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NBA MVP to receive Michael Jordan Trophy

December 13, 2022 10:06 p.m.

NEW YORK – 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.

“Our new collection of trophies celebrates some of the greatest and most impactful players in the history of the NBA,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.  “As we recognize the league’s top performers each season, we also pay tribute to the legends who embody these prestigious awards.”

THE MICHAEL JORDAN TROPHY – Awarded to the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player:

The league’s MVP will now be awarded with The Michael Jordan Trophy, bearing the name of the NBA legend widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.  During his illustrious career, Jordan was named MVP five times.  The Hall of Famer also earned six NBA championships, six NBA Finals MVP Awards, 11 All-NBA Team selections, 14 NBA All-Star selections, three NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards, 10 scoring titles, an NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, an NBA Rookie of the Year Award and selections to the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

Mark Smith, retired VP of Innovation Special Projects at Nike, Inc., and Jordan Brand designer, worked in creative partnership with Jordan to design the new trophy, which symbolizes an NBA player’s journey to winning an MVP.  Smith has collaborated with Jordan on countless projects over the past two decades.  Artist Victor Solomon will manufacture the trophy on a yearly basis.

The bronze trophy features a player breaking out of a rock to reach for the ultimate rock – a crystal basketball.  From the bottom to its top, the patina of the trophy grows more burnished – “raw to refined” – signifying the MVP’s hard work and progression from entering the league to achieving the NBA’s greatest individual honor.  The trophy’s reach symbolizes an MVP’s endless chase for greatness.

Additionally included throughout are subtle nods that pay tribute to the trophy’s namesake:

  • The trophy stands 23.6 inches tall and weighs 23.6 pounds, representing Jordan’s jersey number (23) and number of NBA championships (6).
  • Its five-sided base is a nod to Jordan’s five league MVPs.
  • The namesake badge is six-sided, a nod to Jordan’s six NBA championships.
  • The 15-degree angle of the base is a nod to Jordan’s 15-season career.
  • The crystal basketball consists of 23 points, a nod to Jordan’s jersey number.
  • The crystal basketball measures 1.23 inches in diameter, in reference to the singularity of the MVP and Jordan’s standout career.

“I’m incredibly honored to have created the NBA’s MVP trophy in partnership with Michael Jordan,” said Smith.  “Sculpting Michael’s vision of his own pursuit of athletic achievement into this award has been the opportunity and challenge of a lifetime.  As we worked together on this project, it was very important to Michael that the figure not be a likeness of him, but instead that the recipient should be able to see himself in the award.  For Michael, naming the award in his honor was recognition enough.”

THE JERRY WEST TROPHY – Awarded to the Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year:

The NBA will introduce a new Kia Performance Award at the end of the 2022-23 season, the Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year, with its recipient receiving The Jerry West Trophy.

Voted on by a media panel based on nominations from NBA head coaches, the award will honor the NBA player who best comes through for his teammates in the clutch.

Legendary Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn gave West the nickname “Mr. Clutch” for his extraordinary shooting at the end of close games.  West is an NBA champion, 14-time NBA All-Star, NBA Finals MVP, NBA All-Star Game MVP, 12-time All-NBA Team selection and a member of the 35th, 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary Teams.  During the 1971-72 season, West led the Lakers to a record 33 consecutive regular-season victories and an NBA championship. 

The trophy features an NBA player shooting a jump shot, modeled after West’s perfect form.

“There are few greater thrills as a basketball player than coming through for your teammates and fans when they need it most,” said West, Special Advisor, LA Clippers.  “This new trophy will be awarded to the player who best delivers in those moments.”

The Jerry West Trophy, as well as the following newly designed trophies awarded to the Kia Performance Award winners, were designed in collaboration with Solomon.  The trophies all feature an embedment inside a 15-inch crystal net structure.  The front face is flat to allow for a direct line of sight to the icon, and the etching of the award and recipient is detailed at the bottom.

“While working alongside the NBA to reimagine the league’s trophy offerings, our singular goal was to create a cohesive collection of honors worthy of the athletes who raise them,” said Solomon.  “These trophies celebrate the hard work of the players who reach the pinnacle of individual excellence while honoring the NBA legends who have defined that greatness.”

THE HAKEEM OLAJUWON TROPHY – Awarded to the Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year:

Defensive dominance helped define Hakeem Olajuwon’s Hall of Fame career.  A two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection, Olajuwon is the league’s all-time leader in blocked shots and ranks ninth in steals.  He is also a two-time NBA champion, 12-time NBA All-Star, league MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 12-time All-NBA Team selection and a member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. 

The trophy features a player in a classic defensive stance with one hand up and one down, knees bent and ready to move. 

“I am honored to have the opportunity to celebrate the league’s best defensive player each year,” said Olajuwon.  “Great basketball teams are defined by their ability to defend, with every great team connected by an elite defensive anchor.”

