The petition to change the NBA logo to an image of Kobe Bryant is reaching astronomical numbers, and some fans believe they must be close to making the change a reality. On Friday, the petition passed the 3 million signature milestone, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Many fans are waiting to see how the NBA responds to this overwhelming outcry.
Bryant was one of the NBA’s most iconic stars of all time, and his passing last Sunday has sent shock waves throughout the world of sports, entertainment and beyond. Bryant’s impact on the sport was so undeniable that many fans want to see the NBA honor him by putting his image on their logo in some way.
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The biggest petition for this cause is on Change.org, started by a user named Nick M. In his original post, he asked simply that the NBA mark “the untimely and unexpected passing of the great Kobe Bryant” by “immortaliz[ing] him forever as the new NBA Logo.”
3 MILLION! THANK YOU EVERYBODY! 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/bw2XX8SNT2
— Tyvon Fettuccine (@ThatGuyN1CK) January 31, 2020
Nick hoped to get 100 signatures for his idea when he began, as he later explained on Twitter. In less than a week, however, he has secured over 3 million signatures and climbing.
Perhaps even more importantly, the idea has gotten vocal support from some prominent voices in the world of basketball. In his latest update, Nick pointed out that the NBA Players Association voiced support for his petition. Individual players have as well, including Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Celebrities have chimed in as well. Rapper Snoop Dogg endorsed the idea during an interview on Fox Sports’ Undisputed last week.
“Kobe was the type of athlete that even his enemies loved. And I think the NBA should change that logo to him,” he said.
“Kobe was the type of athlete that even his enemies loved. And I think the NBA should change that logo to him.” — @SnoopDogg #UDin60 pic.twitter.com/EYTnDO6clE
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 30, 2020
The current NBA logo is an all-white silhouette of former Lakers player Jerry West. However, West himself has said that he would love for the logo to be changed.
“First of all, I wish that had never gotten out, that logo. No I do, really,” he said in 2017, according to CBS Sports. “I’ve said it more than once… If they would want to change it, I wish they would. In many ways, I wish they would.”
If the logo were to become a similar silhouette of Bryant, many casual viewers might not ever even notice. On the other hand, some fans want to see a more recognizable rendering of Bryant there. They have been debating the design specifics on social media all week, under the hashtag “Change The Logo.”
My original goal was to merely get one hundred signatures I didn’t expect anything to come out of this. Less than a day later we now have over 250,000 signatures 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/VsWlRVNYGS
— Tyvon Fettuccine (@ThatGuyN1CK) January 27, 2020
So far, there is no concrete word on a change to the NBA logo. As always, online petitions come with no guarantee of impact, especially where corporate branding is concerned. Still, it is an inspiring metric of Bryant’s impact on over 3 million fans out there.
