The NBA will study the withdrawal of number 24 on all its teams and may change its logo with the silhouette of the legendary escort.
Bryant, with his Olympic gold, on the London 2012 podium.
On February 14, during the weekend of the All-Star, the NBA announce the finalists to enter the Hall of Fame, before confirming in April the identity of the elected. However, Kobe Bryant's tragic death seems to have accelerated the procedure. “I have no doubt. Kobe be honored as he deserves,” said Jerry Colangelo, president of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
“It will be the best promotion ever, with Kobe, Tim Duncan and Kevin Durant,” Colangelo confirmed to The athletic. “On Wednesday we met in Dallas to discuss this issue,” said the former Suns coach, 80, one of the leading figures in American basketball.
The ceremony will take place on August 29 in Springfield (Massachusetts), the city where James Naismith created the first rules of basketball in 1891. That day the entry of Tamika Catchings and Swin Cash, stars of the WNBA, is also taken for granted. Also, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Michael Finley, Tim Hardaway, Mark Jackson, Shawn Marion or Chris Webber are emerging as other candidates.
Crawford and change
The Hall of Fame initiative is only the first step in the tributes that the NBA will pay to Bryant's memory in the coming months. And is that just a few hours after knowing the tragic death of the escort, the Dallas Mavericks announced that they will withdraw the number 24.
“None of our players show that number again,” said Mark Cuban, owner of the Texas franchise. It is very likely that in the coming weeks the league prohibits all teams from playing with the aforementioned '24'.
Likewise, the NBA will be able to study the change of its known badge, where Jerry West's silhouette has been drawn for decades. The popular initiative was enhanced by a comment from Jamal Crawford on Twitter. “Kobe should be the new logo,” the former Knicks escort spread.
According to the criteria of