On Tuesday, December 13, a rebranding of NBA awards honoring superstars Wilt Chamberlain, John Havlicek, Michael Jordan, George Mikan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Jerry West was announced.
Following the precedent created by naming the All-Star Game MVP trophy after Kobe Bryant, the NBA announced this season that the league MVP trophy will once again be known as The Michael Jordan Trophy. Jordan won the Most Valuable Player award five times and won six NBA titles.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the NBA stated that their lineup of redesigned trophies “honors the league pioneers who helped create the outstanding standards that these medals symbolize.”
“Our new collection of awards honors some of the NBA’s best and most influential players,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “Each season, while we honor the league’s greatest players, we also honor the legends who exemplify these coveted accolades.”
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The Jerry West Trophy will be awarded to the NBA Clutch Player of the Year, who will be selected by a media panel based on nominations by NBA head coaches. The NBA stated in a press release that nominations will be judged on which player “best comes through for his teammates in the clutch.”
In a tribute to Jordan’s jersey number, the bronze Michael Jordan Trophy depicts a player breaking out of a rock to reach for a crystal basketball with 23 points. It has a height of 23.6 inches and a weight of 23.6 pounds.
The six-sided insignia of the trophy represents the six NBA championships Michael Jordan won with the Chicago Bulls, while the five-sided base represents the five Most Valuable Player awards he received during his Hall of Fame career.
Jordan had a direct say in the NBA’s design initiative. Mark Smith, retiring vice president of innovation for special projects at Nike, Inc., and designer for Jordan Brand, collaborated creatively with Jordan.
“As we collaborated on this idea, it was very important to Michael that the figure not be a likeness of him, but that the recipient be able to recognize themselves in the trophy,” Smith explained. “For Michael, the award’s naming in his honor was sufficient appreciation.”
