NBA star Kyrie Irving has forcefully resuscitated the topic of finally changing the NBA logo to a silhouette of the late great Kobe Bryant.
Irving, the New Jersey Nets basketball savant point guard who is famously outspoken, posted his thoughts for his 14 million Instagram followers.
Down in the comments section, as to drive his point home with more force, Irving wrote this:
“To: All the people who say it is not about color.
“BLACK” or “BLACK KINGS”
That’s what we call ourselves
And that’s what oppressors refused to call MY ancestors.
BLACK KINGS. Deal with it!”
The NBA logo has remained virtually the same since Alan Siegel designed it ostensibly after the Hall of Famer Jerry West in 1971. But the request for a change to the logo began almost immediately after the Black Mamba and his daughter passed on Jan. 26, 2020, along with seven others in a helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles.
Along with West’s endorsement, there is a petition demanding the change, which has garnered over 3.2 million signatures. “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,” petition creator Nick M. penned on Change.org.
Bryant’s remarkable resume certainly warrants serious consideration from the NBA. By the time he retired in 2016 after 20 years, Bryant had won five championship titles, was named finals MVP twice and won two Olympic gold medals. The NBA star will posthumously enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and others in May.
Not surprisingly, Irving’s campaign got the seal of approval from Bryant’s widow, Vanessa.
Vanessa Bryant shows Kyrie Irving love after he said Kobe should be the new NBA logo 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/p5b8rj7XTL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 24, 2021
