LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 31: Golden State Warriors executive board member Jerry West sits on the bench by NBA logos before the game the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on March 31, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
NBABy Jesse Kramer on

The Logo wants to shed his nickname. NBA legend Jerry West said Friday on ESPN’s The Jump that he wishes the the association would change its logo from his silhouette.

Here’s what West said to Rachel Nichols:

“First of all, I wish that had never gotten out that I’m the logo. It’s flattering if that’s me, and I know it is me, but it is flattering. But to me, as I say 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 I think if I were the NBA, I would be embarrassed about it, I really would. I don’t like to do anything that calls 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 would.”

West was a two-time All-American in college at West Virginia and made the NBA All-Star Game in all 14 of his pro seasons with the Lakers. Currently, he is an executive with the Golden State Warriors.

Weirdly enough, his silhouette became the logo in 1969 when he was actually still playing at 31 years old. Just imagine the outrage LeBron James haters would have if James, currently 32, became the new NBA logo.

If the NBA listens to West and changes its logo, the obvious next question would be…what should the NBA’s new logo be? The NBA can keep its current logo if it wants, but if West says he doesn’t like it, maybe it’s time for an update.

If you ask me, the NBA has the coolest logo among the major American sports leagues simply because of West’s personality. Compare that to the plain NFL, NHL or MLS logos, or the MLB’s generic silhouette.

Nichols asked West who he would want to see replace him, and West suggested commissioner Adam Silver (probably joking as a cop out). ESPN NBA writer Israel Gutierrez and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were also on the panel, and Gutierrez pointed right at Kareem when Nichols asked the question.

A skyhook silhouette wouldn’t be such a bad replacement.

About Jesse Kramer

Jesse is a writer and editor for The Comeback. He has also worked for SI.com and runs The Catch and Shoot, a college basketball website based in Chicago. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Follow Jesse on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer.

View all posts by Jesse Kramer