The Boston Celtics are competing for their 18th championship banner, but that’s not the only prize they’ll take home if they win the NBA Finals.
Championship rings are a cornerstone of a Finals triumph. Just ask Bill Russell:
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The rings themselves have evolved since Russell’s playing days. While the Celtics’ earliest rings featured a diamond in the middle, the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 championship rings featured more than 400 diamonds and a treasure trove of meticulous details.
The Celtics need to win four games against the Golden State Warriors before they can start thinking about what their rings might look like. Should they win, though, they will be presented with another question: Who gets one?
Not many thought the Celtics would reach the Finals midway through the season. With the help of some roster turnover, Boston pulled off an unexpected turnaround to reach the Finals. Do the players who were around for the rough start to the season get to share the prize won by those still on the team?
Here’s how ring distribution works and who on the Celtics could be getting some new jewelry if the team takes down the Warriors:
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Who gets an NBA championship ring?
The first order of business is winning a championship. After that, it’s entirely up to the winning team to figure out who gets a ring.
Players, coaches and personnel are the main parties that receive rings following a title. Some teams in recent history have gone above and beyond to reward other staff members across their organization, including janitors and food vendors. For instance, the Miami Heat gave out over 400 rings to employees in 2006 and the Cleveland Cavaliers distributed over 1,000 after the team won their first championship in 2016. The Warriors ordered around 500 rings after their most recent title in 2018. It’s worth mentioning that not everyone gets the same ring. Players, coaches and key personnel typically get fancier hardware than anyone else.
The new method of ring-giving is in sharp contrast to how it worked when the Celtics were first winning championships. Frank Ramsey played on seven championship teams with Boston, but he only got one ring because the Celtics only gave out rings to first-time champs during most of their title runs in the 1950s and 1960s.
“There wasn’t enough money to buy them,” he told Barry Stavro of The Los Angeles Times in 2008.
Do players have to be on the NBA Finals roster to get a championship ring?
Along with those who participate in the actual Finals, the organization can decide whether coaches and players who were part of the team at any point in the season get a ring.
While it is a nice honor, not all players want the ring if they aren’t with the team when it won the actual title. In 2016, Anderson Varejao was on the Warriors after being traded from the Cavaliers earlier in the season. Varejao was eligible for a ring regardless since the two teams met in the Finals, but he said he wouldn’t accept one after Cleveland beat Golden State in seven games.
How many Boston Celtics players could get an NBA championship ring?
Between countless injuries, COVID-19 absences and a hectic trade deadline, the Celtics have a laundry list of players who suited up in 2021-22 and could earn a ring.
Here are the 28 players who logged time for the Celtics this year:
- Jaylen Brown
- Bruno Fernando
- Malik Fitts
- Enes Freedom
- Sam Hauser
- Juancho Hernangomez
- Al Horford
- Justin Jackson
- Joe Johnson
- Luke Kornet
- Romeo Langford
- Kelan Martin
- C.J. Miles
- Juwan Morgan
- Aaron Nesmith
- Jabari Parker
- Payton Pritchard
- Josh Richardson
- Matt Ryan
- Dennis Schroder
- Marcus Smart
- Nik Stauskas
- Jayson Tatum
- Daniel Theis
- Brodric Thomas
- Derrick White
- Grant Williams
- Robert Williams