Category Archives: basketball trophy

College Basketball Trophy Season

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It’s finally here!  March Madness is what every dyed-in-the-wool collegiate basketball fan lives for.  Filling out the brackets for the office pool has become an annual ritual that most every office participates in (whether they admit to it or not).  While the men’s NCAA Tournament is the biggie, there are still other basketball tournaments that draw considerable interest and also have beautiful basketball trophies to award.

The Men’s NCAA  Division I Tournament is divided into four regions, East, West, Southeast and Southwest.  Each region will award a Championship Trophy and a Runner-Up Trophy.  Plus, each region will award an MVP Trophy to the most outstanding player in that region’s tournament.  Then, the remaining four teams will square off for the coveted Collegiate National Championship Trophy.   The men’s Most Outstanding Player award for the entire tournament is named the Oscar Robertson Award, after the one and only “Big O”.  The women’s Division I Tournament follows the same format, is similarly divided into regions, and will award the same trophies to the teams and a Most Outstanding Player Award to someone on the winning team.

Then there is the NIT (National Invitation Tournament) post-season event that traditionally has its semi-final and final round played at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  Originally, this was the tournament to determine the collegiate national champion.   But, in 2005, the NCAA purchased the rights to the tournament and the NIT lost some of it’s luster as the preeminent post-season hoops event.  Nonetheless, teams are honored to participate, and value winning the trophies associated with this tournament to highlight a successful season.

Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy

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The current basketball trophy was created in 1978, replacing the Walter A. Brown Trophy. The name and design remained the same until the 1984 NBA Finals, when it was renamed in honor of former commissioner Larry O’Brien (’75-’83). The trophy, which stands about 2 feet, is sterling silver and vermeil with a 24-carat gold overlay and weighs about 16 pounds. It is re-created each year by Tiffany & Co. for the winning team to keep permanently.

Basketball Trophies: Walter A. Brown Trophy

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The Walter A. Brown Trophy was a trophy awarded to the BAA/NBA champions from 1949 to 1977. When it comes to basketball trophies this is an historic treasure. The trophy was kept by the winning team for one year and given to the winning team of the following year’s finals, unless the previous team won again, much like the NHL’s Stanley Cup trophy, which continues that tradition to this day.

The trophy was originally referred to as the NBA Finals trophy, but was renamed in 1964 after Walter A. Brown, the original owner of the Boston Celtics who was instrumental in merging the BAA and the National Basketball League into the NBA in 1949. A new trophy design was created for the 1977 NBA Finals, although it retained the Walter A. Brown title. Unlike the original championship trophy, the new trophy was given permanently to the winning team and a new one was made every year. It was renamed the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in 1984 to honor former NBA commissioner Larry O’Brien.

The inaugural winner of the trophy was the Philadelphia Warriors, who defeated the Chicago Stags. The Boston Celtics won 14 trophies the most in league history. From 1957 to 1969, they won the NBA Finals 11 out of 13 times, including eight consecutive wins. The final recipient of the trophy was the Philadelphia 76ers, who defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals.

Lakers take game 7 by a thread

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Well the LA pulled it off in game seven beating the Celtics in the fourth by a thread. You would have thought there were multiple trophies on the line the way the Lakers turned up the heat in the last minutes.

The Lakers pulled off one of the most unlikeliest run for the trophy ever.

I guess what ever Phil Jackson touches turns to gold has he is the three peat king!

About 28.2 million people watched the Lakers take Game 7, 83-79, and march off with the team’s 16th championship, according to the Nielsen ratings service. It was the biggest audience to watch a deciding game since 35.9 million tuned in to watch Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls beat the Utah Jazz in 1998.

NBA’s Joe Dumars Sportsmanship Trophy

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When Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in Boston to create the Big Three, the only  obstacle to their success seemed to be a possible lack of chemistry in the locker room. Put three alpha dogs in the same room, and trouble can arise.

But everything worked out for the Celtics.

Garnett was the fiery, emotional one while Allen chose to lead by example. The shooting guard’s quiet leadership and respect for the game has earned him praise across the league. Earlier this month, Allen won the Atlantic Division’s sportsmanship award and finished third for the NBA honor.

This kind of recognition is nothing new for Allen, who captured the NBA’s Joe Dumars Trophy (named after its inaugural recipient) during the 2002-03 season while a member of the Seattle SuperSonics. Phoenix’ Grant Hill won this season’s sportsmanship award ahead of Chauncey Billups, Allen and Antawn Jamison.

Four of the six divisions were won by players who have spent over a decade in the league, and they were the leading four vote-getters in the sportsmanship balloting. Sixth-place finisher Luis Scola has only spent three years in the United States but has been playing professional basketball across the world since 1996. Only Atlanta youngster Al Horford, who finished fifth, hasn’t been around the block for long.

No Celtic has ever won the award before, though P.J. Brown, a member of the 2008 Celtics championship team, was honored in 2003-04 as a member of the New Orleans Hornets.

For Hill, the Dumars Trophy is his third. He also won with the Suns in 2007-08 and the Magic in 2004-05. Billups was honored in 2008-09, the season between Hill’s two most recent trophies.

