NEW YORK — The New York Knicks rings sat safely in their black boxes with a blood orange stripe down the center, arranged on a fancy black table encircling the Larry O’Brien trophy.
One by one, the team’s most famous players, fan favorites and bottom benchers (but really, when the Knicks win like they did last season, is there even a difference?) were announced and headed to center court, where they were greeted by franchise legend Walt Frazier, rather than NBA commissioner Adam Silver, to collect their championship hardware. Money was close at hand, but not as much a part of the ring ceremonies as is typical in NBA circles.
At Madison Square Garden, James Dolan is the boss, and the Knicks’ latest celebration of their first title in 53 years was tailored to his liking.
There was no first match of the new season.
The defending champion New York Knicks lost on ring night to the revamped Philadelphia 76ers, 106-100. Tyrese Maxey, one of the Sixers’ resident stars before the team’s makeover, led all scorers with 28 points. Jaylen Brown added 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his Philly debut, and LeBron James, the NBA’s perennial wonder and all-time leading scorer, contributed 14 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in his first Sixers game.
Jalen Brunson, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, led the Knicks with 21 points but shot 6 of 19. Karl-Anthony Towns survived four first-half fouls to finish with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
In a happier moment for the Knicks, about 11 minutes before tip-off, Brunson, whose father played for the Knicks and later became an assistant coach, addressed the enthusiastic crowd, telling them the Knicks were “ready to turn the page” and begin their title defense. But he offered an extra thank you for the support and shared joy last June.
“Most importantly,” he said, “I want to thank you guys for not leaving Game 4.”
And then the banner was slowly hoisted up to the rafters.
The Knickerbockers are one of the NBA’s original franchises, founded in 1946 and named in honor of the city’s Dutch settlers. In June, they won their first title since 1973 – the third in team history. They did so by defeating Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in five games, albeit in a much closer final series than the number of games suggested.
The Knicks outscored the Spurs by 12 points in the entire series, tying the record for smallest margin of victory in a five-game NBA Finals series. One of their victories was truly stunning, a 29-point comeback in the second half of Game 4 – a Finals record – capped by OG Anunoby’s buzzer-beater. President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to attend a finals game during the series. He attended the previous game at MSG, which turned out to be the only game the Knicks lost.
The top of each Knicks championship ring warps, revealing a miniature replica of Madison Square Garden inside. (Photo courtesy of Jason of Beverly Hills)
But nights in the ring can be perilous for those celebrating in uniform. The strong emotions of getting the gear and looking up to the rafters can be accompanied by a major crash. The Knicks led at halftime, but collapsed in the third quarter and trailed by nine in the fourth. They couldn’t maintain the magic of their comeback in last season’s playoffs. One bright spot was Andre Drummond, the only rotation player not on the team last year, scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds off the bench in his first game as a Knick. For one night, he filled the role of Mitchell Robinson with aplomb, stepping forward admirably while Towns struggled.
“There were some things we could have done better,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said, adding, “it looked like we were stuck in the mud.”
Whether the mostly intact Knicks can repeat is an intriguing question. But the Sixers’ experience is at least as convincing. They traded for Brown, the former Boston Celtics star, when he became available for pennies on the dollar. Because the Sixers acquired him, James opted to sign there as a free agent for the league minimum. Maxey’s growth as a superstar showed no signs of stopping Tuesday, and we’re just getting to Joel Embiid, the former league MVP who is looking fitter and leaner in his attempt to try to play more than half the games this season. He started with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
“It’s been fun these first few weeks,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “It’s been fun, seriously, these guys have been really great.”
The championship rings, provided by Jason of Beverly Hills, feature 22 carats of diamonds and sapphires in a shade of Knicks blue. The players’ rings bear their names and jersey numbers. The top of each ring distorts to reveal a small replica of the MSG field and seats.
“It’s an over-the-top ring,” said Jason Arasheben, 50, a ring designer and founder of the company that bears his name. “It’s meant to be, because it’s more than just a piece of jewelry. It’s a testament to a moment in time. It celebrates a moment in history, something that New York City has been waiting for for 53 years. So, I think we were able to achieve that.”
Arasheben said his company has made nine of the last 11 NBA championship rings and has produced rings for 26 champions of major U.S. professional sports. He said the design with the MSG replica beneath the surface of the ring had never been done before.
Arasheben may not be as famous as some of the most recognizable patrons of New York’s courts, but he has a personal connection to the reigning champions.
Arasheben lived with his family for a time in nearby Hackensack, New Jersey, and grew up a Knicks fan. Even after his family moved to Los Angeles, they would come back to visit their loved ones during the winter. During those trips, he would go to the Garden for Knicks games and his favorite player was Anthony Mason, who died in 2015. Years later, when Arasheben started his jewelry business out of his apartment in 2002, Mason was his first customer.
“When we got the call about the ring deal, I had tears in my eyes,” Arasheben said. “I can feel Anthony Mason’s energy over my shoulder as he looks down, proud of me, because he started my career by being my first client, and now it’s a full circle moment where I’m creating a Knicks championship ring.”
The Knicks hung two banners Tuesday, the other with much less fanfare. They also won the in-season NBA Cup in December, and owner James Dolan initially said they would not hang a banner for that much smaller championship.
But there it was, hanging next to a 2012-13 Atlantic Division championship banner, a piece of fabric that read: “2025 NBA Cup Champions.”
“I think it’s a recognition of what our journey was last year,” Brown said before Tuesday’s game. “Obviously there were a lot of ups and downs. Our guys pulled together, found a way to win the NBA Cup and then the final at the end of the season.”
That one, the one at the end, sent out the ticker tape in Lower Manhattan and sparked a party that lasted all summer until Tuesday’s announcement.
The title defense is underway and it’s not off to a good start.
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