Kobe Bryant fans start petition to make star the new NBA Logo – and it’s attracted 235,000 signatures already – The Sun
FANS of Kobe Bryant are urging the NBA to make the basketball legend the face of the league’s logo.
A Change.org petition circulating online received more than 235,000 of its continually changing 300,000 signature-goal as of this morning.
Kobe died yesterday at 41 years old.
He, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and others, was aboard a helicopter that was flying low and in fog that ultimately crashed in Calabasas, California around 10am.
The iconic sports great retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history.
The self-nicknamed “Black Mamba” finished his professional career with 33,643 points, all of which were scored as a Los Angeles Laker.
The petition, started by “Nick M,” reads: “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.”
“I hope with our effort that our dream does come true and we are able to see Kobe Bryant engraved into the NBA Logo.”
The petition organizer added: “Let’s continue to spread this petition out! And as Kobe would’ve said, ‘Mamba out’.”
The NBA’s current logo was debuted in 1971 and features the silhouette of Jerry West, another NBA legend who in 2019 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Donald Trump.
Once he retired, West coached the Lakers for three seasons before moving to the front office, where he signed such greats as Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal — and Bryant.
West was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.
His silhouette is found all over the place in the NBA and serves as the basis of the NBA logo: a player dribbling a ball set against a red-and-blue background.
After news of Bryant’s death broke yesterday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league was “devastated by the tragic passing” of Bryant and his daughter.
“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning.”
“He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary: five NBA championships, an NBA MVP award, 18 NBA All-Star selections, and two Olympic gold medals.”
Silver said Bryant “will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability.”
He described the legend as “generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna.”
“We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Vanessa, and their family, the Lakers organization and the entire sports world.”
Fans on the Change.org petition were vocal about why they think the logo should feature Bryant.
“If there was ever a time for an update and to someone who deserves it and has given his entire life to basketball, is now,” one fan wrote.
Another said: “Kobe was loved world wide & helped the sport become popular all over the world.”
“There couldn’t be a better way of showing how big of a part he was in everybody’s life involved in the NBA whether officially or as a fan, than having him as the new logo on everything that’s NBA Official letting his memory live on forever.”
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