NBA upgrades Kobe Bryant Trophy given to All-Star MVP
FILE–Kobe Bryant with daughter Gianna Bryant during the NBA All-Star Game 2016 on February 14, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario. Elsa/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by ELSA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
A newly designed NBA All-Star Game debut of The Kobe Bryant Trophy will be awarded to the All-Star Game MVP after the 2022 game in Cleveland.
The Feb. 20 event will include multiple “reimagined” awards in a nod to the league’s 75th season.
Article continues after this advertisementCommissioner Adam Silver introduced The Kobe Bryant Trophy prior to the 2020 All-Star Game in Chicago, shortly after Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash that also killed his daughter, Gianna, and seven other people. Bryant, an 18-time All-Star, won a record-tying four Kia All-Star Game MVP awards.
“The new Kobe Bryant Trophy further celebrates its namesake, with intricate details holding dual meanings, both for NBA All-Star and Bryant’s legendary career,” the NBA said Thursday in a statement.
The Kobe Bryant Trophy. NBA HANDOUT
Designed in partnership with artist Victor Solomon, the award is created with Bryant’s accomplishments in mind. Bryant spent his entire career (1996-2016) with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Article continues after this advertisement“For the past few years, the NBA and I have proudly and tirelessly worked to reconsider what a trophy is, has been and could be,” Solomon said. “Redesigning the All-Star trophies gave us a special opportunity to create event awards worthy of the energy and excitement the moment creates, while introducing the full collection’s visual, esthetic language. The occasion also gave us the privilege and responsibility to develop an entirely new silhouette worthy of being named ‘The Kobe Bryant Trophy’ for the Kia NBA All-Star MVP for which, in the spirit of its namesake, we threw out all conventions and challenged ourselves to reorient how we thought about ‘the game.'”
Unique and intentional features recognize Bryant’s on-court accomplishments, including:
- The eight-sided base represents the eight decades of NBA All-Star Games and is a nod to Bryant’s No. 8 jersey number. The 18 stars around the trophy represent his 18 All-Star selections. The base height of 2 inches is a nod to Bryant’s 2002 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.
- Level 1 includes 24 stars, representing each All-Star in the game and Bryant’s No. 24 jersey number. The 7-inch height is a nod to Bryant’s 2007 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.
- Level 2 has 10 stars to represent the All-Star Game starters and Bryant’s USA Basketball No. 10 jersey. The 9-inch height is a nod to Bryant’s 2009 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.
- Level 3 has five stars for the unity of an NBA team and Bryant’s five NBA championships. The 11-inch height is a nod to his 2011 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.
- Atop the trophy, a single star represents the star of stars and Bryant winning The Maurice Podoloff Trophy for the 2007-08 Kia NBA MVP. The 2-inch height of the final star represents Bryant’s two Bill Russell Trophies as the NBA Finals MVP (2009-10).
