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| Sport | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Competition | NBA playoffs |
| Awarded for | Winning theNBA Finals |
| History | |
| First award | 1977 |
| First winner | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Most wins | Los Angeles Lakers (11) |
| Most recent | Oklahoma City Thunder (1) |
TheLarry O’Brien Championship Trophy is the championshiptrophy awarded annually by theNational Basketball Association (NBA) to thewinner of theNBA Finals. The trophy originally kept theWalter A. Brown Trophy name of its predecessor until being renamed in 1984.
The trophy, depicting a basketball over a hoop and basket, was first awarded in 1977,[1] which was then known under its original name as Walter A. Brown Trophy. The name of the trophy was changed in 1984 to honor former NBAcommissionerLarry O'Brien who served from 1975 to 1984. Before joining the NBA, O'Brien was theUnited States postmaster general under PresidentLyndon B. Johnson from 1965 to 1968.[2]
A new trophy was created for the1977 NBA Finals. The inaugural winners were thePortland Trail Blazers, who defeated thePhiladelphia 76ers in six games. Unlike theoriginal championship trophy, the new trophy was given permanently to the winning team and a new one was made every year, similar to theVince Lombardi Trophy, awarded annually to the winning team of theNFL'sSuper Bowl and theCommissioner's Trophy, awarded annually to the winning team ofMajor League Baseball'sWorld Series. The1982–83 76ers were the last team to win the Brown Trophy, sweeping theLos Angeles Lakers in1983.In 1984, the trophy was renamed to the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, in honor of Larry O'Brien, who served as NBA commissioner from 1975 to 1984.[3] TheBoston Celtics were the inaugural winners of the renamed trophy, defeating theLos Angeles Lakers in seven games in the1984 NBA Finals.
As part of a series of redesigned awards as part of its 75th anniversary season, the trophy design was once again changed. The most notable change is two discs replacing the square foundation of the previous design. Victor Solomon, the designer of the new trophy, had designed it with a round base as he thought the former square base awkward to hold and prop the trophy upon in the hand. The two discs also function as the metal bands of theNational Hockey League (NHL)'sStanley Cup do. The top disc displays the league's first 75 championship teams from1947 to2021, while the bottom disc will contain the next 25 championship teams from2022 to 2046, in time for the association's 100th anniversary. The resigned trophy's ball and net are also slanted to the right, or forward, to represent the league's continued desire to be progressive.[4]
From the2004–05 to2008–09 season, the NBA used a painted version of the O'Brien trophy on the center of the court during the NBA Finals. The trophy was featured for the2005,2006,2007,2008, and2009 NBA Finals before being removed, with players citing the slipperiness of the trophy and other decals.[5]
In 2025, after significant public backlash for the O'Brien trophy missing at center court during the2025 NBA Finals and use of a digital hologram of the trophy, NBA commissionerAdam Silver announced the return of the O'Brien trophy at center court, alongside the Finals script logo, with its official return being the2026 NBA Finals.[5][6][7][8]
The trophy is two feet tall and is made of 15.5 pounds ofsterling silver andvermeil with a 24karatgold overlay. The basketball depicted on top is the same size as a real basketball. The trophy was designed by artist Victor Solomon for the NBA's 75th anniversary season and is manufactured byTiffany & Co.[9][10] The championship team maintains permanent possession of the trophy (although one exception exists, as described below). The year and winning team names are engraved on the trophies, and are often prominently displayed in the winning team's arena.[11][12][13] After the sale of theHouston Rockets fromLeslie Alexander toTilman Fertitta in late 2017, Alexander maintained the ownership of the team's1993–94 and1994–95 trophies as mementos of his ownership. Thus, the team commissioned Tiffany to create replica versions of both Larry O'Brien trophies (and replacing the 1993–94 trophy, which was unexpectedly dropped and dented by reserve centerRichard Petruška during the celebration), which were publicly unveiled on September 20, 2018.[14]
Although the Larry O'Brien Trophy has been compared with the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup, it has never been as prominent as the NHL trophy.[15] To reduce this discrepancy, the NBA has been actively promoting the O'Brien Trophy in recent years to generate more recognition and an iconic status for the trophy.[16] The trophy appeared on logos for theNBA Finals for the most part. After theDetroit Pistons won the NBA Finals in 2004, the trophy was toured around the state ofMichigan, marking the first time the trophy toured around the state of the winning team.[17] In 2005, the NBA Legends Tour was launched in New York City. As part of the tour, the O’Brien Trophy was showcased in various cities—including those that were hosting the playoffs—for fans' autograph and photo sessions. It was escorted by many former players, includingJulius Erving,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar andBill Russell.[13][16] In May 2007, the NBA unveiled the NBA Headquarters onSecond Life, an Internet-based virtual reality environment. With this launch, fans could take pictures with the championship trophy in the virtual Toyota Larry O'Brien Trophy Room.[18] In August 2007, the trophy traveled toHong Kong for the first time as part of the NBA Madness Asia Tour.[19] Leading up to the2023 NBA Finals, the trophy went on a "bucket list", traveling to various locations across sports and entertainment, as well as meeting numerous celebrities. This coincided with the launch of new social media accounts made specifically for the trophy itself.[20]
This table lists the 17 teams that have won the Larry O' Brien Championship Trophy since it was introduced in 1977. It includes trophies awarded before it was renamed in 1984. For a complete history of NBA championship teams, seeList of NBA champions.
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