NBA ALL-STAR GAME
What is the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP trophy made of? Who designed it?
The NBA award for the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player was renamed in 2020 in honor of the legend who won it four times.
One of the highlights of this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend will be the trophy ceremony at the conclusion of the East vs West All-Star Game later this evening. Among the various gongs and rings to be handed out will be the Kobe Bryant All-Star Most Valuable Player Award which will be presented to the top performer on the night.
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The award was named after the late Hall of Famer in February 2020 NBA, just weeks after his tragic death. The trophy itself was remodelled in 2022 as a tribute to the fallen legend. Bryant, his oldest daughter Gianna and seven others tragically died in a helicopter crash in January of 2020 while on their way to a basketball game. The award has been named after the former Laker great since then, but a brand new trophy was commissioned as part of a collection of newly designed NBA All-Star trophies to commemorate the league’s 75th Anniversary.
NBA Head of On-Court and Brand Partnerships Christopher Arena explained, “These trophies incorporate deep storytelling, re-imagining 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”.
New trophy designed by Boston native Solomon
San Francisco-based artist Victor Solomon helped remodel the All-Star MVP trophy that will make its third appearance on Sunday. Stephen Curry was first to get his hands on it in the 2022 edition while Jayson Tatum, who set a new record for the most points to be scored in a single All-Star Game (55) was the most recent winner.
Solomon’s trophy includes details that highlight certain moments of Bryant’s brilliant career. The octagonal base of the award pays tribute to Bryant’s number 8 jersey which he wore to begin his career with the Lakers. There are three layers placed on top of the base which has 18 stars around it, commemorating the five-time NBA champion’s 18 All-Star selections. The base of the trophy is two inches high, for Bryant’s first of four All-Star MVP awards which he won in 2002. The seven-inch top layer pays tribute to his 2007 All-Star MVP award, and the 24 stars around the outside trophy represent the second number he wore with the Lakers.
Each layer contains a tribute to Bryant
The second layer of the trophy is nine inches high, giving a nod to his 2009 All-Star MVP, while 10 stars surround that level for the 10 starts Kobe had in the All-Star game and the number 10 he wore for Team USA. The tallest layer is the third layer, which is 11 inches tall and honours his 2011 All-Star MVP. Around that layer are five stars for the five NBA titles that Kobe won throughout his career. The top of the trophy is two inches high, for the two NBA Finals MVP trophies he won with the Lakers.
As the artist explained, “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 occasion also gave us the privilege and responsibility to develop an entirely new silhouette worthy of being named The Kobe Bryant Trophy for the 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.’ “I think basketball and sport, is really the only clean meritocrasy that exists in the world - where, I can’t network my way to the championship and I can’t finesse my way into holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy.”
The All-Star MVP Trophy isn’t the only trophy which received a facelift. There are seven trophies that will be handed out this All-Star weekend and each of them was given a new design in 2022, including those for the Slam Dunk Contest, the Three-point Contest, the Skills Challenge and the Celebrity Game.
LeBron James has the chance to make history in Indianapolis tonight. If he is named MVP, he will tie the record currently held by Bob Pettit and Bryant, who have each won the award on four occasions. However, both shared the trophy once, which means James could become the first man in NBA All-Star history to be voted outright MVP in four different All-Star Games.
The 73rd edition of the event, this season’s NBA All-Star Game is to be held today, Sunday 18 February 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tip-off is scheduled for 8pm ET/5pm PT. Viewers in the US will be able to watch the game on TNT, while you’ll also have the option of following live-text commentary right here at AS USA.