and that's good. jerry was born in west virginia in 1938, the fifth of six children. he grew up hiking in the woods, fishing in the clear water and exploring the beautiful mountains of west virginia, a great, great state. i shouldn't say this, joe, but i won it by 43 points. that's a lot. we love west virginia. probably helped you getting this award today. when coming from west virginia, we like you, jerry. more than anything else, what jerry liked doing is playing basketball in west virginia. starting at age six, he taught himself on the dirt surfaces of his neighborhood's backyard. when it rained, his sister said

it's called the mud wallow. do you remember that at all, jerry? the mud wallow. but nothing ever stopped him. jerry later reflected that "everything i did, i tried to do perfectly. not just well but perfectly, and it hasn't changed i don't think too much, has it. we ended a great, great senior year. jerry spent it in high school with a west virginia scoring record of 1501 points, approximately 60 major colleges and universities tried to recruit jerry, but he decided intelligently, to stay in west virginia, and he went to west virginia university in 1956, donning his famous number 44 jersey. he set 17 mountaineer records, was named the ncaa's most outstanding player in 1959, and was a two-time consensus all-american. wow. west virginia won 87% of the games in which jerry was in the

lineup, and won the southern conference all three years he played varsity. after graduating, jerry played on the 1960 usa olympic team, which swept every matchup, including a much-anticipated showdown with the soviet union. in that game, jerry was the highest scorer, accounting for nearly a quarter of america's points. and to this day, the olympic gold medalist his most prized possession. is that still so? that's pretty good, jerry. you've got plenty of possessions. maybe we'll top it today. i don't know. we'll see. jerry then joined the los angeles lakers. we all know that. and in the years that followed, he was to become a legend. and made plays that will be remembered forever. i know many of them. in a january 1962 game against the new york knicks, jerry scored nearly half of the lakers' total, setting a personal scoring record of 63 points in less than 40 minutes.

in game three of 1962 finals against the celtics, jerry rallied the lakers and tried very hard, i will tell you, he tried so hard, and that was a upat rally and he was 115-115 with only three seconds left. the celtics had the ball, and sam jones, he was a good one, too, wasn't he? sam jones. they were all good on that team. passed the ball to bob cousy, who was here a few weeks ago. i don't know if he would want this story told, so we'll tell it very quietly. but jerry suddenly rushed forward, stole the ball before it reached cousy, and made a layup in the final second, to win the game. in that iconic 1962 season, jerry earned the nickname of mr. clutch, a name that stuck. over the course of his 14 nba seasons, he broke the record for the most points scored in the history of the lakers, was named the nba finals m.v.p., and was inducted into the basketball hall of fame.

but perhaps the greatest commemoration of his legacy was the legendary playing career, the nba logo. today, the silhouette of jerry west is displayed on every uniform, court, and basketball in the league. still the same one, jerry, right? we don't want them to change it, do we? better not change it. you never know. after his playing career ended in 1974, jerry went on to coach the lakers for three seasons and later served as general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations for nearly 20 years. in the summer of 1996, he succeeded in securing both kobe bryant and shaquille o'neal, two truly great players, creating an unstoppable force in the nba. under his management, the lakers won four championships, and he was named executive of the year in 1995. jerry went on to serve as the president of basketball operations for the struggling

memphis grizzlies, and took them to the playoffs three times. he was named executive of the year again in 2004. he then joined the executive board of the warriors. recently, he became a consultant for the clippers. and helped sign kawhi leonard, who really has played -- he's some player. we were talking about that. and the combination of the two of them will be an interesting season. i think you really proud of that group, huh? you had some really great ones. jerry is one of the greatest negotiators, managers, and executives in the history of the nba. in addition to his sterling professional career, jerry helped raise millions of dollars for charity in los angeles, contributed to a flood of relief efforts in west virginia and generally, just incredible supporter of west virginia and west virginia university. he's also brought awareness to the risks of arterial

fibrillation. oh, i didn't know that, jerry. that's very good. that's big stuff for you, right? that's very good. that's very good. and is a passionate supporter of our nation's veterans. jerry works harder than just about anybody i can imagine, helping our nation's veterans. jerry west is one extraordinary american, and i'd now like to ask the military aid to come forward and present jerry allen west with the presidential medal of freedom. this is so richly deserved. thank you very much. thank you, jerry. congratulations. [applause] >> jerry allen west is one of the greatest basketball players and sports executives of all time. after an outstanding collegiate career at west virginia university, mr. west played 14 seasons in the nba, all with the

los angeles lakers, making the all-star team each year. in 1972, mr. clutch helped lead the lakers to their first championship. a few years later, he was inducted into the basketball hall of fame. after his playing career, mr. west was a legendary manager responsible for building the laker juggernauts of the 1980's and 2000's. the united states now proudly honest jerry west whose excellence and determination have made him a true basketball icon. [applause] jerry: well, first of all, thank you, mr. president. where should i begin?

