Most NBA fans know the trophy by name.
They know it’s the prize for winning the championship. But there’s a catch.
But honestly, most of us don’t know a single thing about the guy it’s named after.
Larry O’Brien.
He wasn’t just a bureaucrat.
He was a fixer.
A political heavyweight who helped organize the 1968 Democratic National Convention—a moment that defined an era—and later became the Commissioner who turned the NBA into a global empire.
The Political Heavyweight Before the Jersey
Larry O’Brien started way back in the 1940s.
He didn’t start in sports.
He was a lawyer and a politician.
In fact, he was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1960 to 1968.
Here’s the interesting part.
Now, if you look up 1968, you know it was messy.
The Vietnam War protests, the assassinations of MLK and RFK—it was a dark time for America.
O’Brien was right in the middle of it.
He helped organize the 1968 Democratic National Convention, which turned into a total circus with police clashes in the streets.
It’s a complicated part of his legacy, for sure.
Some say he handled it well; others say he was just swept up in the chaos.
After that, he spent a brief time as the Postmaster General under President Jimmy Carter.
That’s a pretty serious cabinet position.
How Did He Get Into Basketball?
So, here’s where it gets weird. And this is where things get interesting.
A guy who ran the DNC and held a cabinet post suddenly becomes the head of the NBA?
In 1975, the NBA Commissioner, Walter Kennedy, retired.
The league was looking for a savior.
They wanted someone who understood how to grow a business.
They didn’t want a former player; they wanted a businessman.
O’Brien fit the bill perfectly.
He had connections in Washington, he understood media, and he had that political grit.
The Larry O’Brien Trophy: A Controversial Rename
Oddly enough,
When O’Brien took over, the championship trophy was called the Walter A.
Brown Trophy.
It was named after the first commissioner.
But after O’Brien retired in 1984, the league decided to rename it.
It wasn’t an instant decision.
It took a few years.
Finally, in 1984, the trophy got its permanent name.
And honestly, a lot of players back then were annoyed.
They didn’t know who he was.
They thought it was a cheap way for the league to honor a guy who sat in an office and didn’t really coach or play the game.
David Stern, who was O’Brien’s successor, defended the choice.
He argued that O’Brien was crucial to the league’s growth during the ABA merger and the rise of players like Magic and Bird.
It’s a solid point. But there’s a catch.
Without O’Brien, the NBA might have stayed a niche American sport instead of becoming the global juggernaut it is today.
Did He Actually Hate Basketball?
There’s a funny story that circulates around basketball circles.
Rumor has it that Larry O’Brien wasn’t even a huge fan of the game.
He didn’t really watch the games.
He focused on the business side—the TV deals, the expansion, the labor negotiations. Here’s the interesting part.
This actually makes a lot of sense.
A smart business leader knows their limits.
He focused on what he was good at: politics and organization.
His Lasting Legacy in Sports
Even if he didn’t know every technical foul rule, Larry O’Brien did more for the NBA than almost anyone else.
He helped merge the NBA and the ABA, which brought stars like Julius Erving (Dr.
J) into the fold.
He expanded the league into Canada (hiring the guy who founded the Toronto Raptors, though that was a bit later).
He just got the job done.
Here’s the interesting part.
He retired in 1984 and passed away in 1990.
But every time an MVP lifts that trophy now, they’re holding a piece of his history.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to forget the people behind the scenes. Here’s the interesting part.
We usually just look at the players on the court.
But Larry O’Brien was the guy running the engine.
He was a man of politics, chaos, and then sports.
Next time you’re watching the NBA Finals, just remember there’s a lot more to that trophy than just silver and glass.
Image source: pexels.com
Image source credit: pexels.com