THE WILT CHAMBERLAIN TROPHY – Awarded to the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year:

Wilt Chamberlain’s 1959-60 season is unmatched for an NBA rookie.  Chamberlain averaged 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds in 46.4 minutes per game for the Philadelphia Warriors, winning both the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards.  His career highlights include two NBA championships, 13 NBA All-Star selections, four league MVPs, 10 All-NBA Team selections, an NBA Finals MVP and inclusion on the league’s 35th, 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. 

The trophy features a player palming two basketballs at once.

“We are humbled and thankful that the NBA has immortalized Wilt’s greatness with this honor,” said Barbara Chamberlain Lewis, Wilt’s sister, and the Chamberlain family.  “Wilt rewrote nearly every NBA record throughout his illustrious career, which tipped off with an incredible rookie season that redefined what was possible and set a ceiling as high as he stood for all rookies who have followed.”

THE JOHN HAVLICEK TROPHY – Awarded to the Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year:

John Havlicek starred in his role during his Hall of Fame career, excelling off the bench like no player before him.  Havlicek came off the bench for the first seven seasons of his career and was an All-Star in four of those seasons.  His career highlights include eight NBA championships, 13 NBA All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, an NBA Finals MVP, eight NBA All-Defensive Team selections and inclusion on the league’s 35th, 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams. 

The trophy features a player elevated and shooting a running jumper, symbolic of the boost provided by the player to his team.

“We are honored that the NBA recognized John’s career achievements with this award,” said Beth Havlicek, John’s wife, and the Havlicek family.  “John defined what it means to be the ultimate sixth man, with his leadership and stellar play serving as the utmost example of effectively starring in a role for the betterment of the team.”

THE GEORGE MIKAN TROPHY – Awarded to the Kia NBA Most Improved Player of the Year:

A layup and footwork exercise known as the “Mikan Drill” has been used for decades by players at all levels to improve their game.  It is named for George Mikan, who mastered the fundamentals as the NBA’s first dominant big man.  His Hall of Fame career included five NBA championships in seven seasons, four NBA All-Star selections, an NBA All-Star Game MVP, six selections to the All-NBA Team and inclusion on the NBA’s 25th, 35th, 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

“We are grateful that the NBA has recognized George’s career achievements with this honor,” said Mike Mikan, son of George Mikan #99, and the Mikan family.  “George is one of the best NBA players ever, but perhaps his greatest legacy is the one he has passed down to others through his legendary ‘Mikan Drill,’ providing generations of basketball players around the world with the tools to improve their game.”

Today’s announcement builds on Kia America’s support of the NBA’s performance award platform for the past 15 seasons.

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Converge raises awareness on evolving trends of cybercrime, holds stakeholder webinar on Feb. 14

5:30 p.m. February 11, 2025

With internet service providers playing a role in the ‘supply chain’ of cyber crime, leading Philippine fiber broadband and technology provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. is taking up the cudgels against the perpetuation of illicit acts online and stressing the importance of ‘self-defense’, or rather, self-education to combat them.

This will be at the center of discussions in its upcoming Converge webinar on February 14,  entitled “Building Resilience Against Online Scams”, to be headlined by Converge Chief Executive Advisor Eugene Yeo, a tech and digital expert in his own right. 

Yeo, who had been at the helm of several transformation projects of leading tech companies in his home country of Singapore, notes that cyber crime today is being perpetrated by artificial intelligence – showing the dark underside of this powerful force that’s changing the technology industry. 

“These malicious agents are no longer people, but AI. On the part of Converge, we can keep blocking these illicit attempts to penetrate our network but a better way is to leverage this technology so that it becomes AI vs. AI. That’s what we’re doing in our own internal network,” said Yeo. 

In 2024, Converge blocked a record 183 billion entry attempts to  683,000 URLs / domains it has registered in its system as illegal sites. This is 18 times the number of attempts for the years 2021-2023 which was only at 10-12 billion. 

To help make the internet a safer place for its customers and end-users, Converge has been active in its campaign against OSAEC (Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children)  and other cyber threats, inking a partnership in 2022 with Stairway Foundation , a Philippine NGO promoting children’s rights through awareness, community assistance, and networking. It is also actively working with the Internet Watch Foundation, an organization that provides Converge with a comprehensive database of URLs of OSAEC content so these can be blocked from the network. 

This echoed the statements of government agencies who took part in the Safer Internet Day 2025 celebration organized by the Department of Justice on February 11. The agencies registered their alarm at AI’s increasing role in the creation of images of sexual abuse of children. 

“The law’s definition of Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation or CSAEM materials is very broad in our law, so whether that is AI-generated, a real person, or just a composite of a real person, we still consider that CSAEM, ” noted Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty 

Undersecretary-in-Charge, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking under the Department of Justice.

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Motolite cranks up sustainability drive with use of e-bikes for delivery

10:12 p.m. January 22, 2025

Motolite, the country’s leading, most trusted battery brand and leader in technology and product innovation, shifted its sustainability drive to a higher gear as it started deploying to key outlets eco-friendly e-bikes for the delivery of batteries to customers.

These e-bikes will now be part of the delivery fleet of Motolite Express Hatid (MEH) hubs and will be used by well-trained technicians in providing services to motorists.

