What do you give a team that has waited 53 years to reclaim the NBA championship? How about a ring that brings its legendary home court to life? The New York Knicks received their championship jewelry Tuesday night before their season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. Crafted in white gold, the spectacular rings feature a groundbreaking mechanical innovation that transforms each piece into a miniature tribute to the World's Most Famous Arena.
Created by luxury jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills in collaboration with Knicks leadership, the custom rings glisten with 22 carats of diamonds. There are approximately 800 gemstones in all, including round brilliant and emerald-cut white diamonds alongside colorful team-color sapphires. The New York Knicks logo is rendered in orange sapphires on the top with a white diamond border. In the background behind the logo, blue sapphires set in a radial pattern mimic the inside of Madison Square Garden when you look up at the stadium from your seats.
But the ring's most remarkable feature isn't its gemstone count or diamond total weight. It's the engineering.
A state-of-the-art mechanism allows a miniature recreation of Madison Square Garden's iconic exterior to rise from the core of the ring with a simple turn. The innovation transforms the ring from a traditional championship keepsake into an interactive miniature tribute to the arena known affectionately as the World's Most Famous Arena.
The surprises continue when the ring is opened. Its body twists apart to reveal a detailed miniature recreation of the Garden's lower bowl, while the underside of the removable ring top recreates the arena's distinctive ceiling architecture. Together, these features capture the place where generations of Knicks fans have celebrated, suffered and dreamed of another title.
Jason Arasheben, founder and CEO of Jason of Beverly Hills, said the goal was to "create something truly revolutionary, worthy of an iconic franchise and a city as passionate about basketball as New York."
Bringing Madison Square Garden to life through the ring's moving mechanisms was central to that vision.
The ring also tells the story of the championship season through an abundance of carefully chosen symbols. Jersey numbers representing the entire championship roster wrap around the ring top — representing the team's unity — while each player's ring is personalized with his last name above a diamond-encrusted jersey number.
On the championship side, the year 2026, playoff series results and the Larry O'Brien Trophy commemorate the team's remarkable postseason journey. A 0.16-carat round diamond set into the trophy honors the Knicks' dramatic 16-point comeback against the San Antonio Spurs in the championship-clinching game.
Sixteen emerald-cut diamonds line the inner bezel, one for each postseason victory, while 69 points of round white diamonds spell out “WORLD CHAMPIONS” on the face of the ring, recognizing the team's combined regular-season and playoff wins.
Hidden engravings add an intimate touch. “Knicks in Five” celebrates the team's five-game Finals triumph over San Antonio, while “10 WEEKS” recalls the players' mantra of sacrifice, discipline and total focus on winning it all.
For a franchise whose previous championship came more than half a century ago, the ceremony carried a special emotional resonance. Eighty-one-year-old Knicks legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Walt Frazier was on hand to deliver the rings, connecting the champions of today with the celebrated teams of the past.
Credits: Images courtesy of Jason of Beverly Hills.