Kobe Bryant is one of the legendary figures of basketball.
His dedication and passion on the court reflected in his life outside of the game, too.
With skills that few could match, it’s no wonder that Bryant helped his team win several NBA championships in his 20-year career.
Here’s what you need to know about Kobe Bryant’s rings and what they mean.
How Many Rings Does Kobe Have?
Kobe Bryant has five NBA championship rings.
Three of those rings came through his partnership with Shaquille O’Neal.
Many wondered if he could win championships without him.
He proved that he could when O’Neal left the team for the Miami Heat and Bryant won two more rings.
All of Bryant’s rings were with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The years in which he won his rings include:
- 2000
- 2001
- 2002
- 2009
- 2010
He would later retire in 2016 and perish in a helicopter crash in 2020.
Does Kobe Bryant Have The Most NBA Championship Rings?
No, Bryant does not have the record for the most NBA rings.
Although his five rings put him high on the list of players with the most rings, he doesn’t take the lead.
That distinction belongs to Bill Russell with 11 rings.
He earned them during the dominant years of the Boston Celtics in the 1960s.
Bryant also didn’t earn as many rings as Michael Jordan.
Jordan earned six during his time with the Chicago Bulls.
Bryant believes that he could have earned more rings had Shaq put in as much effort as he did.
He called Shaq a dominating force and a big threat on the court, but that he wasn’t in the same shape as he was.
Had Shaq spent more time in the gym and followed the same work ethic that Bryant did, they’d have been able to win more championships with the Lakers.
Shaq believes Bryant could have passed the ball more to earn more rings.
While there was a staunch rivalry between them while they were both Lakers, retirement allowed them to set that aside and become friends.
Could Kobe Bryant Have Beat Michael Jordan’s Ring Count?
Many speculate as to whether Bryant could have beaten Jordan’s record if he hadn’t retired in 2016.
According to an interview with Bryant, it was his ultimate goal.
He didn’t want to only beat Jordan, he wanted to win eight rings total.
Many believe that if O’Neal had stayed with the LA Lakers instead of moving on to the Miami Heat, it could have been a possibility.
The pair had unmatched chemistry on the court.
Bryant believes otherwise.
In the interview, he stated that the problem wasn’t that O’Neal was no longer around.
The problem was the San Antonio Spurs.
Tim Duncan and his squad continued to outplay the Lakers.
Even with O’Neal on the team, Bryant wasn’t sure if they had the skill or grit to defeat the Spurs to take home more rings.
Even outside of the Spurs, there’s always a chance that Bryant could have earned one more ring to match with Jordan in his later career.
All the same, he was at peace with the accomplishments he had achieved on the court.
What Do Kobe Bryant’s NBA Championship Rings Look Like?
While Bryant considers his 2010 ring to be his favorite, each one represents a story of the team who won it.
Championship rings are highly personal and designed with great care by renowned jewelers.
Here are the rings Bryant won with the LA Lakers and what they symbolize.
1. The 1999–2000 LA Lakers Championship Ring
There was a good feeling about the Lakers taking home the trophy in the 2000 season.
They held the record for the most games won at that time.
They won a total of 67 games that season.
On their way to the final championship series, they had to face the Pacers.
In particular, they needed to face off with Reggie Miller, Mark Jackson, and Rik Smits.
It took six games to defeat them.
While Shaq led the series with 38 points and earned 16 rebounds, Bryant supported him with 15 points and 5 rebounds.
He also had 4 assists.
After battling through the Pacers, they went up against the Blazers for the trophy.
The series was fraught with tension.
Both teams won a fair share of the games in the series which
prompted a game seven.
Both teams were desperate to win it.
During the game, the Lakers were down in the fourth quarter.
Through a final push, they managed to gain the lead and ended up winning the NBA trophy.
Having not won a championship in some time, this ring was special for the LA Lakers.
The franchise chose Henry Kay Jewelers of Chicago as well as Masters of Design in Massachusetts to design their rings.
The rings didn’t disappoint the players or the franchise.
They consist of 40 pennyweights of 14k yellow gold.
The entire ring also contains 2.05 carats of diamonds.
These diamonds are primarily located on the face of the ring.
They surround the Lakers logo which sits front and center of the ring.
A series of 10 diamonds run up the sides of the ring.
