NEW YORK - The National Basketball Association (NBA) is renaming its annual regular-season Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after legendary star Michael Jordan – who claimed the honour five times with the Chicago Bulls.
The league unveiled the newly designed Michael Jordan Trophy on Tuesday, along with five other reimagined trophies named after league pioneers that will now be presented to the NBA’s end-of-season award winners.
Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, won five MVP awards in his 15-season career, tied for second-most behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won six.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Denver Nuggets’ talisman Nikola Jokic have won the last four editions of the award.
The NBA’s Social Justice Champion award is named for Abdul-Jabbar, the Los Angeles Lakers icon.
Other renamed awards announced on Tuesday were the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy for the Defensive Player of the Year, the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy for Rookie of the Year, the John Havlicek Trophy for Sixth Man of the Year and the George Mikan Trophy for Most Improved Player.
“Our new collection of trophies celebrates some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
“As we recognise the league’s top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards.”
The NBA also announced a new award for Clutch Player of the Year, named after former Los Angeles Lakers guard Jerry West, who played nine NBA Finals and remains the only player to win the Finals MVP award while losing the series.
The new Michael Jordan Trophy was created with input from the NBA icon, who requested that it not be a likeness of him.
He worked with Mark Smith, retired vice-president of innovation special projects at Nike.
It features a player breaking out of a rock to reach for a crystal basketball, and includes elements that reflect Jordan’s career, including references to his No. 23 jersey and six NBA titles.
Previously, the league’s MVP trophy was named after former commissioner Maurice Podoloff, whose name will now be attached to a new trophy honouring the team who post the best regular-season record. AFP
