lakerRD wrote:Danny Darko wrote:Jerry West still deserves to be the logo... his response to this confirms it.
Things between the org and Jerry are what they are, but Jerry is the MAN. and I cry my eyes out every time he talks about Kobe.
Kobe... pick a number 8 or 24 maybe both... but retire that league wide.
I agree that West still deserves to be the logo.
If this tragedy hadn’t happened, no one would have thought about changing the logo.
But I think the league and the fans NEED this change.
In other words, it would be an intervention to help people heal, and this healing will take years if not decades. And from the nation-wide reaction that we are witnessing, it is obviously not just affecting Laker fans , but all fans, and even non-fans. It has affected multiple generations. Men and women.
I am a huge West fan, and for the sake of the mourning people and their healing process,I would welcome changing the logo to Kobe.
I know Jerry would too.
Personally, I was pretty shocked they didn't change the Logo to MJ when he finally retired... The NBA loved them some MJ back then. He pretty much single-handedly took the league to the next level from a marketability standpoint, and they protected MJ more than I've seen them protect any other player since. It seemed to me that MJ becoming the logo was a foregone conclusion.
Maybe MJ wanted royalties or something.
But all things considered, I think a logo change is long overdue. I love Jerry West and all, but his NBA is long gone.
And I'm fairly certain, Kobe's only shot at becoming the logo is if it happens in the next few days. Because any longer than that, and the sting of his death is going to wear off enough for the league to start being more concerned about lasting marketability.
They'll give him the HOF... But whether or not he committed an actual crime, Kobe **** up in CO, and the league will never want to be bound to his legacy in that way.
Even if they do give Kobe the Logo, my guess would be that it would be temporary and it'd get changed to MJ or someone like that eventually.
In fact, it would make a whole lot more sense from a Marketing standpoint, to rotate the Logo every couple years. They'd sell a hell of a lot more swag that way.
Never have rice at Hanzo's house...