NBA Announces MVP Trophy Is Now Named After Michael Jordan

The NBA’s Most Valuable Player will now honored with a trophy named after one of the league’s most iconic legends: Michael Jordan. 

The league unveiled the rebranded MVP award Tuesday morning, revealing that the annual winner will now receive The Michael Jordan Trophy. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will retroactively receive the first version of the new trophy after winning MVP during the 2021–22 season. 

“Our new collection of trophies celebrates some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “As we recognize the league’s top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards.”

Jordan, a five-time MVP, is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. Over the course of his career, he won six NBA championships and six NBA Finals MVP Awards, in addition to notching 11 All-NBA Team selections, 14 NBA All-Star selections and 10 scoring titles.

The league also announced five other reimagined trophies Tuesday that will honor other former NBA icons. The other renamed awards are:

• The Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy for Defensive Player of the Year
• The Wilt Chamberlain Trophy for Rookie of the Year
• The John Havlicek Trophy for Sixth Man of the Year
• The George Mikan Trophy for Most Improved Player

The league also announced the creation of a new award for Clutch Player of the Year, named after Jerry West, who played in nine NBA Finals and made 14 straight All-Star teams. 

“While working alongside the NBA to reimagine the league’s trophy offerings, our singular goal was to create a cohesive collection of honors worthy of the athletes who raise them,” artist and trophy designer Victor Solomon said in a statement. “These trophies celebrate the hard work of the players who reach the pinnacle of individual excellence while honoring the NBA legends who have defined that greatness.”