In this week's ESPN Insider Notebook, Hector Bellerin could leave Arsenal after a decade at the Emirates after talks with Mikel Arteta. PLUS: Manchester United await Cavani's recovery before deciding his future.

Jump to: Man United await Cavani's recovery before deciding future | Man City search for additional striker | Money-saving experts PSG target free agents | Zlatan's music festival clashes with Milan fixtures | Southgate grants Shaw England return | Premier League set to dethrone La Liga at No. 1 | Man United's baby Shoretire chaperoned home | PSG fined for failure to pay bills

Arsenal will consider Bellerin's desire to leave

Hector Bellerin could leave Arsenal this summer as part of an agreement with manager Mikel Arteta, sources have told ESPN.

The 25-year-old wanted to quit the Gunners at the end of last season when Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona emerged as serious options, but stayed following heart-to-heart talks with Arteta, whom he has a close relationship with from their playing days at the club.

ESPN can reveal that in discussions last year Arteta asked Bellerin to give the club one more season and in return, they would consider an exit this summer. PSG and Barcelona were keen on exploring a deal for Bellerin -- although the Ligue 1 club have privately played down reports they made a £30 million offer -- but the defender stayed in north London, committing himself at fellow Spaniard Arteta's request for one more season.

Their bond was vital in helping the Gunners push through a 12.5% wage cut -- which was later reduced to 7.5% upon winning the FA Cup -- last April as Bellerin, the club's designated Professional Footballers' Association representative, led talks on behalf of the first-team squad.

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Sources have confirmed there are no open conversations between Bellerin and the club regarding his future, but there is a sense from both sides that with two years left on his contract, this summer represents the right time to move on after a decade at the Emirates.

Bellerin has not been short of suitors in the past, but a potential destination now appears unclear. PSG are not expected to be in the running given they signed Alessandro Florenzi on loan from Roma and are planning to take up an option to make the deal permanent for €9m.

Barcelona signed USMNT international Sergino Dest in a £23.8m deal last October. Manchester United expressed an interest in Bellerin several years ago but spent £50m on Aaron Wan-Bissaka in June 2019. -- James Olley

Man United await Cavani recovery before deciding future

Manchester United are keen to wait until Edinson Cavani has recovered from injury before making a decision about his future, sources told ESPN.

United are happy with Cavani's impact since arriving on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, and would need to pay the striker close to €2m if the club decide against keeping him for a second season. Both sides have the option to terminate the deal in the summer but a penalty fee will apply if United, who also have Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood as options in attack, are the ones to pull the plug.

Cavani is wanted by Boca Juniors, but sources have told ESPN he is happy at Old Trafford and is open to staying for a second season because he is keen to stay in Europe for as long as possible before finishing his career in South America.

The 34-year-old has scored seven goals in 24 appearances so far this campaign, and United have also been impressed with Cavani's commitment to the club after he immediately decided to move his family into a rented house in Cheshire rather than stay in a hotel.

However, he is still upset by the FA suspension he received after using a term which could be interpreted as offensive in the UK in an Instagram post to a friend. Cavani decided against fighting the suspension, which ruled him out of three games in January, but sources have told ESPN he remains deeply upset about the charge. -- Moises Llorens and Rob Dawson

Man City search for additional striker

Manchester City will continue their search for a new striker even if Sergio Aguero extends his stay at the Etihad Stadium.

Aguero's contract is up in the summer and Juventus are among the clubs interested in signing the 32-year-old on a free transfer. The Argentina international's preference is to stay at City, where he is the all-time leading scorer with 256 goals and has won four Premier League titles, but the club have been cautious while he works his way back into the first team following a year ravaged by injury and illness.

It is understood Aguero's future is not linked to City's summer transfer plans and adding a new striker to Pep Guardiola's squad remains an option, regardless of whether or not the 32-year-old leaves.

Aguero played the final 10 minutes of City's 2-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday but has not started a game since October. He has scored two goals in 10 appearances this season. -- Rob Dawson

Money-saving experts PSG target free agents

Last summer, Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo showed how thrifty he could be when it came to recruiting on a budget when he signed midfielder Danilo Pereira, midfielder Rafinha, and wing-back Alessandro Florenzi. He faces a similar challenge this summer to strengthen new manager Mauricio Pochettino's squad with little funds available as football recovers from the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sources told ESPN that at present, Leonardo is targeting out of contract players for next season including Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, Lyon striker Memphis Depay, Bayern Munich defender David Alaba, or Elseid Hysaj, the Napoli right-back, as well as hoping to reach an agreement with Everton for Moise Kean who is on loan. PSG want to keep Kean and could push for another loan deal with a permanent option.

