Championship rings are regarded as one of the key pieces of players' legacies. Now, for the first time ever, those with little to no regular-season or playoff experience in the NBA will get a chance at owning their very own rings.
On Friday, ESPN's Malika Andrews got an exclusive look at one of the rings and tweeted pictures of it.
For the first time, rings will be handed out to the Summer League champions. We got an exclusive look on NBA Today. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/HovjFNXKFE
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 8, 2022
The rings will likely provide some incentive for players to take wins and loses in the Summer League more seriously. Players who don't have their future officially set can continue to prove their skills while also competing for a more tangible prize at the conclusion of the event.
According to Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated, players participating the Las Vegas Summer League receive a total of $1,500 in per diem during the 12 days of competition. Not a bad amount, but a lot of those players will not end up having a career in the NBA, so a ring would be a nice reminder of their efforts.
Will the Summer League rings take away from the legacy of actual NBA championship rings? Absolutely not. But will people complain about them anyway? Longtime NBA coach Stan Van Gundy was one of many to do so.
Is this serious? They are giving out rings for summer league? Really?
— Stan Van Gundy (@realStanVG) July 8, 2022
The 2022 NBA Summer League is taking place July 7 to July 17 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.
