The NBA just announced Tuesday morning that the league is rebranding the league’s major individual awards with new names, and even introduced a new one — the Clutch Player of the Year, with the winner receiving the Jerry West Trophy.
Via NBA.com:
The National Basketball Association (NBA) today unveiled six newly designed trophies named after NBA legends, which will be presented to the end-of-season Kia Performance Award winners. Headlined by The Michael Jordan Trophy, which will be awarded to the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, the lineup of reimagined trophies honors the league pioneers who helped define the standards of excellence that these trophies represent.
As with any major announcements concerning the NBA, reactions abound right after the revelations. For every person who likes it, there is perhaps another who despises the alterations being made.
And at the same time, there is a wholly different school of thought that just thinks the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award is just not necessary and one that could only fuel further toxicity.
The NBA didn’t think we had enough dumb debates so they introduced a “clutch player” award https://t.co/ZoLRst9c69
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) December 13, 2022
Can we retroactively give DeRozan the Clutch/West award for last season? Just seems right. https://t.co/OZNY5KUwwu
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) December 13, 2022
Some have also taken the NBA’s announcement as a perfect timing to play around with hilarious suggestions for new awards.
The timofey mozgov award for the player that signs the best 4 year contract
— Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) December 13, 2022
YOU LOVE TO SEE IT!! https://t.co/R7LqlVxeI1
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 13, 2022
The design of the new trophies surely will not go unnoticed by NBA Twitter, with at least one here thinking that the league could have chosen a design that’s more akin to a memorable Michael Jordan action shot like, say, Jordan’s free-throw dunk?
They used THAT for the Jordan award? pic.twitter.com/6nTH14ulQZ
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) December 13, 2022
If we're creating dumb awards, I want the "Garbage Time MVP Award". It at least would be a fun debate.
— Anthony Doyle (@Anthonysmdoyle) December 13, 2022
Also, Clutch Player of the Year is the worst award idea I've ever heard of.
It's basically creating an entirely media narrative based award.
— Anthony Doyle (@Anthonysmdoyle) December 13, 2022
With Michael Jordan’s name on the MVP award, it’s a good time to ask whether it only further cements his status as the Greatest of All-Time?
Does the goat debate end when your logo is on majority of the league and they rename the MVP trophy after you? pic.twitter.com/t83kL4dvmf
— Travonne Edwards (@Travonne) December 13, 2022