Lionel Messi, who will become a free agent at the end of the season, is another major target if he decides to leave Barcelona.

The priority, though, is to retain key players. Sources told ESPN that Leonardo is considering contract extensions for Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Angel Di Maria, Juan Bernat and potentially Julian Draxler. -- Julien Laurens

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Zlatan's music festival clashes with Milan fixtures

AC Milan have provided Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a detailed training schedule while he co-hosts the San Remo music festival, sources told ESPN.

San Remo, an annual Italian music festival which runs from March 2-6, has generally been the precursor to the country's Eurovision Song Contest entry and has seen global music stars such as Eminem, Destiny's Child and Britney Spears perform. Ibrahimovic's decision to participate has caused controversy in Italy with several pundits accusing him of taking his eye off the ball at a time when Milan have lost back-to-back matches in Serie A including Sunday's derby to Inter Milan which left them four points behind the table-topping Nerazzurri.

A club source told ESPN that as well as Ibrahimovic's bespoke training regime, he will be accompanied by a member of Milan staff for that week and will follow the team's schedule on matchdays for the games against Udinese on Wednesday and Verona on Sunday.

As co-host Ibrahimovic will remain for the entirety of the festival and will sing a duet with good friend and Bologna manager Sinisa Mihajlovic. He signed the contract to co-host the festival before penning his 12-month extension at Milan at the beginning of the campaign. -- Andrew Cesare Richardson

Southgate grants Shaw England return

England manager Gareth Southgate is preparing to hand Luke Shaw an international return next month, sources have told ESPN, after overlooking the Manchester United left-back for the past two years following a series of withdrawals from squads.

Southgate is assessing his options at left-back for the March World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland and Shaw has forced his way into contention for a call-up after producing his most consistent form in a United shirt this season since a £28m transfer from Southampton seven years ago.

The 25-year-old has endured a stop-start England career since making his debut under Roy Hodgson as an 18-year-old in 2014, with injuries and loss of form restricting him to just eight caps. Although he is rated highly by Southgate, sources told ESPN that the manager has been frustrated by Shaw's reliability due to injuries which have forced him to miss six out of the last seven international fixtures that he was called up for.

Shaw has not been selected by Southgate since withdrawing from the squad for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro in March 2019, but with Ben Chilwell losing his first-team spot at Chelsea following the arrival of manager Thomas Tuchel last month and Kieran Trippier only just approaching the end of a 10-week worldwide ban for breaking betting rules, Shaw is in contention to return to the fold.

So far this season, Southgate has used Atletico Madrid right-back Trippier as a left wing-back, as well as selecting Chilwell, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Bukayo Saka in the position.

Shaw's form for United has put him back in the frame, sources say he is likely to be selected when Southgate names his squad next month. -- Mark Ogden

Premier League set to dethrone La Liga at No. 1

The Premier League is almost certain to dethrone La Liga as the No. 1 league in Europe for the first time in eight years.

The top spot in UEFA's club coefficient -- which ranks each league based upon the average performance of all its clubs in Europe over a five-year period -- may not offer any special privileges, but it provides prestige and a snapshot of which league is strongest.

Spanish clubs have enjoyed a lengthy period of recent dominance in European club competition, winning the Champions League in five consecutive seasons and securing the Europa League title in seven years out of nine. It will complete the gradual decline for La Liga, which has seen its coefficient score drop for five consecutive seasons since an all-time high achieved in 2015-16. While Sevilla won the Europa League last season, it was the first time Spain failed to have a team in the semifinals of the UCL since 2007. Overall, it was the country's worst campaign since 2012-13 -- and this year threatens to be worse still.

That clear drop in standards in Spanish football, coupled with a resurgence from English clubs, is set to see the Premier League take the No. 1 position.

Both leagues still have six clubs left in Europe this season, but three of Spain's teams are in serious trouble in the Champions League. Barcelona lost 4-1 at home to Paris Saint-Germain while Sevilla were beaten 3-2 by Borussia Dortmund, and Atletico Madrid were defeated 1-0 by Chelsea. It could be left to Real Madrid, who won 1-0 away to Atalanta, to save Spain from not having a team in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2004-05.

