Jordan, Olajuwon among legends honoured in NBA’s awards revamp

The NBA today unveiled six revamped trophies for some of the league’s major awards honouring Hall of Fame players who have left a unique mark on the sport.

The NBA’s Most Valuable Player recipient will now be awarded the Michael Jordan Trophy.

Previously named after the league’s inaugural commissioner Maurice Podoloff, Jordan won the award on five occasions in Chicago trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most nods ever.

Jordan’s unmatched legacy – six championships, six Finals MVPs, five League MVPs, 14 All-Star berths and 10 scoring titles – has earnt him one of the greatest possible homages with his name now enshrined on the sport’s most prestigious individual trophy.

“The bronze trophy features a player breaking out of a rock to reach for the ultimate rock — a crystal basketball,” the NBA’s official release read.

“From the bottom to its top, the patina of the trophy grows more burnished — “raw to refined” — signifying the MVP’s hard work and progression from entering the league to achieving the NBA’s greatest individual honor. The trophy’s reach symbolizes an MVP’s endless chase for greatness.”

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić is the reigning back-to-back winner of the Most Valuable Player award.

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The Jerry West Trophy will now be newly awarded to the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year.

Media members will vote on nominations put forward by the league’s coaches to determine which player is the most outstanding in late-game situations.

West, who was dubbed “Mr. Clutch” by iconic Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, was a 14-time All-Star and champion with the Lakers in 1972 before enjoying a successful career as a coach and executive.

The league’s Defensive Player of the Year has also been renamed the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy.

Hailing from Lagos, Nigeria, Hakeem “The Dream” won the Defensive Player of the Year award twice, was named on the All-Defensive First Team five times, and the All-Defensive Second Team four times.

He won championships with Houston in 1994 and 1995 and was the Finals MVP on both occasions.

Boston guard Marcus Smart joined Hall of Famer Gary Payton last season as the only guards in NBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year.

The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy will now be awarded to the NBA’s Rookie of the Year winner.

The award was formerly named after famed promoter, coach, and owner Eddie Gottlieb who played a major role in the growth of professional basketball in the United States.

In 1960, Chamberlain became the first rookie ever to win the league’s Most Valuable Player award and would go on to become one of the most accomplished athletes in American history.

A four-time MVP and 13-time All-Star, Chamberlain spent his Hall of Fame career in Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles and won titles with the 76ers in 1967 and the Lakers in 1972.

Toronto’s Scottie Barnes was named the league’s Rookie of the Year last season, barely edging Cavs big Evan Mobley.

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The NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year will now receive the John Havlicek Trophy.

An eight-time champion, 13-time All-Star, and 1974 Finals MVP with the Celtics, “Hondo” came off Boston’s bench for the first seven seasons of his Hall of Fame career and was rewarded with four All-Star nods.

Miami’s Tyler Herro received his maiden Sixth Man of the Year nod last season.

Finally, the George Mikan Trophy will now go to the player voted Most Improved.

Commonly referred to as the league’s “first superstar”, Mikan played seven seasons with the Minneapolis Lakers in the ‘40s and ‘50s winning five titles and earning four All-Star nods.

The namesake of “the Mikan drill” – a popular exercise utilised by coaches of all levels – Mikan’s impact on the sport has been felt for decades and will continue to be.

Memphis dynamo Ja Morant was awarded the Most Improved Player Award last season.

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