January 30, 2020
Over 3 Million People Sign Petition to Get Kobe Bryant as the New NBA Logo
Ever since the death of Los Angeles Lakers’ beloved basketball player Kobe Bryant, there has been a big push to place his likeness as the official NBA logo, according to ABC News.
A petition has been started at Change.org to replace Jerry West’s likeness with the late Kobe Bryant. According to Change.org, Nick Moghtader started the petition shortly after news of Bryant’s death.
“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,” Moghtader wrote in the petition.
The iconic NBA logo was originally designed by Alan Siegel back in 1969. He mentioned previously that he based the prominently featured silhouette on another Lakers legend, Jerry West. Although he never formally or officially admitted that his likeness was the image, West reluctantly admitted it was him in a 2017 interview with the Washington Post, saying the gesture was both flattering and embarrassing.
“Nick’s petition is not only the fastest-growing on Change.org, it’s also the first petition of 2020 to top 1 million signatures anywhere in the globe,” Michael Jones, managing director of Change.org, said in a statement to CNN. “As the world comes to terms with the death of someone as famous and well-known as Kobe Bryant, Nick has given basketball fans an outlet to create a permanent memory of someone who made history in the NBA.”
Moghtader, who’s from Vancouver, British Columbia, and started the campaign said, “I truly cannot express this, the support from you guys has been overwhelmingly amazing.”
“I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this petition and made it possible,” he said in a statement. “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, my condolences go out to the Bryant family and everyone who was involved in this accident,” he added.
The 41-year-old basketball legend died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people.
Bryant spent his entire 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a five-time NBA World Champion, a two-time Finals MVP, and the 2008 Most Valuable Player. During Bryant’s career, he made the All-Star team 18 times. He was the youngest player to reach 30,000 points. Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016; in his final game, he scored an NBA-season high 60 points.