England is now 0.715 coefficient points behind Spain, which basically equates to two wins and a draw. With all three English teams in the UCL winning away from home, and additional bonus points on offer for reaching the quarterfinals of either competition, the Premier League is in a position of strength.

England took top spot off Spain at the end of the 2007-08 season, until Spain won it back in 2013. Eight years on, the Premier League is set to rule the roost in Europe once again.

And it will get worse at the start of next season, when Spain will lose the dominant 2016-17 season from its five-year score. With financial issues affecting Spanish football's biggest clubs, another period of domination for the Premier League looks increasingly likely. -- Dale Johnson

Man United's latest teen talent Shoretire given chaperone

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided Shola Shoretire was old enough to make his Manchester United debut against Newcastle but club bosses thought the teenager needed a chaperone to walk to his car after the game, sources have told ESPN.

At 17-years-and-19-days, Shoretire became United's second youngest Premier League player and seventh youngest in their history when he came on as a second-half substitute during the 3-1 win at Old Trafford.

United like to protect their young players, particularly when they break into the first team, and for Shoretire, who has recently passed his driving test, that extended to a member of staff accompanying him safely from the dressing rooms to the car park after the final whistle.

Shoretire has impressed Solskjaer since joining the first team training bubble and is set to stay with the senior squad for at least the rest of the season. -- Rob Dawson

PSG fined for failure to pay bills

PSG have been fined €700,000 for failing to pay some of the invoices owed to their suppliers.

The DIRECCTE, a government organisation in charge of ensuring companies pay suppliers, has found them guilty of unpaid invoices dating back to 2018.

They were owed for services given to the club by some of their usual suppliers who had enough of not being paid and asked the DIRECCTE to intervene.

PSG have been ordered to immediately pay the fine as well as the outstanding invoices. The French champions have planned to lose around €200m this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. -- Julien Laurens

Umar Akmal's 18-month ban has been slashed by six months by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), making him eligible to return to representative cricket as the PCB had originally suspended him on February 20 last year. According to the PCB, though, the reintegration is subject to the cricketer paying a fine of PKR 4.25 million (approx $27000) and taking part in the programme of rehabilitation under the board's anti-corruption code.

The charges came under Article 2.4.4, which deals with: "Failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code".

Conclusions in the CAS arbitral award, a copy of which has been accessed by ESPNcricinfo:

• Mr Akmal's appeal seeking to set aside the Independent Adjudicator's decision in respect of Count No. 1 is allowed and the sanction imposed by the Independent Adjudicator is set aside.
• The PCB's appeal seeking to set aside the Independent Adjudicator's reduction in sanctions in respect of both counts is dismissed.
• Mr Akmal's appeal seeking to set aside the Independent Adjudicator's decision in respect of Count No. 2 is allowed in part and dismissed in part.
• The determination by the Independent Adjudicator that Mr Akmal is guilty of an offence under Article 2.4.4 in failing promptly to report the approach and/or invitation by one Maya in January/February 2020 to the VSD is confirmed.
• The Independent Adjudicator's sanction on Mr Akmal in respect of Charge No. 2 is set aside and in its place the following sanction is imposed: (1) a period of ineligibility of 12 months and (2) a fine in the sum of PKR 4,250,000.
• Mr Akmal's request for an order that the PCB return his two mobile phones is declined.
• All other grounds of appeal and requests for relief are hereby dismissed.

Akmal was initially suspended just hours before the start of the fifth edition of the PSL last year, after being found guilty of failing to report details of corrupt approaches made to him. He did accept at the time that the incidents that formed the basis of the two charges pressed against him by the PCB had indeed taken place but said the circumstances were such that they did not merit reporting. He also failed to show any remorse for the incidents and said that he was not guilty of either charge.

"They don't have a single piece of evidence that can prove any wrongdoing," Akmal's lawyer had said. "The prosecution was based on a phone call, otherwise there is no document, no bank transaction or anything that can substantiate their claim".

The PCB, however, stuck to its guns, and the decision to lodge an appeal at CAS against the reduction of the ban is understood to have been based on the board's attempts to stress on its zero-tolerance policy against corruption concerning players.

The legal battle between Akmal and the PCB was eventually taken to CAS, where both the parties had challenged the other. Akmal wanted his ban to be lifted, while the PCB had challenged the halving of the original ban from 36 months to 18 months by their own independent adjudicator - retired Supreme Court judge Faqir Mohammad Khokhar.

