The NBA is renaming its annual regular-season Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after legendary basketball star Michael Jordan — who claimed the honor five times with the Chicago Bulls.
The league on Tuesday unveiled the newly designed Michael Jordan Trophy, along with five other reimagined trophies named after league pioneers that are to be presented to the NBA’s end-of-season award winners.
Jordan, a six-time NBA champion, won five MVPs in his 15-season career, tied for second-most behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who won six.
Photo: AP
The NBA’s Social Justice Champion award is named after Abdul-Jabbar.
Other renamed awards announced are 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.
The NBA also announced a new award for Clutch Player of the Year, named after Jerry West, who played in nine NBA Finals and remains the only player to win Finals MVP 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.
It features a player breaking out of a rock to reach for a crystal basketball.
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