Should LeBron James be the new logo of the NBA?

A logo has to tell a story

Although LeBron James is deservedly in the discussion for the greatest player of all time, and he’s as good an ambassador as the league has ever had, I believe the NBA should keep its current logo and find another way to honor James when his career is over.

Every brand’s logo is a visual symbol of a larger narrative. In the case of the NBA, the image of Jerry West dribbling a basketball in the late 1960s can be directly connected to a league that was trying to establish itself as one of the four major sports in North America. In this day and age, the NBA may have a global impact, but in the era of Jerry West and his contemporaries, that was not the case.

West was taken by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1960 NBA draft. Before the start of his rookie season, the team relocated to Los Angeles. His playing career coincided with the team’s relocation to the West Coast and the NBA’s expansion into a major market.

The Lakers quickly became one of the marquee franchises in the league, and their games became events that celebrities liked to attend. The team hadn’t reached the popularity of its 1980s Showtime incarnation, but the stage was set for something special to happen.

In addition to helping the NBA’s new West Coast addition become a successful franchise, Jerry West was a great ambassador of the game. Along with Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain, West became one of the NBA’s celebrity athletes whom casual sports fans were aware of and could easily recognize. Jerry West’s image is not just that of a player dribbling a ball; it is synonymous with that of a league that was expanding in its territory and influence.