The NBA has announced that they will be renaming their annual Most Valuable Player award to the Michael Jordan Trophy in honour of the player.
It is one of several award name changes in honour of some of the league’s greatest players of all time which will now be presented at the NBA’s end-of-season awards.
The former Chicago Bulls player is a five-time recipient of the award, only being beaten out by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time recipient list.
Additionally, the league decided to rename four other awards in honour of some of the league’s greatest personalities.
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The Defensive Player of the Year becomes the Hakeen Olajuwon Trophy named after the nine-time All-Defensive Team selected player.
The Rookie of the Year award will now be called the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy after the former Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors player who won the award in 1960.
The John Havlicek Trophy will be recognised for the Sixth Man of the Year award, a fitting selection for a man who was an 11-time All-NBA selection despite coming off the bench for several seasons.
And the award for Most Improved Player will now be called the George Mikan Trophy after the man who lead the Minneapolis Lakers to five championships in the 1940s and 50s.
The updates come as part of a multi-year project to reimagine many of the league’s trophies.
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Last season, there were new conference trophies named after Oscar Robertson, Bob Cousy, Magic Johnson, and Larry bird.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement: “Our new collection of trophies celebrates some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA.
"As we recognise the league's top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards."
The trophy features an NBA player breaking out of a rock to reach for a crystal basketball.
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Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic was retroactively awarded the massive trophy after being named the MVP last season.
Damn, that thing is huge.
The MVP trophy was originally named after former commissioner Maurice Podoloff, whose name will now be attached to a new trophy honouring a team with the best regular-season record.
Featured Image Credit: Rich Kane Photography / Alamy. @NBAHistory/Twitter.Topics: NBA, Basketball, Michael Jordan
