Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving has the idea to change the NBA logo to honor Kobe Bryant – and Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, fully supports her.
On Wednesday, in an Instagram post, Irving wrote on Twitter a modified NBA logo, with Bryant’s face and center, with the caption “Gotta Happen, idc what everyone says. THE BLACK KINGS BUILD THE LEAGUE ”.
Vanessa Bryant shared Irving’s post on her Instagram story with her own caption, “Love it. @KyrieIrving ”. LaMelo Ball, Stephen Jackson and Dez Bryant also posted comments that support the idea on Irving’s original post.
Since Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash in January last year, the idea of changing the logo to Bryant’s silhouette has gained attention. A change.org petition in support of the idea has garnered 3.2 million signatures since early 2020. The creator of the NBA logo, the current CEO and president of branding and communications consulting firm Singlevision Alan Siegel, told Newsweek “It simply came to our notice then [Bryant] has been a highly respected figure by players around the world and this is a really serious thing that should be considered by the league. “
Former Lakers Jerry West is the current silhouette of the NBA logo that has been in effect since 1969. West has backed the idea of changing the logo in the past, including a 2015 interview with HuffPost Live.
“I hate to say he’s not a Laker, he’s Michael Jordan,” West said. “He was the greatest player I’ve ever seen. And I’m probably a tough judge of talent, in the sense that I admire players who are very good defensive players and very good offensive players. And I felt that in his time was the best defensive player in the game, but more importantly, he was the best offensive player. And he made his teams win. “
West has also been effusive with his praises for Bryant throughout his career. In a one-hour TNT honoring Bryant after his death, West recalled Bryant’s design.
“I said, Shaquille, I just drafted a kid who’s the best player in the draft,” West recalled telling Shaquille O’Neal. “I said I know you have a lot of good players in Orlando. But I said we have better players here and we have one who will be the best player in the league one day. A pretty bold statement to make, but for me he was obvious “.
The National Transportation Safety Committee on Feb. 9 said the pilot in the crash of the helicopter that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, the pilot himself and six others went against his training flying in thick clouds.