"I am fully ready and excited to play cricket again," Akmal said at a press interaction. "It was tough being out and sitting at home with my bread and butter taken away. I am very thankful to my family, after Allah, and everyone who stood by me and helped me return to cricket.

"I don't want to comment on my national selection. It's my job to play cricket and perform and it's up to them [the selectors] - if they think it's better for the country [to include me], then they will definitely give a chance."

Ish Sodhi, the New Zealand legspinner, will feature in IPL 2021 in a managerial role. After going unsold at the auction, he has now been signed as the team liaison officer by the Rajasthan Royals, a franchise he played for in 2018 and 2019.

In this new role, Sodhi will work closely with Kumar Sangakkara, the team's new Director of Cricket, and Jake Lush McCrum, the chief operating officer, thereby contributing "both towards cricket and operations vertical".

"The Royals are an innovative, dynamic franchise that plays an entertaining brand of cricket, and I am delighted to rejoin my IPL family to work across the board," he said in a statement.

The role is slightly different from the one he was supposed to play in IPL 2020 - that of a spin consultant and operations executive. However, he couldn't take up the role because the IPL's change of schedule from the regular April-May window to mid-September clashed with New Zealand's domestic season and the birth of his first child.

"Last year I expressed my interest in exploring the management side of the franchise, and the Royals management team was very supportive, offering me a role to enable me to begin my off-field journey," he said. "I'm looking forward to supporting the coaches and the business operations of the team through which I'll really develop my cricketing and management skills."

In eight games across two seasons for the Royals, Sodhi picked up nine at an economy of 6.69. While he isn't part of New Zealand's Test plans now, he's still on their radar for limited-overs cricket and is currently part of the squad for the five-match T20I series at home against Australia.

He's also active in a few other T20 leagues, particularly in the CPL, where he currently represents St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Overall, Sodhi has 180 wickets in 166 T20 matches, with a best of 6 for 11 for the Adelaide Strikers against the Sydney Thunder in BBL 2017-18.

There was no shortage of sixes in Dunedin on Thursday and six of them came off the bat of Jimmy Neesham including three off the first three deliveries he faced.

However, the most extraordinary of them was at the beginning of the last over from Daniel Sams when he reversed scooped the left-arm quick over third man. Even taking into account the short boundaries, and the fact there seems no limits to what batsmen can do, it was a brilliant bit of strokeplay.

It all suggests that the work that Neesham has been putting into his batting to expand his shot range is paying dividends. The season is shaping as a very good one for him in T20Is where he is currently striking at 197.10 in eight matches against West Indies, Pakistan and Australia. He might prove an IPL steal at INR 50 lakh (USD 68,000/NZD 92,500 approx) for Mumbai Indians.

"It's probably not good enough in the modern-day and age to be a guy who just stands there and tries to hit sixes over long-on and cow corner," he told reporters at Auckland airport as the New Zealand squad headed home for a couple of days before the series resumes in Wellington.

"I think you have to be a little bit more nuanced than that. It's sort of something I've been working on. I'm still quite a leg-side dominant player.

"I'm trying to expand my game as much as I can. Those sorts of shots, when you think of the very, very best players in the world, guys like Jos Buttler and the like, they can hit the ball 360 degrees around the park. It's certainly something that you try and develop and it's something that I'm trying to bring into my game."

In Dunedin there was very little margin of error for the bowlers, which is what made Trent Boult's final over, the 18th of Australia's run chase, so outstanding as he conceded just six when Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams were taking the game away from New Zealand. It meant 30 runs were needed off the last two and 15 from the last, which was enough for Neesham to defended - in his only over of the innings.

"I knew pretty early on that it was probably going to be me [to bowl it]," Neesham said. "I was just trying to keep it really simple, trying to bowl yorkers. Dunedin is obviously a really small ground so you need a little bit of luck and in that capacity I think one of the better yorkers I actually bowled Marcus Stoinis managed to still get out of the park so when that happens you just shrug your shoulders and try and hit the next one."

Although Australia actually did reasonably well to limited New Zealand to 219, the only time they have had any hold on the batting was the early stages of the opening match in Christchurch when they claimed three Powerplay wickets before Devon Conway took the game away from them.

