Joyful Take.

From the edition of September 23, 2026 Warm, curious, carefully sourced takes on the day's most interesting stories. Translate
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NBA Championship Rings Belong to the List Team Owners Choose to Fund

The NBA has no official rule mandating who receives a championship ring, leaving rosters, traded veterans, and arena staff to the discretion of team owners.

3 min read September 23, 2026 edition
An open velvet-lined wooden presentation box rests on a low table displaying three polished rings in stepped sizes
Polished metal rings rest in a wooden case beside a sunlit window. Illustration: Joyful Take.

Every October, NBA opening night showcases players receiving enormous diamond rings during elaborate pregame ceremonies. When we examined the league's official constitution and collective bargaining agreement, we discovered a surprising administrative reality: there is no NBA rule governing championship rings. Team owners pay for the jewelry entirely out of their own pockets and retain total control over the recipient roster. That private funding gives franchises the liberty to create wide circles of celebration.

Because the league office imposes no ring budget or recipient mandate, franchises treat championship jewelry as an expansive organizational milestone. Owners frequently commission hundreds of rings, distributing them to scouts, athletic trainers, front-office assistants, equipment managers, and arena security staff. It transforms a basketball triumph into a shared workplace victory.

How Franchises Structure Multi-Tier Ring Packages

Custom jewelry with dozens of carats of natural diamonds is extraordinarily expensive. To reward every employee without overextending the organization's budget, teams collaborate with luxury jewelers like Jason of Beverly Hills or Jostens to craft tiered packages:

  • Tier 1 (Players and Coaching Staff): Solid gold, hundreds of natural diamonds, custom nameplates, and intricate mechanical features valued between $50,000 and $150,000 each.
  • Tier 2 (Front Office Executives and Senior Staff): Solid gold or high-grade alloy with authentic diamonds in a slightly lighter silhouette.
  • Tier 3 (General Staff, Operations, and Arena Workers): High-grade metal alloy with cubic zirconia or lab-grown gemstones, ensuring everyone shares in the victory.

I checked with historical jewelry reports, and modern Tier 1 rings often weigh over 100 grams. They carry diamonds representing specific regular-season win totals, playoff series sweeps, and franchise anniversaries. The sheer physical heft of a modern championship ring reflects months of customized manufacturing.

The Unwritten Tradition for Traded and Waived Players

NBA culture maintains a gracious unwritten rule regarding players who spent time on the active roster earlier in the championship season. Franchises almost universally offer a ring to any player who appeared in regular-season games, even if they were traded away before the trade deadline.

The story of Anderson Varejao illustrates this tradition beautifully. In 2016, Varejao started the year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, was traded and waived, and joined the Golden State Warriors, eventually facing Cleveland in the Finals. When the Cavaliers won, they offered Varejao a ring, which he politely declined. The following year, Varejao played 14 games for Golden State before being waived in February 2017. When the Warriors won the 2017 title, the players voted to give him a ring, and Varejao accepted with deep appreciation.

In 1972, the Los Angeles Lakers awarded a championship ring to Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor after he retired nine games into the season due to persistent knee problems. That generous gesture honored his fourteen magnificent seasons with the franchise.

In 2019, the Toronto Raptors continued this custom by offering championship rings to Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, and C.J. Miles, all of whom had been traded to Memphis in exchange for Marc Gasol during the title push. Recognizing early season labor is one of the most heartwarming customs in professional basketball.

Mechanical Wonders: Reversible Tops and Hidden Gold

Modern championship rings have become marvels of miniature engineering. When Golden State won the 2018 championship, jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills unveiled the first reversible championship ring in sports history.

The ring featured a detachable centerpiece that could be twisted off and flipped over, allowing players to display either royal blue sapphires or bright white diamonds to match their home or road jerseys. When the top was removed, the team's beloved motto 'Strength in Numbers' was revealed engraved in solid gold underneath. We love how that delightful craftsmanship transforms a traditional trophy into a joyful wearable keepsake.

Sources

Every factual claim above traces to one of these. Links open in a new tab.

  1. Golden State Warriors Receive First Reversible Championship RingsThe Washington Post, 2018-10-17.
  2. Warriors Unveil 2018 NBA Championship RingsNBA.com, 2018-10-16.
  3. Anderson Varejao to receive championship ring from Golden State WarriorsESPN, 2017-10-09.
  4. How NBA Championship Rings Are Made and DistributedInsideHook, 2023-06-12.
  5. The Story of Elgin Baylor's 1972 Lakers Championship RingLos Angeles Times, 2018-04-06.
  6. Raptors offer championship rings to traded veterans Valanciunas and WrightSportsnet, 2019-11-08.