A year ago when Kobe Bryant died there were a number of suggestions for how the league could honor one of its all-time greats. They ultimately settled on naming the All-Star MVP award after him and used the new Elam Ending to be a race to 24 points in the final quarter as another tribute.
There were some who wanted the league to do more, including a push to change the NBA logo from the silhouette of Jerry West to a silhouette of Kobe. On Wednesday, Kyrie Irving, who was a close friend of Bryant’s and has been among the many in the NBA to pay tribute to Bryant on numerous occasions over the past year, revived that push with an Instagram post that garnered support from others around the league like Carmelo Anthony, saying “BLACK KINGS BUILT THE LEAGUE.”
It seems doubtful that the NBA is going to make the change, but if players continue to bring it up it’s possible that they’d consider it. The naming of the All-Star MVP award after Bryant was the league’s chief annual measure to ensure Kobe is honored each year, but his impact on this generation of stars makes it unsurprising that they’d want to see a bit more and an update to the league’s long-time logo.