The end of the NBA season is near with the playoffs underway and that means many trophies will soon be handed out.
The awards that the best players and teams receive all have their individual names that honour many of the sport’s greatest-ever stars.
Here, talkSPORT.com looks at the name of every trophy in the NBA…
Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy – NBA Championship
The winners of the NBA Championship will receive the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
It is named after a former commissioner of the league in O’Brien who helped coordinate the NBA’s most expensive contract in 1982.
He also helped to massively increase attendances at games while also bringing in the salary cap and introducing the three-point line.
Bill Russell Trophy – NBA Finals MVP
The NBA Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player) award is given to the best-performing player in the finals of the playoffs.
It is named after Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell who is known as one of the greatest players of all time.
Russell won 11 NBA world titles during his 13-year career and in 2009, the Finals MVP award was renamed to honour an icon of the game.
Michael Jordan Trophy – MVP
Michael Jordan is arguable the basketball GOAT and he has a trophy named after him.
The regular season MVP receives the award that honours the six-time NBA World Championship and five-time Most Valuable Player winner.
It was previously named after the first president of the league, Maurice Podoloff before the name was changed in 2022.
Red Auerbach Trophy – Coach of the Year
The Coach of the Year in the regular season receives the Red Auerbach Trophy.
It is named after Auerbach who won 938 games and nine World Championships as a coach before becoming an executive and winning another seven titles.
He was most notably successful with the Boston Celtics and is known as one of the best coaches in NBA history with the award taking his name in 1967.
Larry Bird Trophy – Eastern Conference Finals MVP
At the end of each conference final in the playoffs, a player receives an MVP award.
In the East, the trophy is named after Boston Celtics icon Larry Bird who is one of the best shooters ever seen in the sport.
Bird won three NBA titles with the Celtics and is part of the Hall of Fame, with this award renamed the Larry Bird Trophy in 2022.
Magic Johnson Trophy – Western Conference Finals MVP
In the Western Conference, their finals MVP award is named after Magic Johnson.
Johnson is another NBA icon who spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five World Championship titles.
He also saw the trophy named after him in 2022 and said he was ‘extremely honoured’ to be connected to the impressive silverware.
Wilt Chamberlain – Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year award is given to the best-performing rookie player during the NBA regular season.
In 2022, the award was renamed after one of the greatest basketball players of all time and the only player ever to score 100 points in a game; Wilt Chamberlain.
It was previously named in honour of former coach and executive Eddie Gottlieb who headed the NBA’s rules committee for 25 years.
Other trophy names…
- Oscar Robertson Trophy – Western Conference Championship winner
- Bob Cousy Trophy – Eastern Conference Championship winner
- George Mikan Trophy – Most Improved Player
- Jerry West Trophy – Clutch Player of the Year
- John Havlicek Trophy – Sixth Man of the Year
- Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy – Defensive Player of the Year
- Kobe Bryant Trophy – All-Star Game MVP
News Summary:
- What are all the NBA trophies called? Awards named after basketball icons including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Bill Russell
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