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NBPA looks for fan assist on logo

After bringing in new leadership, the National Basketball Players Association is seeking a new look and reaching out to fans for help.

The NBPA will announce this week the launch of an online contest in which fans will compete to design a new logo for the union and win a trip to the 2015 All-Star Weekend.

It is part of a plan for the union to move beyond the past, as well as to become more forward-thinking and inclusive of fans, NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts said.

The union’s current logo dates to at least the late 1970s.
Top NBA players, including Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul, the union’s player president, are expected to get behind the effort.

The free contest, open to those 18 and over, will be hosted by SportsBlog.com. Fans can submit entries, starting this week, at micro website SportsBlog.com/NBPALogoChallenge through Jan. 16.

Five finalists will be chosen through online fan voting, and the NBPA’s executive committee will choose the winning design, to be unveiled at All-Star Weekend in New York in February.

Roberts was elected in July to replace Billy Hunter, who was fired after a union-commissioned report found he acted in his own interest and against the interests of players. Both Roberts and player leaders have said they want a fresh start, and this is part of that effort.

“Because we wanted to make it clear to the entire basketball community that we have turned the page, we decided we definitely wanted to have a new look, and the easiest way to do that was to have a new logo,” Roberts said. “We want to engage with a number of different constituencies, but we also wanted to engage with our fans. … It seemed to make absolute sense to include the fans in the selection of a new logo.”

The current logo, featuring a blue basketball with “NBA Players” in the center and “National Basketball Players Association” in red letters around the ball, is the only logo the union has ever had and has been in place since at least the late 1970s.

The NBPA was founded in 1954 by Boston Celtics guard Bob Cousy, but was not recognized by NBA owners until 1964, when a group of star players, led by guard Oscar Robertson, refused to take the court at the first televised All-Star Game.

The designer of the winning logo will have the opportunity to meet NBA players who are members of the union’s executive committee. Roberts said she expects not only union leadership but also other NBA players to get behind the effort to promote the contest.

“Everyone is excited about where this union is going, and everyone has made the commitment to do whatever it takes to be there and available to move this thing forward,” Roberts said.

That could include star players getting the word out about the contest on social media.

Kevin April, SportsBlog.com co-founder and COO, said the contest site will be able to handle any traffic NBA players can generate. April declined to disclose any financial details of the deal, but said it is part of a partnership and strategy the company has with the NBPA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association.

He said he expects that professional designers as well as avid NBA fans will submit contest entries. For the tech-challenged, submitting an entry is as easy as drawing a logo on a piece of paper, photographing it and following the instructions on the website to enter it.

“I know they are looking for some really creative ideas,” April said, adding “that is why we are asking the fans to help out in that process.”

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