Kyrie Irving wants NBA to honor Kobe Bryant with new logo and Vanessa Bryant is on board

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer
·2 min read
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Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving thinks the NBA's logo needs an update. Irving posted a picture on Instagram on Wednesday suggesting the league alter its logo to honor Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

What would that look like? Irving has an idea.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kyrie (Kaire) (@kyrieirving)

Irving added his reasoning to the post, saying "Gotta Happen, idc what anyone says. BLACK KINGS BUILT THE LEAGUE."

Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, is on board with the idea. She shared Irving's picture of the logo, saying "love this. @KyrieIring."

The current NBA logo is modeled after Jerry West — a Hall of Fame guard who spent all 14 seasons of his career with the Lakers. West — who is white — joined the Los Angeles Clippers as an executive board member in 2017.

West has discussed changing the logo in the past, and is receptive to the idea.

Would the NBA actually change its logo?

Changing the NBA logo to a silhouette of Bryant isn't a new idea. In the days following Bryant's death in a helicopter crash, a number of people suggested the league honor Bryant with a new logo.

That said, it's probably not going to happen. Following Bryant's death, the NBA reportedly did not want to highlight an individual player in its logo. Despite Alan Siegel, who designed the league's current logo, admitting he modeled the logo after West, the NBA has never acknowledged the logo is designed to be a specific player. The league reportedly doesn't want to highlight a specific player in its logo because it would be impossible to choose one person.

A case could be made for Bryant — but it could also be made for Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell and many others. That was the league's stance following Bryant's death. It's unlikely to change now, even if Irving isn't the only current player who would support the idea.

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