You’ve seen the confetti. You’ve watched the sweat-soaked jerseys and the champagne goggles. Most fans think the NBA Finals and the quest for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is just about four wins in June. Honestly, it’s a lot weirder and more grueling than that.
The trophy itself is a bit of a diva. It’s made of 29 pounds of sterling silver and vermeil, all tucked under a 24-karat gold skin. Since the 2022 redesign by Tiffany & Co. and artist Victor Solomon, it’s actually grown quite a bit. It used to be a 15-pound lightweight. Now? It stands 25.5 inches tall with a regulation-sized ball on top.
Winning it is the hardest thing in professional sports. No, really.
The Brutal Reality of the NBA Finals
The NBA Finals isn't just a series; it’s an endurance test that leaves players physically broken. We’re talking about a seven-game sprint at the end of a nine-month marathon. By the time the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy is wheeled out on that rolling table, most of the guys on the court are playing through torn ligaments or bone bruises.
Take the 2025 Finals, for example. The Oklahoma City Thunder finally climbed the mountain, beating the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game war. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a machine, becoming the first person in a quarter-century to win the scoring title, the MVP, and the Finals MVP in one go. But he looked like he’d been through a car wreck by the time he hoisted "Larry."
People forget the format. It's 2-2-1-1-1. That means if the series goes long, teams are flying across the country every 48 hours. It’s brutal.
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Why the 2026 Finals Will Look Different
If you’re watching the NBA Finals in 2026, things are going to look a little "retro." Commissioner Adam Silver finally listened to the fans. For years, the league stopped painting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy at center court because they were worried about players slipping on the decals.
Well, it's back.
Starting this year, the "The Finals" script and that massive gold trophy logo are being painted back onto the hardwood. No more digital overlays that look like a glitchy video game. It’s a small detail, but for the purists, it makes the atmosphere feel like the 1990s again.
More Than Just a Shiny Ball
Most people think "Larry" is a hand-me-down. Like the Stanley Cup, where everyone shares the same bowl.
That’s a total myth.
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The NBA makes a brand-new Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy every single year. The team gets to keep it. Forever. It sits in a glass case in their arena while a new one is forged for the next season. The base is actually a history book in disguise. The top cylinder lists the first 75 champions, and the bottom one has enough room for every winner through the year 2046.
The Money Most People Ignore
We talk about the glory, but let's be real—the cash is insane. Winning the NBA Finals and securing that Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy triggers a massive payout from the league's player pool.
- The Winners: In 2025, the Thunder took home about $12.4 million as a team.
- The Cut: That breaks down to roughly $828,000 per player.
- The Losers: Even the Pacers didn't go home broke; they shared about $5.79 million.
For a superstar making $50 million, an extra 800k is nice. But for the guy at the end of the bench on a minimum contract? That trophy is a life-changing house or a trust fund for his kids.
What it Takes to Get There
You can't just stumble into the NBA Finals. The bracket is a meat grinder. You’ve got 16 teams, four rounds, and zero room for error.
In the current 2026 season, the standings are already looking like a nightmare. The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks are finally relevant again in the East, while the Thunder are trying to defend their title against a surging Denver Nuggets squad.
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The path is basically:
- Survive the 82-game regular season.
- Avoid the "Play-In" tournament if you can (it’s a trap).
- Win three best-of-seven series just to see the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in person.
- Win four more games against the best team from the other side of the country.
It's a lot of basketball. Like, a lot.
The Legend of Larry Himself
Wait, who is Larry? Younger fans always ask this.
Larry O’Brien was the NBA Commissioner from 1975 to 1984. Before that, he was actually the U.S. Postmaster General. He’s the guy who oversaw the NBA-ABA merger and brought in the three-point line. Basically, he’s the reason the modern game exists.
Before 1977, the trophy was called the Walter A. Brown Trophy, and it looked like a weird punch bowl. It was a traveling trophy, too. When the Portland Trail Blazers won the first "new" design in '77, it was still called the Brown trophy. It wasn't until O'Brien retired in '84 that they renamed the gold basketball after him.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're planning to follow the road to the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy this year, don't just check the scores. Here is how to actually track the hunt:
- Watch the "In-Season Tournament" (NBA Cup): It’s a preview of the intensity. Teams like the Spurs and Knicks have been treated this like Game 7s lately because the prize money just keeps going up.
- Check the Tiebreakers: With the 2026 standings so tight, division records are going to matter more than ever for home-court advantage.
- Follow the Schedule: The 2026 playoffs officially kick off on April 18. If you want to see the trophy presentation, clear your calendar for early June. The first game of the NBA Finals is projected for June 5, 2026.
Keep an eye on the court paint this year. Seeing that gold trophy silhouette back on the floor is going to change the whole vibe of the broadcast. It’s a reminder that while the players change, the "Larry" remains the only thing that matters.