The New York Knicks spent Tuesday night celebrating their first NBA championship in more than half a century. But it turns out that not everyone in the organization got to share in the celebration, and owner James Dolan is now facing plenty of backlash because of it.
According to a new report, the Knicks’ assistant coaches were handed ring boxes during the team’s championship ceremony, but didn’t actually receive their rings. On top of that, many longtime Madison Square Garden employees won’t get rings at all, and some of them were reportedly targeted with a fake ring offer that turned out to be a phishing test.
Empty Ring Boxes, Fake Promise
Before Tuesday’s season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, Knicks players were presented with their championship rings and the team raised its banner at Madison Square Garden. However, the ring situation has led to a lot of scrutiny.
“The Knicks’ assistant coaches did not receive their championship rings during Tuesday’s ceremony, despite being handed ring boxes, according to league sources,” The Athletic reported. “Many longtime employees at Madison Square Garden will not receive rings at all, per team sources.”
According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the assistants were told earlier that day that they would get their rings later. Their reactions reportedly ranged from anger to annoyance, via CBS Sports.
To be fair, not every team hands out rings to assistants on opening night. The Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly did the same thing after winning the title in 2025.
But the bigger issue is what happened to MSG employees. In September, a long list of staffers reportedly received an email inviting them to choose the design of their “complimentary employee championship ring.” However, it turned out to be a cruel test.
“Congratulations, your Employee Championship Ring is here,” the email read, via The Athletic. “(Employee name), this one is on the house. MSG is issuing a complimentary employee championship ring. The same jeweler, the same craftsmanship, personalized with your name. No cost to you.”
“There are two designs to choose from: Championship Gold and Garden Classic. Reserve the one you want below,” the email continued.
According to The Athletic, the email was actually a phishing test, and employees who clicked on it were required to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class.
When asked about the rings, an MSG Sports spokesperson told The Athletic, “We are not disclosing anything about the rings.”
‘An Absolute Embarrassment’
Needless to say, the reaction wasn’t kind to Dolan as he was widely criticized for the move.
“Giving them empty ring boxes just for the show? An absolute embarrassment of an ownership group,” wrote Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
“You have to be a truly terrible person to do this,” wrote Jeremy Schneider of NJ.com.
“It’s almost impressive that the Knicks just provided the greatest New York sports memory ever and James Dolan will still be forever reviled,” Schneider added.
“James Dolan won the title and called a crisis PR firm for an emergency strategy meeting to come up with new ways to demonstrate that he is still Evil,” wrote Rodger Sherman of The Ringer.
“Assistant coaches not getting rings on ring night, while unfortunate and understandably frustrating, isn’t unique to the Knicks. But the subject that was used in the phishing email is just cruel, IMO,” wrote Ian Begley of SNY.
“Shame on James Dolan for being such a paranoid, ludicrous cheapskate that he gleefully screw over his employees as a test,” wrote James Dator of SB Nation, who called the move “just disgusting.”
And while the Knicks have largely avoided off-court scandals in recent years, they are now “seemingly courting a pretty avoidable one,” wrote Sam Quinn of CBS Sports.
Clearly, this did not go the way Dolan would have hoped.
The post ‘You have to be a truly terrible person to do this’: Knicks owner sparks outrage with ‘disgusting’ move against employees appeared first on The Comeback: Today’s Top Sports Stories & Reactions.