"The plans we have are good, but if you miss by that much it's going over the fence," Kane Richardson said. "Yesterday was the perfect example at the end, bowling to Jimmy Neesham, were we knew all he was trying to do was hit us over the leg side which was the short boundary anyway, so to try and go a little bit wider to take that out his arc.

"But if he misses it it's going to be called a wide. Eventually that will play in your head because you don't want to keep running in bowling wides so we had to go a bit straighter and the ultimate punishment is going for six.

While Richardson wasn't spared the punishment, with his second over costing 21 and his third 14, he had some success at the death with his last over, the 19th, costing just four runs and claiming two wickets.

"It's about being as defensive as you can and trying to bowl for ones, which is again is so hard to do because if you try that wide yorker and miss by that much, [Martin] Guptill was hitting it over cover or lapping it," he said. "You've just got try and find a way to get ones, if it's a cut shot, it's a bad-looking ball but if they cut it deep for one that's a win."

Nat Sciver said that England's aggression with the new ball was crucial to their seven-wicket win against New Zealand in Dunedin, after her fine all-round performance led them to a series-sealing victory.

Both Katherine Brunt and Tash Farrant preferring to bowl from the same end because of the wind direction gave Sciver the chance to open the bowling in an ODI for the first time since April 2018, and she combined with fiancée Brunt to reduce New Zealand to 27 for 4 inside eight overs in an impressive new-ball burst.

Brunt was particularly threatening, regularly passing 70mph (112kph) as she swung the ball appreciably. She was rewarded with the wickets of both openers, and also hit Amelia Kerr on the helmet with a sharp bouncer. Sciver, meanwhile, took the prized wicket of New Zealand captain Sophie Devine, who chipped a simple catch to short midwicket, and bowled Kerr with an offcutter which moved appreciably off the surface to peg back leg stump.

"I think that was a key part of the game for us," Sciver said. "We always want to be really aggressive and take wickets. It doesn't always happen but today it came off. Katherine was really, really aggressive with the ball and making it very difficult for the batters. I managed to come on at the other end and help out.

"I wasn't initially down to open the bowling - Tash [Farrant] was going to go from the other end - but with the wind as it was, they [Farrant and Brunt] both thought that they would be really effective from the same end, so I got the nod. I was very happy to have a go at opening the bowling."

Brunt's two wickets took her past Ellyse Perry in the list of all-time women's ODI wicket takers, moving her into third place behind only Jhulan Goswami and Cathryn Fitzpatrick. while Sciver finished with 3 for 26 after returning to remove New Zealand's top-scorer, Brooke Halliday.

"She's had a couple of net sessions where I would not sign up to be batting," Sciver said. "She's had some great preparation coming into these two games. The other day [in the first ODI] she could have got a lot more wickets that she did as well. She's been brilliant and is getting herself up the leading wicket-takers list.

"We probably had the best of the conditions but obviously that means that seamers need to take wickets and sometimes that can be a pressure and the margin for error might be a bit smaller. We managed to put it in the right area for a long time and kept the pressure on for the first 15 overs or so."

England knocked off their eventual target of 193 with seven wickets in hand and 12.2 overs to spare thanks to half-centuries from Sciver and Tammy Beaumont, sealing the series ahead of the third ODI on Saturday.

"[Beaumont] has been so consistent and that's so important at the top of the order, having that stability," Sciver said. "When things are going right it's brilliant and it's easier to score [for others], and when it's a bit more difficult, she's not fussed to put a few shots away and make sure she's there at the end.

"We've managed to bowl them out twice. Wickets is a real key goal for us, to be able to take ten wickets, and I think the way we've been bowling, we'd get a few wickets from other sides as well. We know that this isn't their best performance, especially with the bat; we know what their players are capable of but at the minute we seem to be one step ahead."

For New Zealand, it was an 11th straight ODI defeat, a run that dates back to February 2019. While Halliday impressed again, backing up her half-century on debut in the first ODI with 60 off 80 balls, there were few positives to take from another difficult defeat.

"[It was] another tough day at the office," Devine said at the post-match presentation. "I thought the way that the tail batted at the end was fantastic, but batting first we just haven't put enough runs on the board, so it's hard work for the bowlers to try and create any pressure.

"Credit has to go to England. They bowled exceptionally well again, and they put us under pressure for extended periods of time and used the wicket well using change-ups and bowling cross-seam as well probably got a little bit out of the wicket. But unfortunately batters didn't do their jobs so we go back to the drawing board and figure out a way forward.

