CHICAGO – It’s an award that he won five times as a player in the National Basketball Association, so it’s fitting that the Bulls’ legends name will now be on the trophy moving forward.
On Tuesday morning, the league announced that the Most Valuable Player award will now be called “The Michael Jordan Trophy,” in tribute to the Hall of Famer who is widely considered the greatest player in the history of professional basketball.
Jordan won the regular season MVP award in 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998 as a member of the Bulls in his storied career where he won six NBA championships with the franchise. He was a six-time NBA Finals MVP, 14-time All-Star, and led the league in scoring ten times.
Jordan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Jordan Brand designer Mark Smith worked with Jordan on the trophy design with artist Victor Solomon slated to manufacture it on a yearly basis, and it features a number of tributes to Jordan.
Per the NBA:
- The trophy stands 23.6 inches tall and weighs 23.6 pounds, representing Jordan’s jersey number (23) and number of NBA championships (6).
- Its five-sided base is a nod to Jordan’s five league MVPs.
- The namesake badge is six-sided, a nod to Jordan’s six NBA championships.
- The 15-degree angle of the base is a nod to Jordan’s 15-season career.
- The crystal basketball consists of 23 points, a nod to Jordan’s jersey number.
- The crystal basketball measures 1.23 inches in diameter, in reference to the singularity of the MVP and Jordan’s standout career.
This was one of six awards that have been rebranded on Tuesday as a way to honor great players of the league’s past. These include:
- Jerry West Trophy – NBA Clutch Player of the Year
- Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy – NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Wilt Chamberlain Trophy – NBA Rookie of the Year
- John Havlicek Trophy – NBA Sixth Man of the Year
- George Mikan Trophy – NBA Most Improved Player of the Year
