NBA creates new division trophies named after pioneering Black players, including several Boston Celtics alumni
The NBA announced on Monday six new awards to be presented to the teams which win each of the league’s six divisions (Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Southwest Northwest, Pacific) that will be named after pioneering Black players drawn from the 75 years of history they played in the league, several of which are to be named for Boston Celtics alumni.
In addition to those named for players that never suited up for the Celtics — the Atlantic Division’s ‘Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton Trophy,’ the Southeast Division’s ‘Earl Lloyd Trophy,’ and the Southwest Division’s ‘Willis Reed Trophy’ — there will be a total of three more named for players who donned the green and white for at least some of their careers.
That includes the Central Division’s ‘Wayne Embry Trophy,’ the Northwest Division’s ‘Sam Jones Trophy,’ and the Pacific Division’s ‘Chuck Cooper Trophy.’
Hear every play from Larry Legend’s debut game in the association in this clip. https://t.co/n2mjQSFQiS
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) April 12, 2022
Chuck Cooper of course was the first Black player to be drafted by Boston or any NBA team, Embry won an NBA title with the Celtics in 1968, and Jones won nine more than that with Boston — second only to Bill Russell’s 11.
Winners of the 2022 Atlantic Division race after beating the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the Celtics are the inaugural winners of the Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton Trophy this season.
Let’s take a look at the reasoning put forward by the league in the article announcing the six new awards for each of the three Boston alumni so honored.
Central Division: The Wayne Embry Trophy
Dave DeBusschere (22) of the Detroit Pistons loses control of a rebound as Sam Jones (24), and Wayne Embry both of the Boston Celtics come in for the ball in their National basketball Assn. playoff game at Boston Garden, Sunday, March 31, 1968, Boston, Mass. Looking on is Jimmy Walker (24) of the Pistons. (AP Photo)
The first African-American to be named General Manager of a team, Embry “continued as a basketball executive with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors” after his start with the Bucks, earning Executive of the Year honors in 1992 and 1998.
Northwest Division: The Sam Jones Trophy
Boston’s Sam Jones, left, drives past the Lakers’ Jerry West (44) and drives along the baseline towards the basket in the teams’ NBA playoff game at Los Angeles May 2, 1968. At right are Darrall Imhoff of Lakers, who blocked the shot, and Celtics’ Bill Russell. (AP Photo/HF)
Noting Jones’ 10 titles with Boston from 1957-69 and his many other accolades, Jones was honored not just for his play on the court, but also because he “stood up for the rights of African-Americans in the league and in the country during a pivotal time in the 1960s.”
Pacific Division: The Chuck Cooper Trophy
Celtics & The Chuck Cooper Foundation to honor Chuck’s legacy through a fellowship focused on bias prevention/anti-discrimination programs, including “The Playbook Initiative."
Read more: https://t.co/0b9ppheMhJ pic.twitter.com/T9kyEMrzHC— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 6, 2019
“The first African-American player to be drafted in the NBA,” Cooper was honored for blazing the trail for others, and “played six seasons in the league with the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons.”
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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