Getty Michael Jordan and LeBron James talk
The NBA announced that, among the other trophies that shall be named after NBA Hall of Famers, going forward, the trophy for the league’s Most Valuable Player award will be named after Chicago Bulls and NBA legend Michael Jordan.
The Michael Jordan Trophy 🐐
The NBA’s MVP will now be awarded with The Michael Jordan Trophy, bearing the name of the greatest player of all time.
MJ was a 5x MVP in his career 🏆
With the confirmation that the league’s most prestigious trophy would be named after Jordan, fans were quick to use it as concrete proof that Jordan is the greatest player to ever play in the NBA, thus ending the debate between him and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers for such a label.
@chicagobulls LeBron & Jordan are both GOATs.
The debate on whether LeBron James or Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player has been raging for years, but what if the @NBA put an end to the argument?
This should end the debate👇🏽
The NBA’s MVP will now be awarded w/ The MJ Trophy🏆
Those who believe James deserves the label have been quick to come back by saying that having the MVP trophy named after Jordan is to compensate for James passing him.
@stanczak20 @chicagobulls What debate😂 they gotta keep Jordan relevant because Lebron passed him 4 years ago🤷🏻♂️
Oddly enough, there were fans out there who agreed with the choice to name the trophy after Jordan though they still believe James is the greatest player of all time.
@chicagobulls Lebron is the greatest of all time TBH but that is a W
Other fans pointed out that James will never be able to win a trophy named after Jordan.
@chicagobulls Lebron can’t even win Michael Jordan’s trophy
During his days in the NBA, Jordan won the MVP award five times – 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998 – while James won the award four times – 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2013.
Other Players Who Had Trophies Named After Them
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that, along with Michael Jordan having that MVP trophy named after him, there are five other NBA Hall of Famers will have trophies named after them, including:
-Hakeem Olajuwon – Defensive Player of the Year
-Wilt Chamberlain – Rookie of the Year
-John Havlicek – Sixth Man of the Year
-George Mikan – Most Improved Player
-Jerry West – Clutch Player of the Year
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
Some of these trophies were named after these players for specific reasons.
–Olajuwon won Defensive Player of the Year twice and made nine All-NBA Defensive teams during his time in the NBA.
-Chamberlain put up what many believe to be the best rookie season in NBA history during the 1959-60 season, averaging 37.6 points and 27 rebounds in 46.4 minutes a game, all of which led the league.
-Havlicek was the Boston Celtics‘ sixth man when they were winning championships in the 1960s.
–West’s nickname in the NBA was “Mr. Clutch.”
The Most Improved Player award was not invented until 1984, but Mikan is commonly recognized as the NBA’s first superstar.
Michael Jordan’s Thoughts on Paul Silas
When former NBA star Paul Silas passed away on December 10, Jordan issued an official statement the next day.
“Our Hornets family mourns the passing of Paul Silas. Paul was an incredible leader and motivator who served as our head coach on two occasions. He combined the knowledge developed over nearly 40 years as an NBA player and coach with an innate understanding of how to mix discipline with his never-ending positivity. On or off the court, Paul’s enthusiastic and engaging personality was accompanied by an anecdote for every occasion. He was one of the all-time great people in our game, and he will be missed. My thoughts, and the thoughts of our entire organization, are with his wife, Carolyn; his children, Paula and Stephen; and the entire Silas family.”
Silas retired from the NBA in 1980, four years before Jordan came in. However, Silas was Charlotte’s head coach from 1999 to 2002, then again from 2010 to 2012, back when they were the Bobcats.