By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
As officially announced, NBA will present Kia Most Valuable Player with the Michael Jordan Trophy, with five other individual awards also being named after NBA legends.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will be the first active player to receive a newly designed trophy. The NBA will retroactively present its redesigned trophies to the players who won major awards during the NBA’s 75th season.
“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 recognize the league’s top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards.”
Paying homage through the details.
An in-depth look at the intricacies and stories featured within the design of the new Michael Jordan Trophy for the #KiaMVP. pic.twitter.com/WyOXgsKVxQ
— NBA (@NBA) December 13, 2022
Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year will be introduced at the end of the current season, with its recipient receiving The Jerry West Trophy.
Voted on by a media panel based on nominations from NBA head coaches, the award will honor the NBA player who best comes through for his teammates in the clutch.
“There are few greater thrills as a basketball player than coming through for your teammates and fans when they need it most,” said West, Special Advisor, LA Clippers. “This new trophy will be awarded to the player who best delivers in those moments.”
The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy will go to NBA Defensive Player of the Year, in the name of two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year himself, and a legendary center with nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection, but also league’s all-time leader in blocked shots.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to celebrate the league’s best defensive player each year,” said Olajuwon. “Great basketball teams are defined by their ability to defend, with every great team connected by an elite defensive anchor.”
Introducing six new trophies for the Kia Performance Award Winners, honoring NBA Legends Wilt Chamberlain, John Havlicek, Michael Jordan, George Mikan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Jerry West, designed by Victor Solomon.
— NBA (@NBA) December 13, 2022
Rookie of the Year will receive The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, after a legend who had an unmatched 1959/60 season as an NBA rookie with 37,6 points and 27 rebounds for the Philadelphia Warriors.
The John Havlicek Trophy will end up in the hands of Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year, after an eight-time NBA champion who came off the bench for the first seven seasons of his career and was an All-Star in four of those seasons.
The Most Improved Player of the Year will be awarded the George Mikan Trophy, after a Hall of Famer who won five NBA championships in seven seasons, is considered the NBA’s first dominant big man.