Even a year after his passing, the NBA and its players have continued to honor and pay tribute to the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
For example, LeBron James recently showed off new artwork in his home depicting Bryant and Nipsey Hussle, while Montrezl Harell unveiled his Bryant-inspired sneakers that also featured his daughter Gianna. Also, for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, 24 points will again be added to the leading team’s total after three quarters and that will serve as the target score to win.
While the tributes and gestures have not gone unnoticed, Kyrie Irving believes the NBA could be doing even more to honor Bryant’s legacy and memory as he proposed that they change the logo to the Lakers icon. Irving quickly received support from numerous people, including Vanessa Bryant, and Jeanie Buss later tweeted out that she agreed:
I agree with Vanessa Bryant. Kobe set a standard and players agree too. Let me know what you think. https://t.co/5dpMGZuDKA
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) February 26, 2021
Buss and Bryant were close both during and after the five-time was with the Lakers. Buss has always been highly complimentary of Bryant, so it is not surprising to hear that she would be in favor of making him the new logo going forward.
Jerry West has served as the NBA logo for over five decades, but in the past has supported the idea of someone else replacing his silhouette. West was one of the league’s most iconic players during his playing days, but Bryant’s influence on the game of basketball reached global levels and thus would be a worthy successor.
While the idea is a good one on paper, there would be several issues from a licensing and permissions perspective that would likely hinder the change from ever coming to fruition.
Petition to change NBA logo to Kobe Bryant surpasses 3 million signatures
After Bryant’s accident, a petition on change.org was started to change the logo to the Lakers icon. The petition quickly gained traction, but Irving’s recent comments sparked another surge and the online petition has now been signed by over 3 million people.
The current goal is to get to 4.5 million signatures, and it is currently on track to do just that.
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