There is nothing wrong with the NBA logo. It is timeless, smooth and instantly identifiable.
The fact that she is the silhouette of Jerry West does not make sense to most people who see her. The logo was designed from a West dribbling silhouette, but designer Alan Siegel he did not choose the image because of who he was – although West, John Havlicek and Oscar Robertson were his favorite players – but because a particular photo grabbed him.
“It tasted nice,” said Siegel in a 2010 interview. “So I took that picture and we tracked it. It was perfect. It was vertical and had a sense of movement. It was just one of those things that worked. “
The logo has been the same for almost half a century, and although there have been occasional conversations about changing it – possibly to honor Michael Jordan – West’s silhouette hangs there. It is always possible to do something better, of course, but changing for the sake of change is not the way to go when a change is not really necessary.
Kyrie Irving now believes that the logo should be changed to Kobe Bryant, posting an image on Instagram this week with the caption: “It has to happen, idc what anyone says. BLACK KINGS BUILD THE LEAGUE ”
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Irving is right to honor black excellence, but Bryant is not the answer.
“I know you were probably met with some people who love – who love the idea – and some people who don’t,” said Irving on Thursday night after the Nets’ victory over Magic. “But, my goal is to honor the example that was set by that man.”
More than a year has passed since Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash with his daughter Gianna and seven others. Although it was understandable in the immediate sequence that people wanted to honor the impact he had as a hero for this generation of players and their support for women’s basketball, there was never a reckoning with the fact that Bryant only escaped a rape trial because the alleged victim told prosecutors that she couldn’t go on with the case after receiving death threats, he finally settled an out-of-court civil case.
“Although I really believe that this meeting between us was consensual, I now recognize that she did not see and does not see this incident in the same way that I do,” said Bryant in a 2004 statement.
There is a big difference between honoring Bryant’s positive impact on the NBA and on so many players and around the game, and making him the image that will define the league for decades to come. We can’t forget about rape just because we like someone.
In addition to Irving’s point here in Black History Month, if you want to talk about “BLACK KINGS BUILD THE LEAGUE,” honor someone who helped build the building. Wilt Chamberlain dunking it would be a fantastic choice. Or Bill Russell taking flight. Or Walt Frazier giving a pass. Or Robertson.
There are many excellent options. But the NBA can take a while, because, after all, there is nothing wrong with the logo as it is. Any changes they make, if they do, they need to be sure it’s an improvement, and making Bryant the logo wouldn’t be that.