Jeremy Sochan will receive his first NBA championship ring because the San Antonio Spurs reached the Finals after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals on Saturday.
The celebration doesn’t have to wait for the title celebration.
After the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals on Saturday, Knicks forward Jeremy Sochan is set to receive his first NBA championship ring — no matter what happens in the Spurs–Knicks Finals.
Sochan’s name is already tied to the moment. He began the season with the Spurs, but he appeared in 33 games for San Antonio before being waived and signing with the Knicks. With the Finals now in place, he will get a ring regardless of the finals outcome.
That part matters because it’s not automatically required. The Spurs and NBA teams are not under an obligation to hand out rings to players who were traded or cut before the playoffs. Still. teams typically do award regular-season players with rings even if their path to the title came through a waiver or a trade.
Sochan’s NBA journey with San Antonio began long before this postseason. He played his first three and a half seasons with the Spurs after they drafted him ninth overall in 2022. Now, his season-long contribution has translated into something tangible: a ring already secured before the first Finals game.
The Spurs’ Finals spot also echoes a familiar story from the past. When the Milwaukee Bucks met the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals, Torrey Craig found himself in a similar position. Craig appeared in 18 games with the Bucks during the regular season before being traded to the Suns ahead of the deadline. When Milwaukee defeated the Atlanta Hawks to win the Eastern Conference title. Craig was set to win a ring regardless of the championship outcome.
But Craig later revealed he did not accept a ring from Milwaukee after Phoenix lost the Finals in six games. In an interview with PHNX Sports. he said: “I was qualified to get a ring with the Bucks. being that I played with them enough games to win it. but I didn’t follow through with it because they beat us in the finals.” He added. “I would’ve been traded to a different team. and they won the finals; it probably would’ve been difficult. given the fact that they beat us in the finals. I didn’t even care enough [to take it], because we lost. They beat us fair and square.”.
Whether Sochan will choose to accept his ring if San Antonio wins remains to be seen.
For what it’s worth, San Antonio enters the Finals as a heavy betting favorite. The Spurs are a -200 favorite against New York, per FanDuel Sportsbook.
NBA Spurs Knicks Jeremy Sochan Western Conference Finals Oklahoma City Thunder championship ring