At the end of every NBA season is the big championship.
Only one team will come away with the trophy.
Besides the trophy, each member of the winning team also receives an NBA championship ring.
The ring symbolizes their hard work and sportsmanship throughout the season.
Not every player earns an NBA championship ring.
Shaq is one of the great players to have earned several.
Here’s what you need to know about Shaq’s NBA rings and how many he has earned.
How Many Rings Does Shaq Have?
Shaquille O’Neal has four NBA championship rings to his name.
He won most of them while he was playing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Those championship wins happened in the following seasons:
- 1999–2000
- 2000–2001
- 2001–2002
His last ring came when he was with the Miami Heat.
He won that ring in the 2005–2006 season.
Does Shaq Have The Most NBA Rings?
No, Shaq does not have the most NBA rings.
Despite his impressive skills on the basketball court, Shaq doesn’t make the list of the top ten NBA players with the most NBA championship rings.
The top of the list goes to Bill Russell and many of his Boston Celtic teammates during their dominant years in the 1960s.
Bill Russell has 11 NBA championship rings.
Shaq doesn’t have as many rings as Michael Jordan either.
Michael Jordan has six NBA championship rings.
Shaq is on par with LeBron at four rings.
He retired from the sport before he could earn more.
What Do Shaq’s Rings Look Like And Mean?
Each NBA ring tells a different story about the winning team.
They’re made specifically for the team and are only created after the season is over.
They’re also personalized for the specific player, often including their name and jersey number on the ring.
Here’s what Shaq’s NBA rings look like and what they mean symbolically.
1. The 1999–2000 LA Lakers Championship Ring
Shaq earned his first NBA championship ring with the LA Lakers in the 1999–2000 season.
It would establish the Lakers as a dominating force for several years to come.
Shaq played alongside the equally legendary Kobe Bryant.
While they had their difficulties playing together, they also knew how to dominate the court.
During this season, Shaq scored an average of 30 points per game.
He also scored an average of 14 rebounds per game.
With those stats, Shaq became the MVP of the season.
In the final game of the championship, the Lakers were up against the Indiana Pacers.
The game was tough with the two teams almost evenly matched.
However, thanks to Shaq pulling in a 61% shooting average for the game, they managed to pull ahead and won the game with a final score of 4–2 over the Pacers.
To commemorate an incredible season, the Lakers chose Henry Kay Jewelers of Chicago and Masters of Design of Attleboro Falls, Massachusetts to make their rings.
Together, the two jewelers designed and produced an incredible ring.
The ring itself weighs around 40 pennyweights of 14-karat yellow gold.
It also contains 2.05 carats of diamonds.
Those diamonds make up the front of the ring.
They surround the Lakers logo which sits in the middle of the ring.
The sides of the ring are equally important.
Each side contains important information about the player and the season as a whole.
On one side is information about the player’s name and jersey number.
It also contains the famous NBA logo and the team’s season record.
The other side of the ring is an image of the NBA championship trophy.
A 1/4 carat diamond makes up the ball in the trophy.
There’s also a triangle set behind the trophy which represents the triangle offense used in the game.
It’s a nod towards the powerhouse of the offense team in the Lakers.
Those were primarily Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
The ring also states the season’s year, 2000, and the words “Bling Bling”.
This is a reference to the words Shaq said to his teammates during the season.
He told them that the diamonds in a ring would Bling Bling.
Finally, the words “World Champions” crest the top and bottom of the ring.
The largest ring went to Shaq at size 17.
2. The 2000–2001 LA Lakers NBA Championship Ring
The 2001 NBA season was another chance for the Lakers to show their dominance.
Shaq certainly proved his worth by scoring an average of 33 points and 16 rebounds per game in the season.
During that season, the Lakers only lost one game.
When it came time for the finals, the LA Lakers were up against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers also had a star player in the form of phenom, Allen Iverson.
Iverson would go on to score 35 points in the finals.
When it came to it, however, the Lakers won with a 4–1 lead over the 76ers.
