Lakers' Jeanie Buss Agrees That NBA Should Change Logo to Kobe Bryant

Adam Wells @adamwells1985Featured ColumnistFebruary 26, 2021

FILE - In this March 3, 2017, file photo, Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss sits in the stands prior to an NBA basketball game between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics, in Los Angeles. A battle over control of the Lakers is over after an agreement was reached to have Jeanie Buss serve as controlling owner of the storied NBA franchise. Documents filed Monday, March 27, 2017, in Los Angeles Superior Court state that Jim and Johnny Buss have agreed that their sister will serve as the controlling owner for the rest of her life. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Los Angeles Lakers CEO Jeanie Buss has joined the chorus of people advocating for the idea that the NBA should make Kobe Bryant the new logo of the NBA.

Buss voiced her support for the change originally suggested by Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving:

Jeanie Buss @JeanieBuss
I agree with Vanessa Bryant. Kobe set a standard and players agree too. Let me know what you think. https://t.co/5dpMGZuDKA

Irving posted an image of Bryant as the NBA logo on Instagram with this caption: "Gotta Happen, idc what anyone says. BLACK KINGS BUILT THE LEAGUE."

The post has so far received 1.27 million likes and received an endorsement from Vanessa Bryant, Kobe's widow:

Matthew Moreno @MMoreno1015
Vanessa Bryant supports Kyrie Irving’s idea of changing the NBA logo to Kobe. https://t.co/o2TJSnFNJv

A silhouette of Lakers legend Jerry West has been the NBA's official logo since 1969. Alan Siegel, who was working with the league at the time as a brand identity consultant, designed the logo that has been used for the past 52 years.

Jonathan Coleman, who co-wrote West's autobiography, West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life, told Aaron Dodson of The Undefeated in 2017 that West is "proud to be the logo, but it's also embarrassing to him, in equal measure."

Bryant was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame last year in his first year of eligibility. The 18-time All-Star was one of nine people killed in a January 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content