THE GLORIOUS EXCESSES OF BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS.

In Milwaukee, the Bucks organization apparently had money to burn on championship rings, and got into more symbolism than an art historian could shake a pointer at.

The Milwaukee Bucks Championship ring has 360 diamonds on the top to represent the total wins since ownership purchased the team. The 16 emerald shaped diamonds on the left side represent the 16 playoff wins during the 2021 NBA Playoffs, with another 16 emerald shaped diamonds on the right side for the 16 division titles in team history. In total there are approximately 4.14cts of emeralds representing the 414 Milwaukee area code. The 50 round stones on the inner bezel stand for the 50 years since the team’s last championship win.

There are two trophies on the inside shank to represent the two franchise championships, and Fiserv Forum’s architecture is also featured on the side of the ring. The NBA Larry O’Brien Trophy on the face of the ring is made up of a signature batch of 65.3% purity yellow gold to represent the season winning percentage. Even the carat weight of the stones has meaning. Approximately 3cts of stones on the shank represent the three conference championships in Bucks history. The approximately 0.53cts on the World Champions wording on the ring represents the total years the Bucks have been in existence.

There are even hidden details in the ring that you cannot see. The ring has a removable top that reveals a QR code that when scanned plays a video highlighting memorable moments from the season.

While Bucks players, coaches, front office and owners will receive the signature ring, all Bucks full-time staff will also receive similarly designed rings.

In Chicago, where Aaron Rodgers owns the Bears, the Sky won their league championship, and Diana Taurasi bought a door.

Taurasi and her teammates saw their worst-case scenario play out in Game 4 with a 14-point lead dwindling until the Sky snatched the victory in the final minutes. Taurasi in particular struggled, shooting 4 of 16 from the field while scoring 16 points in the loss.

After the game, the Mercury refused to attend the customary Finals postgame press conference, a sign of their frustration with a series that got out of their hands.

Taurasi, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, apparently saved her anger for a door in the locker room. When asked about the door by a reporter Tuesday, Taurasi said, “There was a lot of doors in there.”

Somewhere, there is a ring designer thinking about how best to represent the door in the jewelry or incorporate the clip in the QR code.