For more than 40 years, Jerry West has been the logo. He never wanted to be the logo, and technically the NBA has never said that Jerry West is the logo.
The man that designed the logo has come out and said it’s Jerry West, and anybody with half a brain can look at that picture and realize it’s Jerry West. The reason that the NBA will never say it’s West is because of royalty reasons. If the NBA came out and said that it was West, then every single piece of apparel with the logo would be required to give money to West. If the NBA did change the logo from West to Kobe and they recognized that it was Kobe, the NBA would have to pay the Bryant family. That would add up to numbers that my simple mind can’t comprehend. That’s one reason I don’t see the logo being changed.
Alan Siegel, the man who designed the logo, says that it shouldn’t be changed. “I believe that the symbol has great value, and it works very well. It’s so recognizable that it’d be a mistake to change it.” Alan Siegel said in an interview with the undefeated.
Kyrie Irving, who has some insane theories about the world, had this to say on Instagram about the logo being changed.
This shouldn’t have anything to do with race, but it should have to do what Kobe meant to the league. I still remember where I was when I heard the news that Kobe had died. It was a punch to the gut; the man that I hated so much but also loved at the same time was gone. I remember watching the games that night, and players who seem too cool for anything having tears in their eyes seconds before the ball was tipped.
Kyrie isn’t the only person who believes that the NBA should change the logo. Jerry West went on The Jump and was asked about it, and he said that he would be more than happy to cede the logo to somebody else. Vanessa Bryant put a straightforward message on her Instagram story about the logo being changed.
I personally don’t like the idea of a real picture of Kobe being the logo. It would seem more like a bad photoshop every time I see it. I like the original logo, where it’s just an outline of a player. Either Kobe’s fade away or him driving to the basket would be awesome as the new logo.
I don’t see the NBA ever-changing the logo, but what do you think should the NBA change the logo to Kobe Bryant?
