History of the NBA Finals Trophy
The new design, sterling silver and vermeil trophy with a 24
karat gold overlay, standing at over two feet tall and weighing
almost fifteen pounds, costs $13,500 to make each and is designed
as an NBA Merchandise regulation size basketball, nine inches in
diameter on the cusp of entering the net, with a single rod
extending from the base to the ball in order to convey the notion
of a play in motion. The basketball of the trophy is actually
hinged to open as a compartment that the winners traditionally use
to enjoy chips and dip during their victory celebrations.
The original trophy for the NBA Jerseys Championship Finals had
been an ornate, oversized silver chalice bestowed upon the winner
of each year's NBA Finals champion to be kept for the year until
the next year's champions would gain possession. The Philadelphia
Warriors were the first recipients of the trophy after defeating
the Chicago Stags in 1947. The trophy had been renamed in honor of
Walter A. Brown in 1964, shortly after his death, in honor of his
contributions leading to the 1949 merger of the Basketball
Association of America and National Basketball League into the
National Basketball Association of today. The trophy was redesigned
and became a trophy which from then on would be awarded to each
year's winning team for permanent possession beginning with the
1977 Finals, and the original was retired to the Naismith
Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Since 2004, the NBA Hats has been taking active promotional
measures to bring the Larry O'Brien Trophy to the iconic status of
the historical sports trophies in other realms of professional
athletics. That year, following the NBA Finals win by the Detroit
Pistons, the trophy traveled around Michigan, touring around its
winning team's state for the first time. The following year, in
2005, an NBA Legends Tour was orchestrated to include stops
scheduled in cities all over the nation escorted by former players
like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Irving, Walt "Clyde" Frazier,
Moses Malone, and George Gervin, for fans to enjoy photo sessions
and autograph opportunities, beginning in New York City.
