NBA reveals new Conference Finals MVP awards, fresh tributes for existing awards

In a press release Thursday, the NBA revealed that it has created two new Conference Finals MVP awards to honor the best performances in each conference, as well as overhauling several of its signature postseason awards.

The newly minted Conference Finals awards will pay tribute to two Hall of Fame players with some of the starriest résumés in league history, who have each made plenty of appearances in the playoffs’ penultimate round.

The Western Conference Finals MVP will now be rewarded with the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy. The hardware honors Lakers legend Magic Johnson, a 12-time All-Star and five-time champion with Los Angeles who advanced out of the West and into the Finals nine times during his 13-season career. After being drafted by the Lakers with the first pick out of Michigan State in 1979, the 6-foot-9 point guard made nine All-NBA First Teams and one All-NBA Second Team, led the league in assists four times and steals twice, and was named the league MVP and the NBA Finals MVP three times apiece.

Johnson also won two All-Star Game MVP awards. He was named to both the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team in 1997 and its 75th Anniversary Team this year. Johnson was also a key member of the 1992 Olympic Gold Medal-winning “Dream Team.” Johnson went on to enjoy an incredibly lucrative career with a variety of businesses following his NBA tenure, as well as several successful stints as a league broadcaster.

“The NBA Conference Finals represent the last hurdle a team must face for an opportunity to make it to the big stage, the NBA Finals,” Johnson, now 62, said of the honor. “I’m truly honored to have my name memorialized on the Western Conference Finals Most Valuable Player Trophy. This player excels on both ends of the court, makes his teammates better and leads his team to the greatest stage in basketball.”

The Larry Bird Trophy will be given to the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, in tribute to Johnson’s longtime Eastern Conference counterpart Larry Bird. Bird also made his NBA debut during the 1979-80 NBA season along with Johnson, following three years at Indiana State that culminated in an NCAA championship game loss to Johnson’s Spartans. Bird bested Johnson for the 1980 NBA Rookie of the Year award with the Celtics.

In a 13-year playing career for Boston, Bird also made nine All-NBA First Teams and one All-NBA Second Team. He was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams. The 6-foot-9 small forward won three championships with the Celtics and was awarded the Finals MVP in two of those title trips. He advanced to the NBA Finals out of the East five times. Bird was a three-time league MVP and one-time All-Star Game MVP. Like Johnson, Bird was a 1992 Olympic Gold Medallist, though back issues limited his efficacy with the club. Bird was named to both the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

“I am very honored to have my name associated with the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy,” the 65-year-old Bird said. “I know how tough it is to get to this great milestone of the Eastern Conference Finals and to be named the Most Valuable Player makes it even more special.” 

Bird’s history with the Eastern Conference Finals doesn’t end with his playing career. He later served as the head coach of the Pacers for three seasons from 1997-2000, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and the NBA Finals once, in 2000. Bird then moved on to become the Pacers’ team president, leading Indiana to three more Eastern Conference Finals appearances before ultimately moving to a consulting role with the club in 2017. He is currently the only person to have won the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year honors.

The NBA will also pay tribute to two other Hall of Famers with some additional Conference Championship hardware.

The league has renamed the Western Conference Championship Trophy the Oscar Robertson Trophy, named after the Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson, who served a starry 14-year career with the Bucks and Cincinnati Royals. Robertson was a 12-time All-Star, a nine-time First-Teamer and two-time Second-Teamer, a one-time MVP, and the 1961 Rookie of the Year. Robertson led the league in assists six times. He held the longtime record for most triple-doubles made in a season (41) before being supplanted by Russell Westbrook during the latter’s 2016-17 MVP campaign, and aside from Westbrook is the only player to average a triple-double over the course of an NBA season. He averaged 30.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG and 11.4 APG for the Royals in 1961-62.

The 6-foot-5 point guard was drafted by the Royals out of the University of Cincinnati in 1960. He also won the Olympic Gold Medal with the U.S. team in 1960. The Royals were in the West from 1960-1962, before seeing their conference affiliation re-aligned to the East. Robertson was traded by the Royals in the summer of the 1970 to the Bucks, where he would go on to make two Finals appearances next to eventual Magic Johnson running mate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Bucks were still in the Western Conference throughout Robertson’s playing career. Robertson’s Bucks won the title in 1971. Robertson has made the 35th, 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

“I am thrilled to have the NBA Western Conference Champions Trophy named in my honor,” said the 83-year-old Robertson. “Several decades ago, I played in an emerging and highly competitive league with tremendous talent. This trophy represents to me not only my hard work to make the league better, but all the efforts of the future Oscar Robertson Trophy winners who make the NBA great.”

In the Eastern Conference, the championship trophy will now be known as the Bob Cousy Trophy, as a tribute to the longtime Celtics Hall of Fame point guard Bob Cousy. The 6-foot-1 Holy Cross alum was selected with the No. 3 pick by Boston in 1950. Cousy has been named to the 25th, 35th, 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary teams. He went on to make 13 All-Star teams and win six titles with Boston. Cousy was also a 10-time All-NBA First-Teamer and a two-time Second-Teamer, in addition to winning one MVP in 1957. He led the league in assists for eight seasons. Incidentally, after his career ended, he overlapped with Robertson for one season with the Royals as head coach in 1969-70, and even came out of retirement to play seven games alongside him in the backcourt.

“I have been part of the NBA family since 1950 and among the greatest joys of my post-playing career has been watching the game continue to evolve into what it is today,” the 93-year-old Cousy said. “There are few greater achievements in sports than representing your conference in the NBA Finals, and I’m moved that the NBA has granted me the honor of being connected to the Eastern Conference champions for years to come.”