They had won back-to-back NBA championships.
Iverson, however, would win the MVP title by a single vote over Shaq.
As before, the Lakers decided to go with Henry Kay Jewelers of Chicago and Masters of Design of Attleboro Falls, Massachusetts.
The ring went through the design and production process in the United States instead of a foreign country.
Masters of Design made the rings in their own factory in Massachusetts.
Since it was a back-to-back win, the ring needed to be special.
This time, the ring weighed 42 pennyweights of 14-karat yellow gold.
It also had 1.07 carats of white diamonds.
The front of the ring had 0.60 carats’ worth of yellow diamonds adorning it.
This was the first time that yellow diamonds made an appearance in an NBA championship ring.
The yellow diamonds filled the space of the front of the ring and surrounded two images of the NBA championship trophy.
The jewelers used cut diamonds to make up the shape of the trophies.
Around the bezel of the ring are the words “World Champions” on the top and “Lakers” on the bottom.
The “Lakers” part of the ring also uses the same font as the Lakers’ logo.
The bezel also has two white diamonds on it.
The sides of the ring are also different.
On one side is the player’s name and jersey number.
Along with the player’s information, the NBA logo is there.
Within the NBA logo are the numbers 15–1.
This represents the Lakers’ season performance.
They had 15 wins and one loss.
At this time, it was the best in the history of the entire NBA league.
This side also includes the overall record of their season.
The other side has the Lakers’ logo.
Below the logo is the famous triangle offense of the Lakers.
Along the triangle’s sides are the words “BACK-TO-BACK” to represent the two NBA championship wins.
The largest ring size went to Shaq once more at 15.5.
3. The 2001–2002 LA Lakers NBA Championship Ring
The last great ring from the LA Lakers while Shaq was a player was in the 2001–2002 NBA season.
At this point in time, a lot of attention was on the rising star known as Kobe Bryant.
Although Shaq had already proven his worth, a lot of media attention was on both him and Bryant.
With different ideas and things to prove, there was a natural competition between the two players.
At this stage, they were still able to work together to become a dominating force on the court.
The final game was against the New Jersey Nets.
Shaq had an even better record this season than those previously.
In the finals, he averaged 36 points per game.
He also had 12 rebounds.
He even averaged 3.8 assists.
In the game against the New Jersey Nets, the Nets didn’t have a chance against the Lakers.
The Lakers ended up winning with a record of 4–0.
Pleased with their rings from before, the Lakers chose to go with the Masters of Design for their third ring as well.
This time, master crafters Howard Kaplan and Bob Bourbeau would be in charge of designing and producing the rings.
The ring they designed ended up being full of symbolism.
For their third championship ring in a row, the ring weighs 50 pennyweights of 14-karat yellow gold.
The bezel of the ring contains the words “Lakers” and “World Champions.”
“Lakers” sits on top of the bezel and uses the same font as the Lakers’ logo.
World Champions sits on the sides of the bezel.
The bottom of the bezel has eight cut diamonds.
Their total weight is 0.40 carats.
These eight diamonds represent the eight championship wins that the LA Lakers have won under Dr. Jerry Buss.
It’s a nod to his careful planning and management that has allowed the team to flourish.
There’s a similar message at the top of the ring.
On the top portion of the bezel are six cut diamonds.
They weigh about 0.30 carats.
These represent the wins by the LA Lakers not under Dr. Jerry Buss as well as the wins by the Minneapolis Lakers.
It’s a nod to all the incredible wins of the franchise and its history of success.
On the front of the ring are several yellow diamonds that weigh out to 0.75 carats.
The number of yellow diamonds comes out to 61.
They chose the color yellow because it represents the color of the Lakers’ jerseys.
At the very center of the ring is an amethyst.
It’s set in the bezel.
The weight of the amethyst is 1.50 carats.
They chose amethyst because of its color.
Purple is another official color of the LA Lakers.
The amethyst is in the shape of the triangle offense of the Lakers.