The words “World Champions” also rest on the face of the ring.
They encircle the Lakers’ name.
The sides of the ring also have personal information and significance.
On one side of the ring is Bryant’s name and jersey number.
It also shows the NBA logo and the team’s record for the season and playoffs.
The other side of the ring proudly showcases the NBA trophy.
A ¼-carat diamond makes up the ball in the trophy.
Above the trophy are the words “Bling Bling.”
This is a reference to the words that Shaq once said to the team.
He said that the diamonds on the rings would “bling bling” after they won it.
At the bottom of the ring is the year in which they played the finals.
All the inscriptions are done in yellow gold.
Finally, a recessed triangle sits on the side of the ring.
This represents the Triangle Offense that the team had a reputation for using.
2. The 2000–2001 LA Lakers NBA Championship Ring
Following their big win, the 2000–2001 season started without much flair.
The LA Lakers didn’t dominate quite as much as they had previously.
They weren’t particularly bad, but they didn’t have the same kind of success as they did previously.
That all changed when the regular season ended, and the playoffs started.
The team turned it up and started to dominate once more.
They played against the Sixers and easily shut them out in five games.
Then they went up against Philadelphia and faced Allen Iverson.
Nicknamed “The Answer”, Iverson was Philadelphia’s star player.
Despite a great effort on his part, the partnership between Shaq and Bryant was too much for him.
Shaq ended up earning 33 points and 15 rebounds.
Bryant supported him with 24 points and 7 rebounds.
He also had 5 assists.
They ended up with an incredible playoff record of 15-1.
That earned them a point differential of +12.8.
Not only did they win the championship, but they had won back-to-back championships.
To commemorate this incredible feat, the franchise chose Masters of Design and Henry Kay once more to design the ring.
The 2001 ring has even more yellow gold in its creation.
It has 42 pennyweights of yellow gold.
They used 14-karat gold.
A total of 1.07 carats of white diamonds also make up the ring.
They’re used in the two trophies that rest on the face of the ring.
These two trophies indicate the back-to-back wins that the team accomplished.
This is further represented by the two diamonds set in the bezel.
The Masters of Design also made history by using yellow diamonds for the first time.
These yellow diamonds fill the face of the ring and surround the two diamond-filled trophies.
The yellow diamonds weigh 0.60 carats.
They chose the color yellow to represent the team’s colors.
Also around the bezel of the ring are the words, “World Champions.”
On the bottom of the bezel is the Lakers’ name.
It’s also written in the same font as their logo.
On one side of the ring, the yellow diamonds continue to make up the shape and design of the ring.
Also inscribed are the LA Lakers’ team name and logo.
Below the logo is their famous triangle offensive.
Within the triangle is the number 2.
On each of the top legs of the triangle are the words “Back.”
Together, this symbolizes the back-to-back wins of the franchise.
One final detail on this side of the ring is what sits below the triangle.
The year 2001 indicates the championship’s year.
The other side of the ring contains Bryant’s personal information.
It has his name and jersey number on it.
Below Bryant’s name is the NBA logo.
Along each side of the logo is the record for their playoff season.
15-1 is the best in the league’s history at the time.
The regular season’s record also appears below that.
It’s written as 56-26.
All the inscriptions use yellow gold.
3. The 2001–2002 LA Lakers Championship Ring
The 2002 playoffs were a breeze for the LA Lakers.
No one stood in their way.
When it came to the final series of the playoffs, they were up against the New Jersey Nets.
It was a sweep.
Shaq earned the MVP award and scored 36 points and 12 rebounds.
Bryant wasn’t far behind with 26 points and 5 rebounds.
He also had 5 assists.
In Bryant’s career, this was the only finals sweep he’d have.
The team made a stunning three-wins-in-a-row accomplishment.
Called a three-peat, they made history as one of the few teams ever to pull it off.
To make this set of rings special, Masters of Design put their all into its design and production.
The ring weighs 50 pennyweights of yellow gold.
This is the heaviest ring the Lakers have ever received.
It’s also made with 14-karat yellow gold.
Around the bezel of the ring are the words, “World Champions” and “Lakers.”
The Lakers’ inscription is in the same font as their logo.
Also on the front of the ring is a set of three diamonds at the top.
This represents the three-peat accomplishment the team made.
