Kobe Bryant fans petition NBA to feature silhouette of Laker great as logo
"[I hope] our dream does come true, and we are able to see Kobe Bryant engraved into the NBA Logo."
By ZACHARY KEYSERA man polishes the mural in memory of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, painted hours after they died in a helicopter crash, on the basketball court of a housing tenement in Taguig City, Metro Manila(photo credit: REUTERS)
Nearly 2 million people have signed a petition urging the National Basketball Association (NBA) to use a silhouette of Kobe Bryant as the official NBA logo in a tribute to the legendary future hall-of-famer.The current logo, designed by Alan Siegel, features a silhouette of Los Angeles Lakers great and West Virginia native Jerry West. The NBA has been using the iconic three-color logo inspired by the MLB since 1971.Change.org said that the petition itself, is the fastest growing supplication on its website. The petition under consideration has already been signed by celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Usher and Justin Bieber - the first in 2020 to top 1 million signatures anywhere on the globe.Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers in Calabasas, California on Sunday. He and his daughter were on their way to participate in a travel basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy – owned by the former basketball player and named after the late great's nickname, "The Black Mamba.""The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement."For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning. He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary... But he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability."Bryant rose to stardom as an 18-year-old rookie, coming straight out of high school to immediately competing alongside, and as one of, the best of the best – transcending the sport as one of the great talents and minds of basketball, displaying on a regular basis the definition of hard work and what it means to be a truly determined human being, on and off the court. Love and love for basketball.He played the entirety of his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers until his retirement in 2016, 18 of them as an all-star forward. He won five NBA championships, was a two-time NBA Finals MVP and leaves the world as the NBA's all-time fourth-leading scorer.The cause of the crash is still unknown; an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board could take months."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," the petition's statement, created by Nick M, read."[I hope] our dream does come true, and we are able to see Kobe Bryant engraved into the NBA Logo."The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is bypassing the normal election process and making the late Kobe Bryant the first inductee of the 2020 class, The Athletic reported Monday."Expected to be arguably the most epic class ever with Kobe, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett," Hall of Fame chairman Jerry Colangelo said, per the report. "Kobe will be honored the way he should be."Bryant was virtually assured of being elected on the first ballot in his first year of eligibility this year.Reuters contributed to this report.
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