Cool! New Trophy Lines For NBA Division Champions Named 6 Legendary Black Figures

NBA basketball illustration (Instagram @nba)

JAKARTA - The NBA on Tuesday announced a new lineup of trophies for the teams that managed to emerge as division champions and each will be named by legendary black figures and pioneers in the basketball sport.

Reporting from Antara, Tuesday, April 12, the six figures whose names were given the honor of being the new NBA division champion trophies were Nat Clifton, Wayne Embry, Earl Lloyd, Willis Reed, Sam Jones and Chuck Cooper.

The trophies were re-designed by artist Victor Solomon, who this season has also collaborated with the NBA on the design of a number of new trophies including the Kobe Bryant Trophy awarded to All-Star Player of the Year (MVP).

All division champion trophies are nearly identical with a circular base accompanied by three pillars supporting a 200-millimeter crystal basketball.

The trophies are then distinguished by the golden silhouette on the crystal basketball representing each division as well as the division name and trophy at the base.

The Atlantic Division champions will win the Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton Trophy, named after the first black player to have a contract in the NBA.

Clifton started his NBA career with the New York Knicks where he played mid 1950 to 1957. The Arkansas-born basketball player successfully penetrated the 1957 NBA All-Star team and helped the Knicks reach the NBA Finals in 1950/51 where they lost 3-4 against the Rochester Royals. (now the Sacramento Kings).

The Central Division champion will receive the Wayne Embry Trophy, named after the first black general manager after a decorated career five All-Stars and a championship title until 1968.

At management level Embry also won the Best Executive award 1991/92 and 1997/98 which he won when he was GM Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Southeast Division champion will receive the Earl Lloyd Trophy, named in honor of the first black basketball player to appear in the NBA after being director as the 100th pick of the 1950 Draft by the Washington Capitols.

Lloyd then moved to the Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers) and became part of the team that won the 1955 NBA championship, before ending his career with the Detroit Pistons in 1958-1960.

The Southwest Division champions will lift the Willis Reed Trophy, named after the iconic Knicks figure who spent his career in the New York team.

Reed became the 1965 NBA Debutants, seven times through to the All-Star team and twice helped the Knicks win, achievements that have earned him a regular selection in the 50th and 75th anniversary editions of the NBA special teams.

The Northwest Division champion will clinch the Sam Jones Trophy, named for the Boston Celtics legend who has 10 championship rings after spending his entire career in Massachusetts from 1957-1969.

Jones also entered the All-Star team five times, always being selected for the 25th, 50th and 75th anniversary editions of NB and his number 24 jersey was retired by the Celtics.

The Pacific Division champions will win the Chuck Cooper Trophy, the first black basketball player to be recruited via the NBA Draft.

Cooper was the 14th pick in the 1950 NBA Draft to be recruited by the Celtics, although his career only lasted about six years at two other teams, the Milwaukee Hawks (now the Atlanta Hawks) and the Fort Wayne Pistons (now the Detroit Pistons), after having to hang up his boots early because his back injury.

In the 2021/22 NBA regular season, the Celtics won the Atlantic Division, the Milwaukee Bucks won the Central Division, the Miami Heat Southeast Division, the Utah Jazz Northwest Division, the Phoenix Suns Pacific Division, and the Memphis Grizzlies Southwest Division.