Fans demand for Kobe Bryant to be the new face of NBA logo

A petition to change the face of the official NBA logo to the image of late Kobe Bryant has been signed by more than a million people.

The news of Bryant's death took the world by surprise on Sunday. He is considered to be one of the greatest basketball players in the game's history

Kobe a.k.a. Black Mamba and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in California.

The current logo was designed by Alan Siegel, and features the silhouette of another great LA Lakers player Jerry West, who is 81 years old.

Writing on Change.org, the petition's founder Nick M said: "With the untimely and unexpected passing of the great Kobe Bryant please sign this petition in an attempt to immortalise him forever as the new NBA logo."

Supporters have also tweeted their own versions of the logo, mocked up with Bryant's silhouette.

No disrespect to Jerry West but I think it’s time they change that #NBA Logo pic.twitter.com/1Gbr85amQa

— ???? AM . . (@too_smooth25) January 26, 2020

BBC confirms that apart from a tweak to the font in 2017, the logo for the National Basketball Association has been the same since it was first designed in 1971.

It is not clear whether the organisation would consider updating its logo with Bryant's silhouette. [BBC]