The Man, the Logo, the Legend

For lovers of basketball, not a single soul is unfamiliar with the famous NBA logo. The red, white and blue logo solidifies itself as a representation of the league and how far it has come from its glory days from becoming established in 1946. But there are still those who don’t know how the famous logo came to be. Inspired in 1969, this logo holds a special place for a certain NBA living legend who graces the city of Los Angeles. A legend who holds eight NBA Championship Titles, and left his mark in the NBA as one of the greatest general managers in the league, helping the Los Angeles Lakers win Six NBA Championship rings.

The Legendary Clutch

Jerry West, also known as ‘Mr. Clutch,’ played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960 to 1974. The West Virginia native began his basketball career in high school, leading his team to a championship that drew colleges nationwide. The 6-foot-3-inch phenom was an All-American while attending West Virginia University, becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. West was drafted to the Lakers in 1960, with a career that is still unmatched today. He holds eight NBA Championships as a player, two NBA Executive of the Year awards, 14 NBA All-Star appearances, 10 First Team All-NBA selections, and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

After retiring from the NBA in 1974, West became the head coach for the Lakers for the following three years. He then spent three more years as their scout before becoming the general manager in 1982. His jersey was retired in 1983, with West having a career scoring average of 27.0 ranking the fourth all-time in NBA History. West continued to shape and work with the Lakers up until 2000. He then went on to work for the newer Memphis Grizzlies team from 2002-2007, helping them get to their first playoffs. He then switched gears and became an adviser for the Golden State Warriors in 2011, helping them to win two NBA Championship titles. He now is a consultant for the Los Angeles Clippers, helping the team to become stronger and began their revolutionized team, hungry for victory. 

New Face for the Iconic Logo?

The iconic NBA logo is a silhouette of Jerry West. However, West has expressed that he no longer wants to be the embodiment of the NBA logo. This logo that represents the league we know and love was created in 1969 by designer Alan Siegel who found inspiration from looking at West in magazines. But the living legend doesn’t want notoriety. 

“I wish that it had never gotten out that I’m the logo,” said West. "I don’t like to do anything to call attention to myself, and when people say that, it’s just not who I am, period. If they would want to change it, I wish they would. In many ways, I wish they would.”

Since the death of retired Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, more than 2 million basketball fans have signed a petition to hve the NBA logo changed to a silhouette of him in his honor. Alan Siegel, creator of the NBA logo, is even open for this change.

"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," creator Nick M wrote on the Change.org petition."We hope our dream does come true and we are able to see Kobe Bryant engraved into the NBA Logo."

There have also been talks about Michael Jordan being the new silhouette of the NBA logo. Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, was also elected to 14 NBA All-Star teams and is widely regarded as the best player in league history. Even West agreed to this suggestion. However, whether he likes it or not, the logo still remains the trademark for Jerry West, the living legend who continues to be marked down in NBA history as one of the gretest basketball stars who have ever played the game.