You see it everywhere. It’s on the hardwood, stitched into $200 jerseys, and flickering in the corner of your screen during every highlight reel. That red, white, and blue silhouette of a player leaning into a sleek, vertical dribble. Almost everyone knows that figure is Jerry West. But here is the weird part: the NBA has spent over fifty years basically pretending they don't know who it is.
Honestly, it’s one of the most bizarre "open secrets" in professional sports history.
The story starts in 1969. The NBA was kind of in a panic. They were fighting for eyeballs and money against a rival league called the ABA (the guys with the red, white, and blue ball). Commissioner J. Walter Kennedy needed a brand that felt professional and "big league." He hired a designer named Alan Siegel, who had recently knocked it out of the park with the Major League Baseball logo.
Siegel didn't hold a massive committee meeting or run focus groups. He went to a buddy named Dick Schaap, who was an editor at Sport magazine, and started flipping through old photos. He wasn't looking for the "best" player. He was looking for a specific vibe.
The Split-Second Decision
Among thousands of photos, Siegel found a shot of West captured by photographer Wen Roberts. It wasn't a dunk or a flashy layup. It was just West, "Mr. Clutch," mid-dribble.
Siegel loved the verticality of it. It looked fast. It looked graceful. He traced it, slapped some colors on it, and the NBA had its identity in about an hour. It’s actually kind of funny how casual the whole thing was. One of the most valuable brand marks on the planet was born because a guy in a New York office thought a specific photo had "nice flavor."
But if you ask the league office today? They’ll give you a corporate shrug. They call it "the silhouette."
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Why the NBA Refuses to Say His Name
You’d think the league would want to celebrate West. He was a 14-time All-Star, a champion, and arguably the greatest executive in basketball history (he's the guy who traded for Kobe and signed Shaq). So, why the cold shoulder on the logo?
It basically comes down to two things: money and "the brand."
- Legal Liability: If the NBA officially admits it is Jerry West, they might technically owe him—or his estate—royalties. We are talking about a logo that generates billions in licensing. Even a fraction of a percent would be a staggering amount of money.
- Institutional vs. Individual: The league wants the logo to represent everyone. They want it to be an abstract ideal of basketball excellence, not just one guy from West Virginia who played in the 60s. By keeping it "anonymous," the logo remains timeless.
Jerry West himself was actually fine with the silence. In fact, he kind of hated being "The Logo."
"I Wish They Would Change It"
For a guy who was one of the fiercest competitors to ever step on a court, West was surprisingly humble—and maybe a little bit tortured. He was a perfectionist who obsessed over his losses more than his wins.
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In a 2017 interview with ESPN, West straight-up said, "I wish that it had never gotten out that I’m the logo." He called the whole thing "embarrassing."
He didn't like the attention. He felt it was unfair to other legends like Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain. Toward the end of his life, he even suggested they should change it to Michael Jordan.
"If they would want to change it, I wish they would. In many ways, I wish they would." — Jerry West
There was also a deeper, more uncomfortable layer to his feelings. West once mentioned that when the logo was being designed, he was one of five players considered. The others were Black. He felt a sense of guilt or unease that the league—at a time when it was becoming dominated by Black superstars—chose the one white guy to be the face of the brand forever.
The Kobe Bryant Debate
When Kobe Bryant passed away in 2020, a massive movement started to change the logo to his silhouette. Millions of people signed a petition. Kyrie Irving posted about it. Vanessa Bryant supported it.
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It made sense emotionally. Kobe was the bridge between West’s era and the modern game. Plus, West was the guy who brought Kobe to the Lakers; their relationship was like father and son.
But Commissioner Adam Silver shot the idea down. His reasoning was pretty practical: the logo is iconic and globally recognized. Changing it would be a logistical nightmare of epic proportions. Every court, every jersey, every piece of letterhead across the globe would have to be replaced.
The Practical Reality of "The Logo"
If you’re looking at this from a branding or business perspective, there are a few things to take away from the jerry west nba logo saga.
First, simplicity wins. Siegel’s design works because it doesn't try to do too much. It’s three colors and a shape. You can see it from 100 yards away and know exactly what it is.
Second, a brand can grow bigger than the person who inspired it. Most Gen Z fans don’t look at that logo and think "Oh, that's the guy who averaged 31 points a game in 1966." They just think "Basketball."
What you can do next: If you want to see the "DNA" of the logo for yourself, go look up the original Wen Roberts photo of West. When you see the actual image side-by-side with the red and blue graphic, the resemblance is undeniable. The tilt of the head, the way the left arm is tucked—it’s a perfect mirror.
Also, it's worth checking out the MLB logo. Once you see them together, you’ll realize Alan Siegel basically used the same "silhouette-in-a-colored-box" template for both. It’s a masterclass in how a single design style can define the look of American sports for over half a century.