"We know if we put this lot [England] under pressure for extended periods of time, we might see some cracks opening up. But we're just not doing it for long enough. The way Nat Sciver batted was outstanding, Tammy Beaumont too, so we're going to have to work really hard for those wickets."

Warwickshire have announced the signing of South Africa opening batsman Pieter Malan for the 2021 County Championship season.

Warwickshire had been openly targeting an experienced batsman as their overseas player for their red-ball campaign after Ian Bell's retirement at the end of the 2020 season. They were linked with a move for Cheteshwar Pujara, but his availability was unclear after he was signed by Chennai Super Kings in last week's IPL auction, and talks never reached an advanced stage.

Malan, 31, played his only three Tests to date in South Africa's home series against England in January 2020, making 156 runs across six innings at an average of 26.00. He is Cape Cobras' leading run-scorer in the ongoing four-day franchise competition, with 374 in 10 innings, and will add further experience to a top order likely to include Dom Sibley, Will Rhodes and Sam Hain. He is due to be available for the duration of the red-ball season.

Paul Farbrace, Warwickshire's director of cricket, said: "Pieter is a very good signing for us. He has played a lot of cricket in South Africa and he has a very impressive batting average across all three formats. He played against England last winter and I think he has been unlucky not to play more international cricket.

"We have got some very talented young batsmen in our top order and for them to work with, and bat out in the middle with, someone of Pieter's experience and quality will be brilliant for them. Pieter is also a very impressive man, friendly, likeable and polite, but with real inner steel and with a point to prove. I know how much he wants to come to the Bears and score some serious runs."

Malan said: "It's always been an ambition of mine to play county cricket and I'm very excited to be afforded the opportunity at a top county with a proud history like Warwickshire. I can't wait to get to Edgbaston and get started with the Bears."

Malan is likely to be Warwickshire's final overseas signing of the season, after they confirmed the arrival of Carlos Brathwaite for the T20 Blast. Farbrace has previously said that he will look to use the Royal London Cup as an opportunity for young players to gain first-team experience - with Henry Brookes, Danny Briggs, Adam Hose and Olly Stone due to miss the competition to play in the Hundred - rather than signing an overseas player for that stage of the season.

NEW YORK -- One day after posting on social media that he would like to see the NBA logo changed from Jerry West's silhouette to Kobe Bryant's, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving reaffirmed his stance and said he is OK if he's a leader of the conversation.

"We want to set a standard and precedent, like this is excellence," Irving said Thursday, after the Nets defeated the Orlando Magic 129-92. "Kobe Bryant. Logo. Yes. Needs to happen. I don't care what anyone says."

In an Instagram post Wednesday, Irving put up a photo of a modified NBA logo with Bryant swapped in as the figure in the middle with this caption: "Gotta Happen, idc what anyone says. BLACK KINGS BUILT THE LEAGUE."

Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant's widow, shared Irving's post to her Instagram story with the caption, "Love this. @KyrieIrving."

Irving said Thursday night, "I want that to be something in history that is changed forever, that our generation was part of that change. And if that means that I have to lead that forward and get the conversation going, then great."

In 2017, West said on ESPN's The Jump that while it is "flattering" to be depicted as the symbol of the league, "I think if I were the NBA, I would be embarrassed about it. I don't like to do anything to call attention to myself. If they would want to change it, I wish they would. In many ways, I wish they would."

Irving said that he understands that his proposition doesn't appeal to everyone.

"I know that it probably was met with some people that love it -- that love the idea -- and some people that don't love it," Irving said. "But, my thing is paying homage to the example that has been set by that man."

Since Bryant's death in a helicopter accident in January 2020, the idea of changing the logo to Bryant's silhouette has gained traction. A change.org petition in support of the idea has gained 3.2 million signatures since early 2020. The creator of the NBA logo, Alan Siegel -- current CEO and president of the brand identity and communications consultancy firm Siegelvision -- told Newsweek at the time, "It's quite clear that [Bryant] was a very respected figure by players and around the world and this is a really serious thing that should be considered by the league."

Irving said Thursday that by advocating to make Bryant's likeness the logo, he didn't intend to disparage any of the other players who have had sizable impacts on the league.

"I think he deserves it," Irving said. "I think his family deserves it. I think we deserve it as seeing greatness personified as Mamba. And anyone that's coming into the league should know that that's the example that was set."

