Everyone is still mourning the loss of NBA and Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant. Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., on Sunday.
Around the NBA, there have been many tributes to Bryant. Those tributes include moments of silence, players honoring Bryant on their sneakers, and teams taking eight- and 24-second clock violations.
One fan, named Nick M., wants to have the legend honored by having the NBA logo changed to Bryant. This fan started a petition on Change.org to change the NBA logo so that it features Bryant.
“With the untimely and unexpected passing of the great Kobe Bryant please sign this petition in an attempt to immortalize him forever as the new NBA Logo,” Nick M. wrote in the petition. As of early Tuesday afternoon, the petition has more than two million signatures.
“I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this petition and made it possible,” Nick said in a message. “All of this is for Kobe! I wish Kobe was still here and I never had to make this petition to begin with. But sadly that isn’t the case [and] my condolences go out to the Bryant family and everyone who was involved in this accident.”
Michael Jones, managing director of Change.org, said in a statement that Nick’s petition is the fastest-growing on Change.org and is the first petition of 2020 to top one million signatures around the world.
The current NBA logo features a silhouette of former Lakers player and front office executive, Jerry West. However, West told ESPN’s Rachel Nichols three years ago that he doesn’t want to be on the logo anymore.
“I don’t like to do anything to call attention to myself, and when people see that, it’s just not who I am, period,” West said. “If they would want to change it, I wish they would. In many ways, I wish they would.”
Should the NBA change its logo to feature Kobe Bryant? Unfortunately, the answer is probably not. Changing the logo to feature Bryant would be a great way to honor Bryant, who was one of the greatest players in NBA history. However, just because he was a great player doesn’t mean that the NBA should change its logo to feature him. Changing the logo to feature Bryant would be wrong because not all great players get to be on the logo. Michael Jordan was one of the best NBA players and he wasn’t featured on the league’s logo. Just because Bryant was a great player doesn’t mean he should be on the logo.
However, the league should consider changing the logo temporarily. Changing the logo to Bryant until after the NBA Finals would be a great way to honor and pay tribute to him. It would also help the Lakers, the league, and fans heal from Bryant’s tragic death.
