Knicks admit to 'unfortunate mistake,' will spend more than $3.7M on 275 championship rings for staff
Knicks unveil their championship ring created by renowned jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills. Credit: AP/ONROPE studios
The Knicks will give 275 championship rings and jewelry to players, coaches, and employees worth more than $3.7 million, the team said on Friday.
A Madison Square Garden spokesperson issued a statement in response to a report by The Athletic that said assistant coaches received empty boxes during Tuesday's ring ceremony and company employees received a congratulatory email asking them to click on a link to choose a championship ring style. The link in the email, however, sent the employees to a mandatory cybersecurity class.
MSG acknowledged the mistake in its statement.
“The company had previously sent out an email to its corporate team as a simulation of a phishing attack designed to strengthen our security against hackers," the MSG spokesperson said. "MSG was recently hacked and extorted using an employee login and password obtained through a similar phishing attack. Using the rings as a lure to gain employees attention was an unfortunate mistake.
“The company is gifting more than 275 championship rings and jewelry to players, coaches, employees and other members of the Knicks family, worth more than $3.7 million, in recognition of their contributions and celebrating this achievement.”
While players were handed their championship rings by Knicks legend Walt Frazier during a pregame ceremony on Tuesday, the lead assistant coaches — Rick Brunson, Chris Jent and Brendan O’Connor — were handed ornate boxes that were empty, the report said.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