you know, it never ceases to amaze me the places you can go in this world chasing a bouncing ball. my chase began in west virginia, where i strung a wire basket with no net to the side of a bridge. if a shot didn't go in, the ball rolled down a long bank. you would be taking it forever. so you better make it. i was a dreamer. my family didn't have much, but we had a clear view of the appalachian mountains and i would sit on the front porch and wonder if i ever make it at the top of the mountain, what will i see on the other side? well, i did make it to the other side and my dreams have come true. i've been able to see the sides thanks to that bouncing ball. i spent my childhood in west virginia and my adulthood in los angeles, two of the most profoundly different places in

this country, and i've been shaped by wonderful people in both. i would have never made it to west virginia university without a surrogate mother of sorts who gave me a room at her house and constantly fed me to pack weight on my 160-pound frame. she cussed me when i needed it, and, boy, that was a lot, like the time i came back home before my freshman year, personally convinced i didn't belong in college, and helped me when i needed it, which was probably at the same time. she was strong, sassy, italian, not so much different than another incredible woman i eventually met in los angeles and married. thank you, karen, for accompanying me and tolerating me on this long, rich american journey. i've experienced a country at war, a country at peace, a time when we huddled around the radio with terrible reception to hear president roosevelt's weekly addresses, to a time when we read on our cell phone president trump's instantaneous tweets.

you're pretty good at that, by the way. [laughter] jerry: i suffered excruciating losses, both personally and professionally. i'm not going to say how many nba final losses to those damned celtics, and exhilarating victories, but the one i cherish most was with a group of fellow amateurs at the 1960 olympics. as i stood on the gold medal stand next to my friend and soon to be adversary oscar robertson, i thought about my brother, david, who had died fighting in korea when i was 13, and how proud i was to represent the united states of america and west virginia, in the state of west virginia. i have tried in my life to do for others what david did for me -- lead, protect, and assist whenever possible. the david west and willie aker's academic center at west virginia university is a place where i

hope young men and women in my home state can also dream about the top of the mountain, and take the first steps towards realizing those dreams. i am surrounded here today by my wonderful family, although my sisters, hannah and barbara , were not able to make the trip. i've been blessed with five remarkable sons, david, michael, mark, brian, and john. i've been privileged to work for four fantastic basketball franchises. the los angeles lakers, where i celebrated the most memorable triumphs, where i mourned the most painful setbacks, and partnered with a true visionary, jerry buss, who changed the landscape of professional sports. michael heisley, the memphis grizzlies gave me an opportunity to rebuild a franchise looking for its way. the golden state warriors, where i witnessed some of the most beautiful basketball ever played

alongside a most unique and successful ownership group. and now, the l.a. clippers. i work with an incredible and inspirational leader, steve ballmer. and maybe i'm being prejudiced, but the best staff i've ever known. i've had many great coaches and teammates i'll never forget. as a player, i was flanked by the great elgin baylor, the most supportive and greatest player of that era, and later, the great wilt chamberlain. as an executive, i've been just as fortunate. i've been involved with truly incredible groups of the greatest players who have ever played this game. kareem, worthy, magic, shaquille, kobe with the lakers, steph, klay, kevin, at the golden state warriors.

and now, kawhi leonard and paul george with the clippers. i marvel at them, at the joy they brought basketball fans all over the world. the bouncing ball brought me there and here. when karen first read on the internet that i was going to receive the medal, the presidential medal of freedom, we were both shocked and surprised and amused. i thought it was a joke. then when west virginia senator joe manson confirmed the honor, i'm sure he had a big part in the selection. thank you, joe, for being here today. and also my friend, the governor of west virginia, jim justice. i appreciate you being here today also, jim. i look at the list of other honorees, and was inspired by the names bill gates and warren buffett, philanthropic champions. martin luther king, sesser shabbos, nelson mandela, simon wiesenthal, desmond tutu, legendary leaders.

muhammad ali, bill russell, kareem abdul-jabbar, athlete activists. michael jordan, tiger woods, stevie wonder, excellence personified. john wooden, frank robinson, arnold palmer, and vin scully, friends i try to emulate. i swear my name is going to look like a misprint on this list. mr. president, thank you for including me among this incredible group of people. [applause] president trump: congratulations to jerry. also johnny, congratulations on your marriage to a great golfer. who's here today. thank you, everybody. it's a great honor, a great man, a great pleasure.

and you're going to be around a long time. thank you. [applause] president trump: thank you very much, everybody. >> c-span recently visited milwaukee for a look at the preparations underway for the 2020 national convention, which will be held july 13-16. here's a look. milwaukee is on the shores of lake chicken, or as i like describe it, the fresh coast. this horribly best known for gear -- beer, but will be the center of attention like 2020 has the democrats pick their next candidate. >> we're at fiserv forum a brand-new arena for the lw