More specifically, it is the image of West taken in a photograph by Wen Roberts in 1969. "It had a nice flavor to it," he said in 2010, "so I took that picture and we traced it. It was perfect.

Jerry West claims he's not so presumptuous as to assume his image is depicted on one of the most recognizable emblems in sports: the NBA logo. That iconic NBA silhouette can be traced back to him ...