While there has been no shortage of tributes to Kobe Bryant in the week since his tragic death, some fans are petitioning the NBA to add a special league-wide tribute to the “Black Mamba.”
In a petition started by Clayton Maurice, over 31,000 have signed to have the NBA add a stripe to jerseys alongside the one honoring late commissioner David Stern. The difference is that it wouldn’t just be a black stripe for Bryant.
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“Since the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, the NBA community is in shock. Kobe was the face of basketball for almost 20 years and is a symbol of perseverance, strength, and love,” the petition reads. “We want to commemorate Kobe without taking away from the current logo Jerry West. Which is why I propose a stripe similar to David Stern’s except this will be snakeskin in honour of the Black Mamba himself.”
The petition is seeking to get to 35,000 and managed to reach 30,000 by mid-week, making that goal a reality to kick off the week or close out Super Bowl Sunday.
As for the other mentioned tribute, there has been a push by other fans to have Bryant replace the unofficial NBA logo inspiration Jerry West in the classic red, white and blue logo. The NBA has never confirmed that West is the man behind the logo, but many fans have long speculated and investigated the player behind the white visage on the logo.
A stripe on the uniform is far more reasonable than the league changing their entire branding. This doesn’t mean it won’t happen with Bryant taking the torch from the NBA legend on the logo but there is precedent for the stripe or patches on uniforms across the league.
Bryant died on Jan. 26 as the result of a tragic helicopter accident that claimed the life of 8 others, including his teenage daughter Gianna. The shocking news sent ripples throughout the globe and the sports world, with many displaying shock on social media and scrambling to honor the fallen icon.
The Lakers grabbed much of the attention throughout the week leading up to their massive tribute on Friday night during their first home game since the shocking death. The upcoming All-Star game will also offer a slew of tributes honoring Bryant, including official changes to the way the game will be played.
It will be interesting to see how far it goes.
