Why does the Michael Jordan MVP trophy not bear his likeness?

The NBA honored Michael Jordan in December by renaming the MVP trophy after him. However, the new hardware does not resemble "His Airness" in any way, and the reason for it was revealed a couple of weeks ago.

One of the trophy's designers, Mark Smith, told The Charlotte Observer in an interview that Jordan didn't want his likeness for the award. Smith explained that MJ was content with the trophy being named after him and wanted the award to mean more to the winners.

"He was really keen on saying, 'Look, what's the name of the award?' It's Michael Jordan Most Valuable Player award for the NBA,'" Smith said. "That says it all. No matter what's on top. That's really it."

Smith added:

"This is straight out of his language, 'The player should see themselves in this, not me.' When he said, 'Not me,' it clicked right away. I said, 'OK, this is a universal theme. This isn't a man in a uniform. This is a human form reaching for that.' And the story of raw-to-refined really became how to bring all that together. That was a great challenge. It was a fabulous challenge."

Michael Jordan worked closely with Mark Smith, the former vice president of Innovation Special Projects at Nike, to craft the new NBA trophy. The hardware stands 23.6 inches tall and weighs exactly 23.6 pounds.

It's a nod to Jordan’s jersey number 23 and the six championships he won. The trophy's base has five sides to signify Jordan's five MVP awards, while the namesake plate has six sides for his six rings.

The base also has a 15-degree angle to represent the number of years he played in the league. The crystal basketball atop the trophy has a total of 23 points, which is a nod to Jordan's legendary jersey number.

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Michael Jordan not the only legend honored by NBA by renaming awards

Michael Jordan (3L) with NBA legends at the 2022 All-Star Game

Michael Jordan was not the only legend honored by the last month. Hakeem Olajuwon, Wilt Chamberlain, John Havlicek, George Mikan and Jerry West were all honored by having had an award named after them.

Olajuwon will signify the new Defensive Player of the Year award. Meanwhile, the Rookie of the Year has been named after Chamberlain, while the Sixth Man of the Year is now the John Havlicek Trophy. The Most Improved Player award will now be known as the George Mikan Trophy.

The NBA added a new award called Clutch Player of the Year, which will be named after the logo himself, Jerry West. The inaugural winner will be announced later in the season.

The league also honored legends Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson and Bob Cousy last postseason. The MVPs of the conference finals have been named after Johnson (West) and Bird (East), while the conference championships have been named after Robertson (West) and Cousy (East).

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