NEW YORK — The National Basketball Association (NBA) today unveiled its lineup of newly designed NBA All-Star trophies in honor of the league’s 75th editione Anniversary season. Designed in collaboration with artist Victor Solomon, the trophies will be presented for the first time at NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland. The lineup of hardware is topped by The Kobe Bryant Trophy, which will be awarded to the Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP on Sunday, February 20 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
“While the NBA are 75 . celebratese Anniversary season, this collection of All-Star trophies represents the continued growth and evolution of our game,” said Christopher Arena, Head of On-Court and Brand Partnerships at the NBA. “Thanks to our partnership with Victor Solomon, these trophies contain deep stories, reimagining our past All-Star trophies in a modern aesthetic, and now serve as the new standards of excellence that future generations of All-Stars will aspire to each year. “
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Solomon’s work in this space includes his ‘Letterally Balling’ project, in which he explores the icons and symbols of basketball as a platform for conceptual storytelling. His art has detailed the high process techniques involved in creating and designing stained glass basketball backboards, crystal basketballs, and cast ceramic basketballs reconstructed using a Kintsugi process, and has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Shanghai.
“Over the past few years, the NBA and I have worked proudly and tirelessly to rethink what a trophy is, has been, and could be,” said Victor Solomon. “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 visual, aesthetic language of the entire collection. The opportunity also gave us the privilege and responsibility to develop an all-new silhouette worthy of the name ‘The Kobe Bryant Trophy’ for the Kia NBA All-Star MVP for which, in the spirit of its namesake, we have all conventions rejected and challenged ourselves to reorient how we thought about ‘the game’.”
The Kobe Bryant Trophy
AT&T Slam Dunk Champion
MTN DEW 3-point competition champion
Taco Bell Skills Challenge Champion
Clorox Rising Stars MVP
Clorox Clutch Challenge Champion
Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP
TNT will unveil All-Star Game reserves (seven players from each conference), as selected by NBA head coaches, and present the new NBA All-Star trophies tonight at 7 p.m. ET on TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax†
Commemorating the league’s most notable achievements at NBA All-Star, each trophy features a raised design to match intricate elements that symbolize the milestone each award represents. The NBA All-Star trophies include:
The Kobe Bryant Trophy – awarded to the Kia NBA All-Star MVP:
As previously announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in 2020, the NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy is permanently named after the late Kobe Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record four Kia All-Star Game MVP awards. . † The new Kobe Bryant Trophy further celebrates its namesake, with intricate details that have double meaning both to NBA All-Star and to Bryant’s storied career, including the following:
† Basic size: The eight-sided base represents the eight decades of NBA All-Star Games and is a nod to Bryant’s number 8 jersey number. The 18 stars around the trophy represent his 18 All-Star selections. The 2-inch base height is a nod to Bryant’s 2002 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.
† Level 1: The 24 stars represent every All-Star in the game and Bryant’s number 24 jersey number. The 7-inch height is a nod to Bryant’s 2007 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.
† Level 2: The 10 stars 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: The five stars represent 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.
† Level 4: A single star represents the star of stars and Bryant wins the Maurice Podoloff Trophy for the 2007-08 Kia NBA MVP. The last star’s 2-inch height represents Bryant’s two Bill Russell trophies as the NBA Finals MVP (2009-2010).
NBA All-Star Events:
In addition to the Kobe Bryant Trophy, the following NBA All-Star events will award their respective champion or MVP with a newly designed trophy:
AT&T Slam Dunk Champion
MTN DEW 3-point competition champion
Taco Bell Skills Challenge Champion
Clorox Rising Stars MVP
These trophies are inspired by the gold basketball All-Star trophies previously awarded to event champions, infusing the nostalgia of the trophies of the past with a new, innovative approach.
Each trophy is composed of the following:
† A 14-inch crystal star-shaped column.
• A 24-karat gold basketball embedded in the column, which is surrounded by revolving text of the respective event and honor.
NBA All-Star Game Rings:
As has been customary since 1983, NBA All-Star rings are awarded to players in recognition of their selection for the game. Design details of the latest rings include:
• The frame of the ring resembles a basketball seam.
• The NBA All-Star host city and year are etched on the side of the band.
• Embedded in the ring seam is a crystal ball, with the All-Star host city and year magnified below.
• The crystal ball is surrounded by 22 stars and 22 diamonds, referring to the current All-Star year.
Clorox Rising Stars Champions:
The winning team of the Clorox Rising Stars will receive medals raised by basketball seams, with “Champions” and stars engraved in the center. Additionally, two players from each Rising Stars team will compete in the Clorox Clutch Challenge, with the winning team receiving a 10-inch crystal disc.
Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP:
The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game awards an MVP trophy worthy of the game featuring stars from film, television, music, sports, and more. The trophy will consist of:
• A 250 millimeter faceted crystal ball.
• “MVP” is 3D laser etched and hung in the center of the ball.
