Should LeBron James Replace Jerry West As The Logo

LeBron James and Jerry West both represent the essence of the game. When James retires, should he be The Logo?

The similarities between LeBron James and Jerry West, who are All-Time greats, extend to the NBA Finals to their qualifications to be The Logo. West made it to nine NBA Finals but only came out with one victory. James has been to seven NBA Finals and come out with three victories.

In those losses for West, though, he played against four of those Finals against what’s now known as the greatest dynasty in NBA history, the Boston Celtics. West went 0-4 against those Celtics teams, led by two NBA legends and three Hall of Famers. Compare that with James facing the San Antonio Spurs, the greatest dynasty in the modern NBA, three times. James is 1-2 against the Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Three other losses for West came against a New York Knicks team that also had three Hall of Fame players, all who are NBA legends as well. James’ closest comparison would be his NBA Finals series against the Golden State Warriors, whose point guard Stephen Curry will be one of the most well-known players in the NBA history. James has went 1-1 against the Warriors in the NBA Finals and is expected to meet them in the Finals for a third consecutive season. This time the Warriors have added another future Hall of Famer in Kevin Durant.

Meanwhile, West’s singular victory came against a team headed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson. Both are Hall of Famers and two of the most well-known names in NBA history. In teams that James has, and likely will, only play once against in the NBA Finals, the closest comparison is his victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That team had three future Hall of Famers in Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden.

More from LeBron James

James also lost to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks. In that Finals loss, which is befuddling despite Nowitzki’s current status as one of six players in NBA history to score 30,000 points.

Fans can look at James’ two losses to the Spurs and recognize that James’ Cavaliers were overwhelmingly outmatched in 2007 and understand that Dwyane Wade, James’ second-in-command, played like a shell of himself in 2014. Wade’s declining physical health, and thus play, was noted as a reason for James’ eventual departure.

That loss against the Mavericks though? Nowitzki will be in the Hall of Fame. So too will Jason Kidd. Shawn Marion may make it as well. Tyson Chandler went on to win Defensive Player of the Year in the next season. Jason Terry is third all-time in three-point field goals made. Consider that Kyle Korver is ranked fifth on that same list. The Mavericks probably shouldn’t have one but they made the NBA Finals for a reason.

The Heat had three future Hall of Famers as well and Mike Miller is 20th on the list of all-time three-point field goals. However, Miller shot 29.7 percent in the playoffs in the 2010-11 season. In addition, where the Heat were still learning how to gel together under a rookie head coach, the core of the Mavericks (excluding Tyson Chandler) had played together for multiple seasons under a third-year head coach who had led them to three consecutive 50-win seasons.

Again, while James should have done more than score 17.8 points per game in the 2011 NBA Finals, he was also being used less than Chris Bosh in Finals. Wade went on to say that after that the Heat realized the team had to be centered around James, not him.

What happened after that is the development of the system the Cleveland Cavaliers have now and the Heat had in James’ final three years: give James the ball to be the quarterback for shooters, a secondary playmaker and ball-handler to keep his turnovers down and provide a substantial scoring punch, and most importantly, put James in the high-post and the low-block.

It wasn’t just a system that had James be a playmaker. It’s a team system in which James excelled in as the primary playmaker.

James had to work on his three-point shooting and post moves for such a system to thrive and did so immediately. It’s led to a 3-2 Finals record with that time. Both losses that come with an asterisk.

With West, context of who he played against didn’t figure into the conversation about why he should be the silhouette of the logo instead of players who had more success in the NBA Finals. However, Alan Siegel, who designed the NBA logo, had this to say about why West’s likeness was chosen:

"“It was dynamic, vertical and captured the essence of the game.”"

If success was all that played into it, The (current) Logo would get his wish and Michael Jordan would be The (new) Logo of the NBA.

However, Jordan in all his success, also differed from James in that he doesn’t represent the essence of the game in the exact way that West and James do. Evidence borne out in their averages at age 32.

