NBA Officially Names Sixth Man of the Year Trophy in Honor of Celtics Icon

The NBA unveiled new names and trophies for its major awards Tuesday

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

A Boston Celtics legend was honored Tuesday afternoon.

The NBA unveiled new names and trophies for each of its major awards and Celtics icon John Havlicek was announced as the namesake for the new Sixth Man of the Year Award. Along with Havlicek, the Most Valuable Player award was named after Michael Jordan, the Defensive Player of the Year award for Hakeem Olajuwon, Rookie of the Year for Wilt Chamberlain, the Most Improved award for George Mikan, and the league also announced the newly created Clutch Player of the Year award after Jerry West. 

New names and trophies for NBA’s major individual awards:

- MVP: The Michael Jordan Trophy
- DPOY: Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy
- ROY: Wilt Chamberlain Trophy
- Sixth Man of Year: John Havlicek Trophy
- Most Improved: George Mikan Trophy
- New Clutch Player of Year: Jerry West Trophy

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 13, 2022

Havlicek spent his entire 16-year career with the Celtics and had one of the most successful careers in team history. The Hall of Famer was named an All-Star 13 times, named All-NBA 11 times, named to the All-Defensive team eight times, is a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, and most importantly helped guide Boston to eight championships.

The team took to Twitter to honor its legend after the league made the announcement and included a statement from Havlicek's family. 

✅ 8x NBA champion
✅ NBA Finals MVP
✅ 13x NBA All-Star
✅ 11x All-NBA Team selection
✅ 8x All-Defensive Team selection

Hondo starred in his role for the betterment of his team 💚 pic.twitter.com/B0EXeb7uYl

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 13, 2022

"We are honored that the NBA recognized John's career achievements with this award," the Havlicek family said. "John defined what it means to be the ultimate sixth man, with his leadership and stellar play serving as the utmost example of effectively starring a role for the betterment of the team."

Havlicek certainly did just that and this award is just another major example of it. 

Further Reading

Here are Three Prop Bets to Consider Ahead of Tuesday's Celtics-Lakers Showdown

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Clippers: Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Were Up for the Challenge, a Fatigued Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown Were Not

[Film Room] What's at the Root of Jayson Tatum's Struggles vs. Warriors on Saturday?

Former Celtics Fan-Favorite Reportedly Available via Trade, Should Boston Make Move?

Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Warriors: Boston Punked by Defending Champs in NBA Finals Rematch

Here's Where Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Landed on NBA.com's Latest MVP Ladder