On Championship Night, the New York Knicks were honored at Madison Square Garden and received their long-awaited championship rings. However, the assistant coaches were handed empty boxes, creating the illusion that they had received their rings, The Athletic reported.
During the championship celebration, each Knicks player was individually presented with their ring in front of the crowd. The ceremony culminated with the team raising a new banner to commemorate their NBA title, which they secured by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games during the 2026 Finals.
This historic victory ended the franchise's 53-year championship drought.
The Athletic reported that assistant coaches were informed they would not receive their rings during the public
ceremony, but instead at an unspecified later date.
Additionally, according to the report, many longtime Madison Square Garden employees would not be receiving rings, despite having previously received an email that asked them to select a "complimentary employee championship ring" design from a provided list.
These emails were part of a phishing test orchestrated by MSG to evaluate employees' cybersecurity awareness, according to the report, and those who clicked the links or responded to the email were subsequently required to attend a mandatory cybersecurity training session.
"We are not disclosing anything about the rings," an MSG Sports spokesperson said in a statement to The Athletic.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Knicks assistants didn't get rings (yet), just empty boxes on opening night: Report