The deployment of e-bikes started last November 28, with the MEH Maceda Hub and Cebu Hub receiving the initial batches of three units each. The MEH hubs in Mindanao Avenue, Las Pinas, Mandaluyong, Katipunan, and Pasong Tamo are also included in the project’s pilot phase.

E-bikes produce zero emissions, making them a more environment-friendly option for delivery. They help reduce air pollution and have three times less carbon footprints than conventional vehicles.

E-bikes also do not contribute to noise pollution and are lighter and easier to navigate than regular motorcycles, especially on busy metropolitan roads. Their speed is also comparable to conventional gas-powered motorcycles.

The deployment of e-bikes for delivery is part of Motolite’s heightened sustainability campaign, which also includes programs for the recovery and recycling of used lead acid batteries (ULAB) and the mounting of solar panels on the rooftops of its retail, warehousing, and production facilities.

Motolite’s battery production plants in Bulacan alone have an installed photovoltaic system capacity of 7,472 kWp, cutting its carbon footprint by 2,346 tons of CO2.

Both the solar panels and e-bikes are being supplied by Greener Solar Power and Electric Motor, Inc. (GEMI), a rising player in the country’s green energy sector.

Motolite’s ULAB recovery and recycling program, meanwhile, significantly reduced its dependence on fresh plastic resins and newly mined lead for its battery production.

“We are looking for every opportunity to contribute to the global effort to limit climate change. We are the only battery brand that takes its sustainability drive seriously, from manufacturing to retail and delivery,” Richard A. Chan, Motolite Vice President for Sales and Marketing, shared.

Aside from its free battery delivery 24/7 nationwide, Motolite also provides services to motorists such as emergency refueling, jumpstarting a dead battery, assisting with overheating, and changing a flat tire via the Motolite Res-Q App. 

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The story on how EJ Obiena vaulted over controversy

6:57 a.m. January 17, 2025

Asia’s no. 1 pole vaulter, the Philippines Ernest John Obiena is expected to join the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo, Japan.

The Philippines’ top pole vaulter and Olympian EJ Obiena faced a challenging moment when he became the subject of a controversial accusation last October, 2023.

However, the 29-year-old athlete demonstrated grace under pressure, addressing the claims with professionalism and composure. His dignified response not only refuted the allegations, but also earned widespread praise. Ultimately, the accuser issued a public apology, acknowledging the false nature of the claims against him.

Behind the scenes, Obiena’s coach and mentor, James Michael “Jim” Lafferty, played a vital role in guiding the athlete through the ordeal.

Lafferty, a seasoned executive coach and motivational speaker, provided strategic PR and crisis management support to help Obiena navigate the situation effectively. Known for his dedication to nurturing athletic talent, Lafferty has also mentored other Filipino Olympians, including long jumper Marestella Torres-Sunang.

Jim Lafferty (left) and two-time Olympian EJ Obiena

“Whilst I have long stated that EJ Obiena is a world-class athlete, yet an even better human being, he, like all celebrities, has been unfairly embroiled in various controversies,” Lafferty recalled.

He highlighted Obiena’s remarkable ability to overcome challenges, including handling multiple crises over the years.

Despite these hurdles, Obiena rose to become the world’s No. 2 pole vaulter, Asia’s top pole vaulter, a member of the six-meter club, and now a two-time Olympian.

Recognizing a broader need for expert crisis management among businesses and public figures, Lafferty, who also serves as the Chairman of Katapult, one of the country’s leading end-to-end marketing solutions providers, took action.

“Sensing the need to better serve EJ and other clients, Katapult has established a new PR and Crisis Management division as of January 1,” Lafferty said.

Lafferty is collaborating with Media Head Anika Basa and Data Analytics Head David Rosario to ensure the seamless integration of services.

The launch of this division underscores Katapult’s commitment to help clients navigate challenges, while safeguarding their reputations and achieving sustainable growth.

Lafferty’s leadership experience spans over three decades, during which he has held CEO roles at multinational companies such as Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, British American Tobacco, and Fine Hygienic Holding. His proven track record of driving success across industries makes him exceptionally qualified to lead Katapult’s PR and Crisis Management division.

CEO Francis Uy highlighted Katapult’s comprehensive approach: “Katapult was born as a digital-first company with a sniper-shotgun strategy—combining precision targeting of specific consumer personas with broad-reaching campaigns that maximize impact. By leveraging insights from our AI-powered platform, we not only drive marketing success but also provide a robust safety net for brands navigating crises. With our expanded services, including PR and crisis management, we ensure our clients’ reputations are protected and their stories resonate in even the most challenging situations.”

Rosario’s team enables hyper-precise consumer targeting, fostering authentic campaigns and lasting connections.

Together with Basa’s team, they seamlessly execute the Sniper-Shotgun Approach—combining the wide-reaching impact of a shotgun with the pinpoint precision of a sniper rifle to deliver tailored ads that drive maximum impact.

Discover how Katapult can help safeguard your brand’s reputation and lead you through any crisis with precision and expertise. Reach out today to learn how we can support your brand’s continued growth, no matter the challenges ahead.

Check us out at katapultdigital.com.

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