They also total six which signifies the other championship wins the LA Lakers achieved in their history as well as the wins of the Minneapolis Lakers.
On the bottom of the face are eight diamonds.
These diamonds represent the eight wins the team has earned under the ownership of Dr. Jerry Buss.
The face of the ring also uses an amethyst cut into the shape of a triangle.
The amethyst represents the team’s colors.
The triangle is a reference to the triangle offense the team uses.
Three other triangle-shaped diamonds surround the amethyst.
These also represent the triangle offense and the three wins of the team.
Along the triangle of the amethyst are the words, “Back Back Back.”
On one side of the ring are Bryant’s name and jersey number.
It has a similar design to the previous rings in that it showcases the NBA logo and their records for the entire NBA season.
The other side of the ring also pays tribute to a famous announcer who passed away during the off-season.
Chick Hearn’s famous use of the word “slam dunk” is on the side of the ring.
It also showcases the LA Lakers’ logo and the year in which they won the ring.
4. The 2008–2009 LA Lakers Championship Ring
This was the first championship win that Bryant achieved without the help of Shaq.
The Lakers were up against the Orlando Magic in the finals.
The Magic had ranked high in both offensive and defensive efficiency going into the finals.
It also had Dwight Howard who was the team’s star player.
Despite that, Bryant led the team to victory.
Throughout the entire series, he scored an average of 32 points per game.
He even scored 40 points in Game 1.
They only lost one game to the Magic in the series and came away with the championship title.
Since Shaq wasn’t part of the team any longer, Bryant was able to take the full credit for boosting the team to its winning status.
He earned the title of MVP as a result.
Much thought went into the creation of this ring as well.
The gold used in the ring is a limited-edition version of 15-karat yellow gold.
It represents the 15 total championship wins by the franchise.
Dr. Buss specifically requested the use of 14 diamonds on the face of the ring as well.
He wanted to pay homage to their past wins.
The golden trophy on the front of the ring represents the 15th win by the team.
The Lakers’ name is also above the trophy in their logo’s font.
On the side of the ring is their final series scores.
For the 2009 season, the Lakers came away with a record of 4-1, 4-3, and 4-2 for their final series.
The NBA logo also appears on this side.
Behind the logo is a large XV which indicates the 15th win of the organization.
The other side of the ring was different depending on whether you were a player or non-player on the team.
The players had the player’s image and their jersey number.
It also shows the year and their regular-season record.
For non-players, the player image isn’t there.
Instead, they show the Los Angeles skyline.
There are also hidden inscriptions of the LA Lakers’ name throughout the ring to make it harder to fake the ring.
5. The 2009–2010 LA Lakers NBA Championship Ring
The 2010 finals game pitted the Lakers against the Boston Celtics.
In the 2008 finals, the Celtics had been responsible for ending the Laker’s dreams of winning the championship.
The LA team was eager to get their revenge.
Bryant went into the game with a broken finger, but he insisted on playing all the same.
Although they’d end up in a game seven, the Lakers ultimately defeated the Celtics.
During the series, Bryant averaged 28 points a game and 8 rebounds.
He also had 3 assists.
Besides winning back-to-back championships once more, Bryant also won the MVP title for the second time in a row.
For many reasons, the 2010 championship was the most important to him.
The 2010 rings had something particularly special for this batch of championship rings.
The designers used the actual ball in every ring made for the team.
They took out small parts of the ball from Game 7 and incorporated them within the rings.
The name Lakers also stands proudly at the front of the ring.
On either side of the face is a championship trophy.
The two trophies represent the back-to-back wins of the team.
The two trophies were also made with a special 16-karat yellow gold variety to represent the 16 wins of the franchise.
One of the most unique aspects of this ring is the fact that there’s a sculpture of the player’s face on the side of his ring.
Bryant has a sculpture of his face on the side along with his jersey.
It also contains the final score against the Boston Celtics in Game 7.
Conclusion
Kobe Bryant was a force on the basketball court.
His hard work ethic helped the Los Angeles Lakers win five championships.
As a result, he earned five NBA championship rings.
Of those rings, the 2010 one was his favorite.
The Lakers have since gone on to win a few more championships.
Their latest was in 2020 in which they earned a ring that paid homage to the passing of Kobe Bryant.
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