ESPN's Arda Ocal contributed to this report.

"I had death threats. I had people who hated me. People told me I was immoral."

Shortly before the 1977 US Open, the 42-year-old American won a legal battle to compete in the women's events, leaving her at the centre of a polarising story which made headlines across the world.

"Everybody had a reaction. They were either for her or against her," says Britain's Sue Barker, who played against Richards twice in her career and remembers her being booed off court during one of the matches.

"I was a supporter of Renee, I was one of the few in a way."

The dissent from the sport's rulemakers, which was backed by several leading players, centred on the belief the 6ft 1in Richards would dominate because of an unfair physical advantage over her rivals.

Others, even aside from those making the threats to her life, were less covert with their objections.

Wherever they were on the sliding scale of disapproval, their bottom line was Richards should not be allowed to play against the likes of Barker, Chrissie Evert and Martina Navratilova.

Richards, who was born in 1934, excelled in a range of sports, got married and started a family.

After graduating from Yale University, the affluent New Yorker trained to be an ophthalmologist, going on to specialise in eye-muscle surgery.

Combining a medical profession with an amateur tennis career, Richards reached the second round of the US Open men's singles in 1955 and 1957.

"I had a very good and a very full life as Richard. But I had this other side of me which kept emerging," Richards told the BBC in 2015.

Shaving her legs and wearing skirts while dog-walking allowed her to do what felt natural. But being born a man and living as a woman was not widely accepted in 1960s America, stigmatised and classified as a mental illness.

"I kept pushing back until finally it was not possible to submerge Renee anymore - and Renee won out," she said.

In 1975, aged 40, she had gender reassignment surgery.

Initially, her plan was to move to California and start afresh in a place where nobody knew her.

But her previous identity was unveiled when she started playing amateur tennis tournaments, leading to a newspaper exposé, more headlines and an insistence from United States Tennis Association (USTA) officials that she could not compete in women's tournaments.

"I never planned to play professionally as a woman. But when they said 'you're not going to be allowed to play' that changed everything," said Richards, who is now 86 and living out of the public eye in upstate New York.

"I told them 'you can't tell me what I can and can't do'.

"I was a women and if I wanted to play in the US Open as a woman - I was going to do it."

To armour their blockade of Richards, the USTA introduced a chromosome test for the women's players before the 1976 US Open. Richards failed the tests and was barred from entering qualifying.

That led her down the legal route and culminated in a year-long battle for the right to play. The odds were stacked against Richards.

"The USTA had the top lawyers in New York, they brought in witness after witness saying I should not be allowed to play," she said.

"My lawyer Michael Rosen only had one witness for me."

That witness proved pivotal. Billie Jean King, who had played doubles with Richards, was a powerful voice after her tireless campaigning for gender and sexual equality.

In an affidavit submitted to the New York State Supreme Court, 12-time individual Grand Slam champion King insisted Richards did "not enjoy physical superiority or strength so as to have an advantage over women competitors in the sport of tennis".

The judge agreed. Eight days later, Richards was playing in the 1977 US Open.

'People wondered if it would be a gamechanger'

Tennis had never seen anything like it. Not only did the women's players now have to take chromosome tests, their preparations for the Grand Slam were disrupted by constant questioning about Richards' participation in a fervent media storm.

The sport was broadly split into two camps: rejection and a fear she would dominate the game, or acceptance and a show of empathy.

"I was open minded," Barker, who used to hit with Richards on the practice courts, tells BBC Sport.

"But the ruling frightened a lot of people. They feared she would serve-volley the rest of us off the court and wondered if it would be a gamechanger for the sport."

Reigning Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade played Richards in the first round but was untroubled in a straightforward victory.

Richards did reach the women's doubles final alongside Betty Ann Stuart, although they were beaten by top seeds Navratilova and Betty Stove.

Frostiness in the locker room thawed when it became apparent Richards would not offer too much threat. Or, as Richards put it, that she would not "take their money away".

While she beat some notable names, and climbed into the world's top 20, Richards lacked the athleticism and mobility of her younger rivals to topple Evert and Navratilova at the summit.

Richards retired aged 47 in 1981 and went on to coach Navratilova to three Grand Slam singles titles.

"It didn't become the story which a lot of people thought it might become," says Barker.

"She just melted into the tour and didn't dominate. She won matches and she lost matches. It didn't alter the game as some predicted.

