NBA’s new Summer League rings get meme treatment
Jun 2, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver talks to media before game one of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The NBA has managed to find something worse than a Mickey Mouse ring.
Starting this year, the league will officially be giving out rings to the winners of NBA Summer League. ESPN’s Malika Andrews shared some images of the rings that will be presented to the … lucky champions.
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
Social media was not feeling the whole handing-out-rings-for-a-Summer-League-title thing and responded with an avalanche of memes. Here were some of the best ones.
Chris Paul after winning Summer League at age 37: pic.twitter.com/Hwpp6WTlH0
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) July 8, 2022
FINALLY WE WILL BE AT THE TOP pic.twitter.com/7NnAb0lzkw
— KingsMuse (@kings_muse) July 8, 2022
This may be a more suitable design: pic.twitter.com/ro0n3Dceht
— Jabroni Johnson (@jabronijohnson) July 8, 2022
Kevin Durant is going to start playing in this now isn’t he? https://t.co/dkzbfAwWMc
— Tanner Martin (@TanMart03) July 8, 2022
David Stern gonna haunt the league offices after this https://t.co/VKQshuXHQi
— Kofie.bsky.social (@Kofie) July 8, 2022
Even ex-NBA coach Stan Van Gundy clowned on the Summer League rings.
Is this serious? They are giving out rings for summer league? Really?
— Stan Van Gundy (@realStanVG) July 8, 2022
Could there be a more useless piece of hardware? It’s giving participation trophy and also cringe.
Some were of the opinion that the rings were a nice gesture, especially since many players fought tooth and nail just to make it to Summer League in the first place and will never get any closer to sniffing an NBA court. But is that really something that a commemorative shirt (like the kind they give out to intramural champions) could not have also accomplished? Did the NBA really have to get diamonds involved?
On the bright side, at least this guy will no longer be the owner of the most extra NBA championship ring.