James and West were the ultimate teammates and camaraderie, as seen in the NBA’s collective social conscience, attempts at international expansion and emphasis on ball-movement. At 32-years-old, Jordan averaged 30.4 points and 4.3 assists per game. Doing the math, Jordan averaged four more points himself but West and James created at least eight more points off of assists; West and James were more effective, offensively.

Jordan’s scoring average, field goal percentage and three-point percentage dropped in the two seasons after that. Yet, Jordan shot the same amount of field goals even with two future Hall of Famers on the team. In addition, his assists numbers fell each year. Jordan was getting the job done but much like Russell Westbrook, who Jordan has said is who he was as a player, he wasn’t a team player.

James, like West, represents camaraderie in the league. Off the court, he’s one of the biggest voices in the league and constantly speaks out about social issues of inequality and injustice. He constantly travels to China to host workouts for the young basketball players in the area. On the court, he’s been a player whose loved watching his teammates score since he was young and even at 32-years-old, he seems to take a particular joy in setting up his teammates for assists.

Even now, in March, as James is averaging 32.0 points per game, he’s averaging 8.0 assists per game.

The balance of individual dominance and camaraderie leads to players like James Jones and Zydrunas Ilgauskus leaving the places they’ve played their whole careers to play with him. It leads to veterans leaving millions of dollars on the table to play beside him. It leads players like Kyrie Irving being allowed to come into their own and Kevin Love feeling comfortable in their own skin in an unfamiliar setting. It leads to shooters like Kyle Korver, J.R. Smith and Channing Frye playing some of their best basketball of the decade.

It hasn’t always led to a ring but it has led to a legacy built to endure the test of time, both on and off the court.

Maybe it’s James’ humble beginnings or his status as the patriarch of the James clan. James, in ways a player like Jordan didn’t in his playing career, just seems to get it. The spirit of basketball is, in it’s most ideal form, a team game first and foremost. It’s just one that you can dominate in individually.

Jordan may be the most successful NBA player ever. However, it wasn’t without the team that was around him.

Head coach Phil Jackson won five NBA Finals series without Jordan. Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman. Horace Grant isn’t an all-time great but he had enough talent to be an NBA All-Star. Ron Harper won two rings without Jordan. Toni Kukoc. Steve Kerr and John Paxson were three-point specialists. Kukoc averaged 13.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in Jordan’s final season while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from three-point range.

James, like West, allows his superstar teammates to have a legacy that isn’t synonymous with his. Dwyane Wade will be remembered as one of the best shooting guards of All-Time and may always be the face of the Miami Heat franchise. Kyrie Irving will be remembered for his sensational abilities on offense and is being prepped to lead the franchise after James leaves. Both will be remembered for their plays before, during and after their days playing with James.

Wilt Chamberlain, who never averaged more points than West did when they were teammates, and Elgin Baylor, have legacies tied into Los Angeles Lakers history but they aren’t synonymous with West.

When you bring up Pippen or Rodman, people will make it seem like Jordan created their legacies as players.

James, like West, represents The Logo in a that’s rarely said aloud but understood. He represents camaraderie. He represents fraternity. The brotherhood of the NBA, in which only a tiny percent of the total population will ever play in, is sacred. It’s special. Everyone in the NBA understands that their career can be over at the drop of a dime. That’s why there’s a respect for players leaving their team to be more successful or having a maniacal work ethic to be at the top. There’s even a respect for player’s they don’t like..

James, in ways Jordan never could, represents the essence of basketball. Teamwork. That’s why, if it ever changes, he should be The Logo of the NBA.

James’ likeness delivering a pinpoint pass would be perfect for the new design. Not every player will excel as a scorer, nor will they be blessed with above-average athleticism. They won’t be the best passers in the league either.

However, every player can and should get his teammates involved as often as possible. No matter how great they are.

Do you think that LeBron James should be the logo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.

*All un-linked states referenced from www.basketball-reference.com