Jostens Trophy Finalist

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The Josten Trophy is a national award created by the Rotary Club of Salem, Virginia, to honor the most outstanding men’s Division III basketball player of the year.  The award takes into account three vital parts: basketball ability, academic prowess and community service.  The trophy models the Rotary International motto of “Service above Self” by recognizing those who truly fit the ideal of the well-rounded Division III student-athlete.  This year’s trophy marks the 13th year the ward has been presented.

McKeehan helped lead his team to a 21-7 record and a share of its second straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) regular season title.  He played in all 28 games for the Saints, including 26 starts and led the team in scoring with a 15.6 points per game average.  McKeehan also had a team-leading .632 field goal percentage while averaging 4.9 rebounds per game.  A solid all-around player, he also was the team leader with 64 assists and 63 steals.

In the classroom, McKeehan carries a perfect 4.00 grade point average with a double major in Economics and Business Finance.  Last week he was named the College Division ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Men’s Basketball Player of the Year by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

The Evolution of Basketball Trophies

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The Evolution of Basketball Trophies

Remember the days when all you got for winning that intense tournament were dinky basketball medals?

Well, boring now you can say goodbye to boring basketball awards!

Basketball trophies have come a long way! I’m talking about trophies that have bobbleheads, spinning sports balls and movable arms and legs!

Can’t decide which image or design to use for your basketball team? Let them choose! Use a different image insert for each medal! Use a different saying or logo on each trophy! Not one has to be alike!
Want to go with a more formal approach? Get basketball plaques! You can engrave anything you want on them or even insert a photo of your basketball team. Either way, a basketball plaque mounted on a wall is sure to create memories that will last for generations.

Going along with a classy theme, you can get acrylic basketball awards, glass basketball awards and crystal basketball awards. The crystal awards feature a basketball player lasered inside to create an interesting unique 3-D look.

Maybe you don’t want to make a big deal out of a win or even a loss! So you can opt for basketball pins, basketball pins, basketball ribbons, or basketball certificates. This way nobody is forgotten and everyone will have a little souvenir of from the good times or the bad times!

So remember, you shouldn’t have to feel obligated to get basketball trophies & awards for your team, but rather, you should want to! Designing and building a basketball trophy has never been more fun!

Guide to A Guide to Great Basketball Trophies & Awards

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Guide to A Guide to Great Basketball Trophies & Basketball Awards

Just what your basketball team needs

basketball trophies

basketball trophies

Ever wonder what will give your army of basketball-ers that extra boost to win those lovely basketball trophies & medals? Maybe it is the basketball trophies & basketball medals themselves! By designing and building your very own trophy you can cater to the needs and likings of your squad of basketball players so that every game is a victory and every award is one of their most prized possessions.

Start here: Begin with what type of award you want. You can choose from trophies: gold or silver, basketball sculptures with with hand painted colors or bronze finishes, or
basketball plaques which are offered in wood acrylic or rosewood, among others. Let us also not forget the ever ubiquitous basketball medals & basketball ribbons. You can choose from a selection of styles that include 3D medals, a really unique flip-sided design, or even choose from one of many images to easily insert.

You can also opt for a classier look for your basketball award by choosing crystal or the more affordable, acrylic. These glass basketball awards and acrylic basketball awards can feature a male or basketball female player holding a basketball or if you prefer, an engraved basketball on the award to stand alone.

Finally, don’t want to spend an exuberant amount on your basketball trophies & basketball awards? Look into some cute and simple basketball pins that can easily be uniformly donned by a proud basketball team.

USBWA SELECTS NORTH CAROLINA’S

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Trophy News From St. Louis, MO

Oscar-Robertson-Trophy

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina’s 6-9 junior All-American from Poplar Bluff, Mo., has been chosen winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association as the nation’s top college basketball player for the 2007-08 season.

Hansbrough received the trophy at the USBWA’s annual college basketball awards breakfast this morning in San Antonio. Drake coach Keno Davis was presented with the Henry Iba Award as the USBWA’s Coach of the Year and LSU-Shreveport’s Josh Porter was presented with the USBWA’s Most Courageous Award at the breakfast as well.
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The Most Coveted Trophies and Awards in Sports

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Trophies

Trophy News from ESPN

Kobe Bryant recently said he would rather win an Olympic gold medal than the NBA championship. Was he merely saying what was politically correct before the Olympics? Did he say it only because it sounds better than “I would rather win an Olympic gold medal than lose the NBA championship”? Or does an Olympic gold medal really mean more to him than a professional championship?

Only Kobe knows for sure but what about you? What sporting trophy means the most to you? Of all the things you could win in sports, which would you choose? A Super Bowl ring? The Masters green jacket? The Heisman Trophy? The Cy Young Award? A World Series? A Final Four? There are dozens upon dozens of championships and awards to win, but which would you most want to claim?

Here are a few quick caveats on my rankings:

The form of the award matters. Trophies top plaques, and the bigger the better. After all, you want the damn thing to look impressive in your trophy case.

Names count, too. Awards named in honor of a person (such as the Cy Young) just resonate more than those that, while prestigious, are named something boring and generic like the “MVP award.”

Durability counts. Generally, the longer the award has been around, the more it means.

Originally Written by Jim Caple for ESPN