There's no need to take Jerry West out of the NBA logo. He's a legend of the game, has achieved everything from an NBA Championship as a player to an NBA Championship as an executive — actually, he's won eight of those — and is one of the most well-respected names around in the sport of basketball.
And though he realizes how much of an honor it is to be the single silhouette chosen to represent the league on every jersey, in every broadcast and for every NBA-related brand or product around, he doesn't really like all of the attention.
"I wish that had never gotten out that I'm the logo," West said on ESPN's "The Jump" in 2017. "I really do. I've said it more than once, and it was flattering that that's me... I played in a time when they first started to try to market the league. There were five people that they were gonna consider, and I didn't find out about it until the late commissioner told me about it, Walter Kennedy. And then obviously the New York Times had a big article about it.
"Again, it's flattering, but if I were the NBA I'd be embarrassed about it... I don't like to do anything to call attention to myself, and when people say that, that's just not who I am, period. And if they would want to change it, I wish they would. In many ways, I wish they'd would."
But four years after West announced that somewhat surprising news, no changes have been made. That's what we're here for. Considering there are only eight teams left in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, and seeing as we're nearing the end of a tumultuous, pandemic-ridden era, we created eight new logo ideas, one for each team still standing. Perhaps whichever player represents the team that ultimately wins the Finals could then become that logo — though some would clearly be better options than others, as you'll see below.
Disclaimer: no, these are not actually the players I would choose to put on the NBA logo if I were in charge of finding its new design. But in honor of the playoffs, let's have a little fun with these eight representatives of the eight remaining teams in title contention, and we'll turn it into a quiz format for your added entertainment.
Here are the eight logos — again, one for each team — in no particular order.
Logo No. 1
Scott Krava via (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Clue 1: He's the highest-scoring member of his draft class, just beating out Karl-Anthony Towns and his 22.9 PPG career scoring average.
Clue 2: He's one of 22 players in league history with three seasons of 25 PPG before turning 25 years old.
Clue 3: He's one of six players ever to score 70 points in a single game.
Logo No. 1: Devin Booker
Scott Krava via (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Booker's incredible scoring abilities came in handy throughout the first round of the playoffs, as he and his No. 2 Phoenix Suns were able to defeat the fearsome No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers and keep their unexpectedly brilliant season alive.
Logo No. 2
Scott Krava via (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)Clue 1: He knows how to draw contact and get to the line, leading the NBA in free throw attempts for the 2020-21 season with 581.
Clue 2: As the above picture might indicate, he's a fearsome dunker who has participated in the dunk contest... but came in last place the only time he tried.
Clue 3: He's the leading career scorer from his native country.
Logo No. 2: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Scott Krava via (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)Considering he already has two MVP awards under his belt and is just 26 years old, you won't find too many people who disagree Giannis is a face of the NBA and all that it stands for, including an increasingly international presence and the importance of position-less players in today's game.
Logo No. 3
Scott Krava via (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Clue 1: This player finally broke the 50-point plateau in a game during the 2020-21 season.
Clue 2: This player took at least 18 percent of his total attempts from each of the following zones: at the rim, short range, mid range and three-point range. Talk about a balanced attack.
Clue 3: He goes by a moniker that was also the name of a recent Best Picture nominee.
Logo No. 3: Nikola Jokic
Scott Krava via (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Joker ain't playing around this year. He led the NBA in, oh, just stats like offensive win shares, total win shares, box score plus/minus and Value Over Replacement Player (VORP). You know, only the metrics that give you the clearest idea of who really is the most valuable player the league has to offer in any given season.
Logo No. 4
Scott Krava via (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Clue 1: As we found out on Monday, he once apparently went on a date with an adult film actress... and brought a backup date with him, just in case.
Clue 2: That clue didn't help? Sorry... how about that he's a member of the 50-40-90 club and was just .018 away from a 90 percent free throw percentage this season that would have made him a two-time member?
Clue 3: He has the same amount of 25 PPG seasons as Michael Jordan, Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant, tying him with them at second all-time in that category.
Logo No. 4: Kevin Durant
Scott Krava via (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)KD had no trouble bouncing back from a season-long injury nor blending in with his new surrounding in Brooklyn, finishing with 26.9 points per game and a scorching career-high 45 percent stroke from beyond the arc, the first time he's ranked in the top ten in the league.
Logo No. 5
Scott Krava via (Bob Levey/Getty Images)Clue 1: The little guy on the left isn't too hard to figure out, given a certain feature that you can see even in a silhouette.
Clue 2: The guy on the right is a little bit tougher because you can't make out whether he's about to dunk the ball or block a shot... but neither one would be surprising in the slightest.
Clue 3: Could these two players see each other in the Finals? It wouldn't be a huge shock...
Logo No. 5: Rudy Gobert and James Harden
Scott Krava via (Bob Levey/Getty Images)Yeah, yeah. James Harden is no longer a Houston Rocket... but in a silhouette, who can tell? That's the beauty of it. And would the NBA logo-ize the man who many associate with the coronavirus shutdown? Maybe not. Still, it makes for a cool logo and features two core members of two premier teams in this year's playoffs.
Logo No. 6
Scott Krava via (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Clue 1: Yeah, you see those fingers? In the "three" formation? He hits a good amount of those.
Clue 2: He averaged a whopping 29.2 points per game in the first playoff series he ever played in.
Clue 3: Some of his treys are so impressive that you could almost spit from the seats in surprise... that was too obvious.
Logo No. 6: Trae Young
Scott Krava via (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)New York Knicks fans might not like the idea of this logo too much. In fact, with the way Game 1 went in the second round, 76ers fans probably aren't too keen on the idea either.
Logo No. 7
Scott Krava via Getty ImagesClue 1: He's no stranger to the playoffs, with postseason appearances in multiple rounds for multiple teams.
Clue 2: His career scoring average of 19.2 points is lower than his playoff scoring average of 21.0, meaning he's stepped it up when it matters most.
Clue 3: See the hand at the end of that outstretched arm in the logo? It's huge — more two inches longer than the average human hand.
Logo No. 7: Kawhi Leonard
Scott Krava via Getty ImagesIf the Clippers can rally past an unconvincing first-round victory over the Mavericks, it'll be because of Leonard's greatness. It's already led him to two Finals victories, and getting a ring with three different teams would be quite the accomplishment to up his worthiness of inclusion in the logo discussion.
Logo No. 8
Scott Krava via (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)Clue 1: You don't need three clues for this one.
Logo No. 8: Joel Embiid
Scott Krava via (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)Thrust the Process!
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