National Basketball Association pioneer Oscar Robertson was featured in many discussions this year, as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook on Sunday notched his 42 triple double of the 2016-17 season, breaking The Big O’s mark set in the 1961-62 campaign. The news cycle has come to include a contemporary of the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks star, with Jerry West, who sniped his way to 25,192 points for the Los Angeles Lakers, reiterating Friday that he feels the NBA should abandon using his silhouette as its logo.
“If they would want to change it, I wish they would,” the latter legend said on ESPN’s “The Jump” of the logo that the league selected in 1969 and debuted two years later. “In many ways, I wish they would.”
Inspecting his career highlights as a player and an executive will definitely inspire many “Wow!” and “He did that, too?” utterances, with the Hall of Famer claiming one title on the floor and seven as a front office figure, tallying 14 All-Star nods, earning 10 First-Team All-League honors and receiving placement on the association’s 35th and 50th anniversary squads. While those and many other accolades distinguish the West Virginia product, who could claim yet another championship as an executive board member of the Golden State Warriors, owners of the league’s best record and the 2015 titlists, he believes his 6-foot-3 frame should bow to another bearer, joking on the show that commissioner Adam Silver “would look great.” Two years ago, West, who sits at 20th on the league’s all-time scoring list, touted Michael Jordan, the fourth-best marksman, as his successor, given the Chicago Bull dynamo’s marketability.
“Again, it’s flattering, but if I were the NBA, I would be embarrassed about it,” the 78-year-old, who won the NBA championship the season following the logo’s implementation, told ESPN. “I don’t like to do anything to call attention to myself, and when people call me ‘The Logo,’ it’s just not who I am, period.”
Because of his enduring presence in the sport, one wonders if league overseers might seriously consider granting West his wish. His appearance on “The Jump” could prove the starting point for a look at how they wish to market the game, but it could simply end up being another means for West, who shunned the spotlight during his 14 seasons in The City of Angels, to stress that other icons deserve their due. With the playoffs looming and the league’s Basketball Related Income expected to hit $8 billion this year, owners might adopt an “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, and that stance could include leaving Mr. Clutch’s dribbling depiction as the graphic embodiment of their performers’ skill sets.
