Solomon’s previous work had always celebrated basketball.
Since 1977, Tiffany and Co. have been manufacturing the NBA Championship Trophy, and it just got revamped by artist Victor Solomon. The award was initially called the Walter A. Brown Trophy after the founder and original owner of the Boston Celtics.
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By 1984, the league changed the name to Larry O’Brien to honor the former NBA commissioner. While Tiffany and Co. will still be creating the trophies from their Rhode Island workshop, it’s no surprise Solomon was the artist tapped.
Throughout his career, the Boston-native’s work has turned to his passion, basketball, as his work’s main inspiration.
Art and basketball
In 2020, Solomon’s “Literally Balling” project included a crystal basketball sculpture worth $1,499 (he later made an NFT iteration of the art piece). And in the same year, to celebrate the NBA season resuming after a pandemic hiatus, Solomon repaired a Los Angeles basketball court by filling cracks with gold-dusted resin.
Solomon’s NBA trophy redesign stands 25.5 inches tall and weighs about 29 pounds. It used sterling silver and 24-karat gold vermeil and was created to last till the NBA’s 100th anniversary.
Although the award’s silhouette remains the same, the trophy’s ball and net have been adjusted for more prominence.
Holistic overhaul
“On the surface of the top layer, we’ve etched all previous championship-winning teams and corresponding years. The second layer has open real estate to etch the next 25 champions—designed to take us up to the 100th anniversary of the league,” Solomon told Robb Report.
With Tiffany, Solomon also created a new MVP trophy design and four other post-season awards: The Bill Russell MVP Trophy, The Oscar Robertson Western Conference Trophy, The Earvin’ Magic’ Johnson Western Conference Finals MVP Trophy, and The Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy.
“No one else has ever attempted a holistic overhaul like this before,” Solomon added. “The full family of honors we’ve created incorporates a lineage to the great’s past, creative innovation, and considered storytelling like never before.”
Banner photo from @victorsolomon on Instagram.
