Designing a Global Icon

A game in search of an identity

It was 1969. The National Basketball Association was locked in a bitter battle against its upstart rival, the American Basketball Association. At stake: fans, players, media—and millions of dollars.

The ABA had different rules, a flashier style of play. It had the fire and moxie of the underdog. But who was the NBA?

NBA commissioner J. Walter Kennedy thought he had the answer: the NBA should be the national league of basketball—like the MLB was to baseball. To be like the MLB, they’d need a logo like the MLB. Something instantly iconic, patriotic, easy to market. Something that looked great on shirts, hats, bags…anything and everything.

So they needed the guy who had overseen the development of the MLB logo. The NBA turned to Alan Siegel, founder of Siegel+Gale.

Capturing a timeless image

Seeking inspiration, Siegel poured through the photo archives of Sport magazine. A particular photo of the All-Star Jerry West grabbed his attention: It was dynamic, it was vertical, it captured the essence of the game.

Our design team streamlined the image, and turned West’s silhouette into a white shape in motion—encased in red and blue halves, mirroring the treatment of the MLB logo. With the letters "NBA" at the bottom, the abbreviation took hold in the public's consciousness.

A mark worth billions

More that 40 years later, the NBA logo is one of the world's most recognized symbols of sports, and an unmistakable emblem of American culture. Today, this classic image generates $3 billion a year in licensing, and the NBA name symbolizes the pinnacle of excellence in professional basketball.