It seems that the NBA will not be changing their logo to a silhouette of Kobe Bryant. There is a petition on change.org (which has racked up over 2.8 million signatures) that reads “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.”

I saw this online the day it was posted (roughly 1.5 million people ago) and thought it was a great idea. I was emotional about the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant, so of course I signed it. I couldn’t have signed it fast enough. To have my all-time favorite athlete as the NBA logo would be the greatest honor in preserving his legacy. But I was emotional. Three days removed from his death, and having some time to think clearly, I think I agree with the NBA on this one. Of course it would be cool to have Kobe’s signature fade-away jumper as the NBA logo, but from their perspective, it’s nonsensical.

Thousands of players, from Magic to Bird to Jordan have left their mark on the game as well. Although Kobe’s death was tragic and untimely, they don’t want to diminish the impact that former and current players have and will have on the game. So I indeed do think, “generic is better”.  However, if a year or two down the line the NBA determines this is how they want to honor Kobe, I will have no gripes with it whatsoever.