"But she achieved what she wanted to do, to play professionally as a woman and was welcomed by the vast majority."

'Confrontational' crowd forced Richards off court and into tears

Hostility and suspicion eventually faded in the locker room, but Richards still faced obstruction and abuse.

She was barred from competing in many tournaments, including Wimbledon and the French Open, where rulebooks said only players whose biological sex was female could play in the women's events.

This meant most of her appearances came in the United States, travelling around new cities and being made to feel like a circus act as she played in front of a new crowd.

Barker remembers playing Richards in the American's early days on the women's tour and says the atmosphere was "confrontational".

"There were probably about 7,000 people there in this huge arena and she was not well-received by most, if not all, of the crowd," says Barker.

"It was just horrible. They were shouting things, booing every time she hit the ball and cheering every mistake."

Despite Barker and the umpire trying to simmer the crowd, tournament officials eventually decided to take them off the court.

The pair were beckoned to a room underneath the stand. Richards started to cry.

"It was really sad and I felt so sorry for her. I told her she didn't have to put herself through it," remembers Barker.

"Eventually we went back out but it was clear she wasn't thinking about the tennis. I think she wanted to just get off the court.

"All she wanted to do was to play tennis."

Occasionally Richards used to open up to her colleagues, many of whom were curious about her life.

There was a feeling the scrutiny - with Richards later saying she couldn't "go anywhere in the world without being recognised" - caught her by surprise and took its toll.

"We all admired her courage after the emotional and difficult journey she had been through," says Barker.

"She used to talk about the emotions she went through and often asked whether she was doing the right thing.

"I'm not sure she realised the impact it was going to have.

"I can't think of another athlete who has had anywhere near that level of attention. It was an incredibly brave thing to do."

Gloucester wingers Jonny May and Louis Rees-Zammit are set to go head-to-head on Saturday as Wales face England in the Six Nations, but who will come out on top in the battle of the wing wizards?

Watch live coverage on BBC One or BBC iPlayer; listen on BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio Wales or BBC Radio Cymru and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Kick-off is at 16:45 GMT.

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England Women 194 for 3 (Beaumont 72*, Sciver 63) beat New Zealand Women 192 (Halliday 60, Sciver 3-26) by seven wickets

Nat Sciver produced a fine all-round display as England secured the ODI series over New Zealand with a game to spare in Dunedin. Sciver followed her 3 for 26, which included the key scalp of Sophie Devine, with a brisk 63 as England raced home with more than 12 overs to spare.

New Zealand did well to keep themselves in the contest having fallen to 34 for 5 after opting to bat as Brooke Halliday continued her fine start to international cricket with a second consecutive half-century. New Zealand appeared to have a chance when England slipped to 12 for 2 in the chase, but Sciver and Tammy Beaumont added 103 in 127 balls for the third wicket.

Earlier, Katherine Brunt had put the home side on the back foot when she dismissed both openers in her first two overs: Hayley Jensen edged a cut against a ball too close for the shot and Natalie Dodd dragged on.

Sciver then made her first mark on the game when Devine chipped a catch to midwicket, and soon added Amelia Kerr to her tally.

Amy Satterthwaite departed in curious circumstances when she walked having edged a cut off Kate Cross with no appeal coming from keeper Amy Jones, and barely a murmur from any England player, although Snicko confirmed a healthy nick.

Halliday and Katey Martin briefly steadied the innings but it was the last four wickets that really bolstered New Zealand as they added 116 and enabled them to almost bat-out the 50 overs. Halliday was the eighth to fall having brought up her fifty from 63 deliveries, when she edged Sciver for her third wicket, before Hannah Rowe (29 not out) and Jess Kerr (28) put on 53 for the ninth wicket.

It was Jess who made the first breakthrough for New Zealand when Danni Wyatt dragged on a drive in the first over and England were wobbling a touch after captain Heather Knight was run out from cover.

However, Beaumont played the anchor role and Sciver took charge in good batting conditions as England eased along at five an over with New Zealand, who were without the injured Lea Tahuhu, unable to build pressure. Halliday claimed her first international wicket when Sciver's run-a-ball innings ended with a catch to midwicket.

Beaumont reached her second fifty of the series from 93 balls while Jones kept the tempo high with eight boundaries, the last three of which came in the space of four balls against Satterthwaite to end the match in convincing style.