Kyrie Irving renews will to make Kobe Bryant the logo of the NBA

Kyrie Irving said Wednesday that Kobe Bryant should be the NBA’s new logo, reigniting debate on the issue.

“[I don’t care] what everyone else says, “Irving wrote on an Instagram post alongside a mockup of a Kobe logo, while adding in all caps:” THE BLACK KINGS BUILD THE LEAGUE. “

This is not Bryant’s first attempt to replace legend Jerry West as the new NBA logo.

Shortly after Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, along with seven other people, more than two million people signed an online petition for the logo change. Since Irving’s publication, the petition now has more than 3.2 million signatures on Wednesday night.

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, also took to Instagram to support Irving’s push, writing: “Love this @kyrieirving.”

Alan Siegel, who created the logo, also said at the time of Bryant’s death that he was open to it being changed.

“It is clear that this [Bryant] was a figure highly respected by players and around the world and that’s a really serious thing that should be considered by the league, ”Siegel told Newsweek.

West, who didn’t take advantage of the logo’s likeness, also said in 2015 that he was open to the logo change, suggesting Michael Jordan.

The NBA didn’t change the logo, which has been in use since 1969, as it doesn’t recognize West as the player on the logo, according to a report from Yahoo Sports at the time.

According to the report, the idea of ​​the NBA not having an individual player as their logo is due to the fact that since there are so many players who have helped the game grow, it is best to go generic.

Bryant’s life has not been without controversy. In 2003, a 19-year-old hotel worker accused the then 25-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star of raping her in his hotel room at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, Colorado.

Prosecutors dropped the charges in 2004 after the accuser failed to testify. A civil case she brought against him was settled out of court in 2005 for an undisclosed amount.

Bryant was Irving’s idol as he grew up in West Orange, NJ, reviewing YouTube clips of the Lakers icon. They became friends, and Irving FaceTimed Bryant from the Cavaliers locker room just after winning the 2016 NBA title.