On Thursday, the NBA revealed its new All-Star Game MVP trophy dedicated to late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. The league permanently renamed the All-Star Game MVP award after Bryant in February 2020, less than a month after he, his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. The NBA worked with artist Victor Solomon to design the new trophy, which will be presented for the first time at the 2022 All-Star Game on Feb. 20 in Cleveland. Solomon also redesigned a number of other trophies handed out during All-Star weekend to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the game.
Christopher Arena, head of On-Court and Brand Partnerships at the NBA, said:“As the NBA celebrates its 75th anniversary season, this collection of All-Star trophies represents the continued growth and evolution of our game. Through our collaboration with Victor Solomon, these trophies incorporate deep storytelling, reimagining our previous All-Star trophies in a modern aesthetic, and now serve as the new standards of excellence that future generations of All-Stars will strive to reach each year. 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, aesthetic language.”
The new ‘Kobe Bryant Trophy’ includes a base and four levels, the heights of which correspond to the years of Bryant’s four All-Star MVP wins. The 14-inch-tall, crystal, star-shaped columns include an embedded 24-karat gold basketball featuring the names of the respective competitions. Each level also includes a symbolic number of stars: Level 1 has 24 stars to represent the total number of players in the All-Star Game each year and Bryant’s jersey number; Level 2 has 10 stars for the number of All-Star Game starters and Bryant’s No. 10 jersey for Team USA at the Olympics; Level 3 has five stars for Bryant’s five NBA championships; and Level 4 has one star for his single Maurice Podoloff Trophy win as the 2007-08 Kia NBA MVP.
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