Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy
Updated design introduced in 2022
Sport	Basketball
Competition	NBA playoffs
Given for	Winning the NBA Finals
History
First award	1977
First winner	Portland Trail Blazers
Most wins	Los Angeles Lakers (11)
Most recent	Boston Celtics (5)
Website	NBA.com

The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is a special award given every year by the National Basketball Association (NBA). It goes to the team that wins the NBA Finals. This trophy used to be called the Walter A. Brown Trophy. It was renamed in 1984 to honor Larry O'Brien, who was the NBA's leader (commissioner) from 1975 to 1984. The trophy shows a basketball sitting on top of a hoop and net.

History of the NBA Championship Trophy

How the Trophy Changed Over Time

A new trophy was made for the 1977 NBA Finals. The first team to win it was the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. They beat the Philadelphia 76ers. Unlike the older trophy, this new one is given permanently to the winning team. A brand new trophy is made every year. This is similar to the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the NFL or the Commissioner's Trophy in MLB. The Philadelphia 76ers were the last team to win the old Brown Trophy in 1983.

Renaming the Trophy

In 1984, the trophy got its new name: the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. This was done to honor Larry O'Brien, who was the NBA commissioner from 1975 to 1984. The Boston Celtics were the first team to win the newly named trophy. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game series in the 1984 NBA Finals.

New Look for the Trophy

As part of the NBA's 75th anniversary, the trophy was redesigned. The biggest change is that the old square base was replaced with two round discs. The designer said the square base was hard to hold. The new round discs make the trophy easier to carry and lift. These discs are like the metal bands on the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup. The top disc lists the first 75 championship teams, from 1947 to 2021. The bottom disc will hold the names of the next 25 champions, from 2022 to 2046. This will lead up to the NBA's 100th anniversary. The basketball and net on the redesigned trophy are also tilted forward. This shows that the league always wants to keep moving forward.

What the Larry O'Brien Trophy Looks Like

The trophy is two feet tall. It weighs 15.5 pounds and is made of sterling silver and vermeil. This means it has a thin layer of 24 karat gold on top. The basketball on the trophy is the same size as a real basketball. Artist Victor Solomon designed the trophy for the NBA's 75th anniversary. It is made by Tiffany & Co..

The winning team gets to keep the trophy forever. The year and the winning team's names are carved onto the trophy. Teams often show off their trophies in their home arenas. There was one special case with the Houston Rockets. When the team was sold in 2017, the old owner kept their 1994 and 1995 trophies. So, the team asked Tiffany to make new copies of those trophies.

Promoting the Trophy

The O'Brien trophy displayed for the 2005 NBA Legends Tour in the New York City NBA Store

The NBA has been working hard to make the Larry O'Brien Trophy more famous. They want it to be as well-known as the NHL's Stanley Cup. The trophy has often been shown on the logos for the NBA Finals.

After the Detroit Pistons won in 2004, the trophy traveled all around Michigan. This was the first time the trophy toured the winning team's state. In 2005, the NBA started the NBA Legends Tour in New York City. The O’Brien Trophy was shown in many cities. Fans could take photos and get autographs with it. Famous former players like Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined the tour.

In 2007, the NBA created a virtual headquarters in Second Life. Fans could take pictures with the trophy there. In August 2007, the trophy went to Hong Kong for the first time. Before the 2023 NBA Finals, the trophy went on a "bucket list" tour. It visited many sports and entertainment places. It also met many celebrities. This was part of launching new social media accounts just for the trophy.

Teams with the Most Trophies

This table shows the 17 teams that have won the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy since 1977. This includes trophies won before it was renamed in 1984. For a full list of all NBA champions, see List of NBA champions.

See also

In Spanish: Trofeo Larry O'Brien para niños

• List of NBA champions