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Knicks owner James Dolan next to circle of championship rings
On Tuesday, the Knicks presented some blinged-out championship rings to the players who helped the franchise secure its first title in 53 years. Some of the team’s employees were led to believe they’d also receive some commemorative jewelry of their own, but it turned out to be a cruel trick designed as a phishing test.
The Montreal Hockey Club is widely credited with being the first team to commission championship rings for its players, as the guys on that squad received a band engraved with a couple of hockey sticks after securing the Stanley Cup in 1893.
It took a while for that tradition to catch on in other sports and leagues. Major League Baseball followed suit in the 1920s, and the winners of the Super Bowl and the NBA Finals have gotten rings since the inception of those deciding showdowns.
Those rings have gotten increasingly ornate (and expensive) over the years, and the Knicks spared no expense for the ones boasting 800 diamonds and an estimated value of $250,000 apiece, which were handed out to the players who beat the Spurs last season to bring an NBA championship back to New York City for the first time since 1973.
you’ve seen the ring… now hear how it came to life from @JasonofBH https://t.co/ZxGsyYtWJg
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 21, 2026
Many teams also opt to present employees with a slightly more modest keepsake, and the Knicks are catching some serious heat for the ploy they pulled while leading some workers to believe that would be the case.
The Knicks dangled championship rings in front of employees as part of a phishing test
Cybersecurity is a pretty big concern for any major corporation, and it’s common for IT departments to shore up their defenses by running internal phishing tests that involve sending emails to employees to see if they’ll willingly click on suspicious links or hand over privileged information.
A number of companies have been criticized for the angles they dream up while attempting to lure workers into falling for the bait. In 2020, GoDaddy offered fake bonuses in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and healthcare employees in Canada were promised a paid day off they never received.
Now, The Athletic reports we can add the Knicks to that list thanks to the email they sent out to employees at the end of September, which featured pictures of a couple of championship rings along with the following message:
“Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here,
(Employee name), this one is on the house. MSG is issuing a complimentary employee championship ring. The same jeweler, the same craftsmanship, personalized with your name. No cost to you.
There are two designs to choose from: Championship Gold and Garden Classic. Reserve the one you want below.”
However, people who clicked on the button to claim their ring were ultimately treated to “a mandatory cybersecurity class” after falling victim to a scheme that was designed to address the “growing cybersecurity concern” of owner James Dolan.
That’s not the only ring-related controversy the team is dealing with. The outlet also reports that empty ring boxes were presented to assistant coaches during Tuesday night’s ceremony, and it’s currently unclear if the organization has any plans to give them one.
Based on Dolan’s reputation, this seems pretty on-brand for the Knicks, but it is definitely a terrible look.