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The NBA has officially re-designed the trophies that will be handed out at the end of the season. The league revealed the news through its official Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon.
One of the re-designed awards is the Maurice Podoloff Trophy. The award will be given to the team with the best regular-season record. It is named after Maurice Podoloff, who was the NBA's commissioner between 1949 and 1963. He famously united the NBL and BAA under the NBA banner.
The trophy features a crystal basketball that is held up by two pillars and two rings, symbolizing the Eastern and Western Conferences. Currently, the Boston Celtics are the favorites to win the award. They have the best record in the league at 20-5.
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Below you can see highlights from the Celtics' win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday night:
Who was Maurice Podoloff?
Maurice Podoloff served as the president of the Basketball Association of America, while also maintaining his status as the president of the American Hockey League. In 1949, Podoloff negotiated a historic merger to combine the BAA and the National Basketball League. The league was renamed the National Basketball Association.
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As the NBA's first president, Podoloff is credited with taking the game to new heights. What fans may not know is that the NBA's MVP trophy was called the Maurice Podoloff Trophy until 2021, despite the award being the KIA MVP award.
In addition to the Maurice Podoloff Award, the league also announced several other new awards, as well as several redesigned awards honoring players and coaches.
Another redesigned award is the Twyman-Stokes Trophy, which will be awarded to a player who shows selflessness. The trophy honors Jack Twyman, who is seen with his arm around teammate Maurice Stokes after the latter took a hard fall and hit his head during a game.
As a result of the fall, Stokes suffered a seizure that left him paralyzed several days later, marking one of the greatest tragedies in the NBA.
Next was the Joe Dumars trophy, an award that honors one of the best players to ever wear the Detroit Pistons uniform. The award will be given to a player who displays exceptional sportsmanship, as Dumars did when he won the first Sportsmanship Award over two decades ago.
The Red Auerbach trophy is set to go to Coach of the Year. The redesigned trophy features the famed Boston Celtics coach with a cigar and playbook in hand, much like the statue in Boston. Next up is the NBA Executive of the Year Award, which features a newly redesigned trophy.
Below you can see a video from the Golden State Warriors YouTube channel that takes a deep dive into the life of Maurice Podoloff. The video also looks at his impact on the game in the wake of Steph Curry's MVP year.
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