NBA Championship Trophy Name: Symbol of Basketball Greatness
The name of Larry O’Brien and Greatness have something in common: The NBA Championship trophy
You Give Glory a Good Name
Every season, NBA teams chase one prize: the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. A symbol of ultimate success. The dream that motivates every game. But what is the origin of this trophy, why does it carry this particular name, and what does it truly represent?
Let’s dive into the story behind the most coveted piece of silverware in basketball.
What Is the NBA Championship Trophy Name?
The official NBA championship trophy name is the Larry O’Brien Trophy. It often gets confused with the Larry Bird Trophy, but that’s a different award, given to the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The interesting twist is that O’Brien himself wasn’t a basketball star at all. Unlike Larry Bird, he never played professionally or even semi-professionally.
So how did his name become tied to the sport’s biggest prize?
O’Brien’s background was in politics. He was a key Democratic Party strategist, Postmaster General, and even served under President Lyndon Johnson. His connection to basketball came later when he was appointed the NBA’s third commissioner in 1975.
As commissioner, O’Brien oversaw some of the league’s most transformative years. He led the ABA-NBA merger, which expanded the league from 18 to 23 teams.
He also brokered television deals with CBS that brought games into millions of homes, raising the sport’s visibility and profitability. Perhaps most importantly, during his tenure, the NBA introduced the three-point line in 1979, an innovation that forever changed the way basketball is played.
When O’Brien retired in 1984, the league renamed its championship trophy in his honor. From then on, the NBA’s ultimate prize carried the name we know today.
What Was the NBA Trophy Before Larry O’Brien?
Before the Finals, the trophy was known as the Walter A. Brown Trophy, named after the Boston Celtics owner who helped establish the Basketball Association of America, a predecessor to the NBA. This version of the trophy was presented from 1947 until 1976.
The NBA Finals trophy history changed in 1977, when it was updated to something more in line with what we see today. Winners would have to part with the trophy just one year after earning it.
That tradition came to a close in 1977 when the Portland Trail Blazers became the first team to keep their prize for good after beating the Philadelphia 76ers.
How big is the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and how is it made?
The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is a piece of art. Standing two feet tall and weighing 15.5 pounds, it’s crafted from sterling silver and vermeil, coated in 24-karat gold. The basketball at the top is the size of a regulation ball, symbolizing the game itself.
For the NBA’s 75th anniversary, the design received a refresh from artist Victor Solomon. The craftsmanship remains in the hands of Tiffany & Co., the luxury jeweler that has produced the trophy since the beginning.
Each year, a new trophy is created for the champions, with the team name and year engraved before it takes pride of place in the franchise’s arena. Estimates place the production cost between $13,500 and $18,000, though Tiffany has never disclosed the exact figure.
Does everyone get a Larry O’Brien trophy?
Unlike championship rings, which every player, coach, and staff member receives, the Larry O’Brien Trophy belongs to the team as a whole. Replicas are rarely commissioned, and only under special circumstances.
In 2017, for instance, when Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander sold the team, but kept the original 1994 and 1995 trophies. The new ownership had Tiffany recreate replicas for display, while players still had their championship rings as personal keepsakes.
Rings, in the case of players, have become a symbol of success, often valued anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000, depending on design and customization. The trophy, however, remains the communal prize—something that unites the franchise and its fan base.
NBA Championship Trophy Meaning
The design is straightforward yet forceful: a basketball hung over a hoop. But the NBA championship trophy’s meaning goes deeper. It is the peak of the sport, the culmination of months of sacrifice and competition, and the opportunity to inscribe a team’s name in history.
It is also in tribute to O’Brien himself, the commissioner who steered the NBA from a financial mess into an international extravaganza.
Every champion that lifts it, not just wins a title, but stakes their claim in the ongoing narrative of basketball.
And for fans, it serves as a reminder of why we bother watching, debating NBA futures, and dreaming that one day, we might see our team hoisting that trophy, high above themselves, beneath a blizzard of confetti.
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