A 50-year championship wait is befitting of at least 50 diamonds. And a lot more, apparently.
The Bucks were given their championship rings on Tuesday night in their season opener vs. the Nets, and those rings are about what you'd expect; They feature the usual bells and whistles of championship rings, including an absurd amount of diamonds, a removable face and all sorts of symbolic imagery engraved.
A single feature, though, is particularly cool: The face of the ring pops off, exposing a loop that folds out, allowing for the ring to actually be worn as a pendant on a chain. That's pretty innovative.
Here's the video of the ring in action:
2021 Championship Ring.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 19, 2021
💍 @JewelersMutual pic.twitter.com/O30OcMaHXq
It's more than just a ring.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 19, 2021
💍: @JewelersMutual pic.twitter.com/7voQeJxApk
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Aside from the necklace, there are some other features of the ring that are pretty nifty:
- Under the ring face, there's a QR code. When scanned, a video of team highlights throughout their playoff run plays;
- 16 diamonds on the left side represent the team's 16 playoff wins;
- 16 diamonds on the right side represent the team's 16 division titles;
- 50 stones on the inner bezel for the 50 years it had been since the team's last NBA title.
Championship rings have come a long, long way. For comparison, here's a picture of Oscar Robertson's 1971 championship ring, which sold at auction about three years ago. It features a single stone in the middle of a gold ring, with some minor fixings on the side.
Ending tonight: Bidding for Oscar Robertson’s 1971 @Bucks NBA championship ring on @Lelandsdotcom. Current high bid is nearly $63K. pic.twitter.com/K212mLr6Qi
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 17, 2018
The Bucks got off to a good start in the 2021-22 campaign with a 127-104 win over the championship hopeful Nets.
