According to analyst Nick Wright, the newly-introduced Eastern Conference MVP trophy should’ve been renamed after LeBron James and not Larry Bird.
Advertisement
The NBA recently unveiled the entire collection of reimagined trophies to be distributed for the postseason. The lineup of hardware includes an evolution of the Larry O’Brien trophy, the Finals MVP trophy, Conference Championship trophies, and more importantly, the additions of two new awards – the Larry Bird Trophy and the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy, for the MVPs of the Eastern and Western Conference finals, respectively.
In a statement, the league stated why they chose the two superstars from the 1980s to honor with these newly introduced trophies. In an Instagram post, the NBA stated:
Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. The two NBA legends are honored as the namesakes for the trophies that will now be awarded each year to the Eastern & Western Conference Finals MVPs.
Also Read: Looking at modern voting metrics and how it would tie the Bulls legend and the Lakers superstar
Nick Wright was one of the many people who weren’t content with the name of the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy. The analyst believed that Larry Bird didn’t deserve the honor as much as LeBron James did.
Does LeBron James actually deserve the honor more than Larry Bird
To be clear, the league’s reason for naming the trophy behind the Celtics legend’s name was not only because of their success, but also their contributions to defining the modern NBA.
However, taking only the achievements aspect into consideration, LeBron James is definitely the obvious pick to get rewarded with this tribute.
Let’s have a deeper look into this topic.
Also Read: NBA Twitter ridicule the Lakers superstar for receiving only 1 5th place vote in the MVP race
Having played 46 games in the Eastern Conference finals in his entire career, Bird averaged a solid 23.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. Out of 8 appearances, Larry Legend was able to lead his team to the Eastern Conference championship a total of 5 times (62.5% success rate).
Whereas, The King appeared in 59 games in the Eastern Conference finals series. And had a career average of 29.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists. Bron managed to lead his team to the Eastern Conference championship in each of the 9 times he qualified for the same (100% success rate).
Nevertheless, the association has done a pretty good job with the inclusion of these new accolades. And in only a few weeks matter, we’ll come to know which players get to lift these inaugural trophies.
