The tragic departure of Kobe Bryant left much debate about how the NBA continues the legacy of the Los Angeles Lakers legend and world basketball. For fans, one of the most supported ways is by petitioning to change the NBA logo to using the Kobe Bryant silhouette.
The petition posted on the Change.org website had received more than 2.5 million signatures. This petition is the brainchild of a fan named Nikyar Moghtader from Vancouver, Canada.
“Kobe Bryant is a role model not only for me but also millions of fans in the world. This is what drives me to make the petition,” said Moghtader, who was 16 years old, to CBS News. “I think changing the logo will be an amazing way to capture Kobe to the NBA for all time,” he continued. Kobe’s fans not only all basketball lovers, but all American citizen also loves him. Teacher, cops, agen bola terbaik in Asia, soccer player, football player, and many were captivated by his motivation when doing what he loved.
He also said that he had never thought this petition would attract so much attention throughout the world “My expectation is that 100 people will sign. I never thought I would get this much support.
The NBA logo is now the silhouette of the NBA Hall of Fame player Jerry West, who is Bryant’s friend and mentor.
It was West who brought Kobe Bryant to the Lakers in the 1996 NBA Draft, and the two became best friends after that. West had been a Lakers player before moving to the executive level and now works at the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, the NBA never officially acknowledged that the logo, which had been used since 1969, was based on Jerry West. In fact, the logo designer, Alan Siegel, has repeatedly said that West’s pose was one of his main inspirations when creating the logo.
West also never received royalties or financial rewards from the NBA regarding the use of this imaginary right. Also, he never tried to take financial advantage from this fact. However, West once expressed his desire for the NBA to change the logo.
“I don’t like anything that draws attention to me. I want them to change the logo if possible. In many ways, I hope they change it,” he said several years ago. Hours after the tragic accident that took the life of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others, West made an official statement.
“I will love Kobe forever and always appreciate the time I spend with him,” he wrote. “I watched it grow from a child who did not know surrender to a man who changed the lives of many people.” “He has left the world in a better condition. Kobe’s legacy will live forever,” he continued.
However, some US media such as USA Today and Yahoo Sports say that the NBA is almost impossible to change their logo. This happened five years ago when Jerry West proposed that the NBA change the logo silhouette to Michael Jordan.
The NBA did not budge, and they said: “it is unlikely that the NBA will change their logos to describe other players, how touched this sentiment was after the tragedy on Sunday even once.” Meanwhile, Yahoo Sports also stated that “the NBA has never expressed their desire to change the logo.” “Sources close to the NBA say that they are not interested in an individual player for their logo because there are many figures who play an important role in the development of this sport and the NBA,” they wrote. “Generic is better.”