Along the sides of the amethyst are the words “BACK BACK BACK” to represent the three-time championship wins.
In between the yellow diamonds are three trillion-cut diamonds.
They weigh about 0.75 carats.
On one side of the ring, it displays the player’s name and jersey number.
It also contains information about their season record and playoff record.
The other side of the ring pays homage to two different things.
The Lakers continue to receive their praise with their name etched into the side like their logo.
However, it also contains an image of a microphone with the name “CHICK” on it.
This is a reference to Chick Hearn who passed away that year during the off-season.
He was famous for his game announcements.
One of his catchphrases, “SLAM DUNK,” is also etched on the side of the ring.
This side of the ring also contains the year of the championship, 2002.
Shaq received the largest ring at size 16.5.
4. The 2005–2006 Miami Heat NBA Championship Ring
The rivalry with Kobe Bryant would eventually reach a tipping point.
With two seasons without a championship to their name, Shaq and Kobe were at each other’s throats.
Shaq would eventually leave the LA Lakers and head to the Miami Heat instead.
During his season with them, he’d help them claim an NBA championship against the Dallas Mavericks.
During the finals, Shaq averaged 13.7 points.
He’d also earn 12 rebounds.
During the final game, he’d average out 14 points.
While this didn’t quite compare to his previous performance, it was still enough to beat out the Mavericks.
They’d end with a record 4–2 against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Heat chose Josten, based in Minneapolis, to design and produce their rings.
It was a special win for the team which marked its first NBA championship win.
Shaq, along with the MVP of the season, Dwyane Wade, made it possible.
To commemorate the event, the ring showcases the NBA trophy front and center.
It uses 58 grams of 10-karat white gold to make up the trophy and the diamonds surrounding it.
The ball of the trophy uses a 0.10-carat diamond.
Also on the front of the ring are the words, “World Champions.”
The sides of the ring are even more special. On one side is the player’s name.
It also features the phrase “15 Strong.”
This represents the 15-strong team members who made the victory a possibility.
Beneath those words is also written “Faith,” a personal meaning to the team.
At the bottom is the year in which they won the championship, 2006.
On the other side of the ring are the NBA logo and the Miami Heat logo along with the player’s name.
At the bottom is the word “Family,” another important saying of the Heat.
One final detail is on the inside of the ring.
On the inner band are the words “It Was Our Time.”
These famous words became the motto for both Shaq and Wade and would push them to perform their best in the championship game.
How Much Are Shaq’s Rings Worth?
There are several factors that add to the value of an NBA championship ring.
One of those factors is the number of gems and gold used in the ring.
Other factors increase the price from there.
Shaq’s rings have an estimated value of $6.2 billion.
What Factors Affect The Price Of An NBA Championship Ring?
Here are a few factors that can increase the price of an NBA championship ring.
1. Gems And Gold
A ring that uses more diamonds and gold is going to be more expensive than one that uses less.
If a ring has other valuable gems, like amethysts, then the price also increases.
The condition of the gems also matters.
If they’re not high-quality diamonds, then it doesn’t matter how many there are.
High-quality diamonds will always have a higher value than low-quality ones.
2. Winning Team
Another important factor that influences the price of an NBA championship ring is whether the team was famous or not.
Championship winners are a dime a dozen.
There’s always a championship team at the end of an NBA season.
The ones that matter are the ones that come with stories.
Whether it was their first win or their fifth in a series of dominating years, the story behind the team needs to matter.
That’s why rings from the 1990s Chicago Bulls are more valuable than rings from a standard team that only won one game.
3. Player
The final factor that influences the price of a ring is the player the ring belongs to.
In the case of Shaq, he has a net worth valued at around $400 million.
He’s famous, has a great player history, and is still involved in the sport.
He’s also a Hall of Famer.
His rings are going to be more valuable than a player with an average record.
Conclusion
Shaq earned four NBA championship rings during his career.
Most of them were with the LA Lakers, but he won his last with the Miami Heat.
A difficult working relationship with Kobe Bryant may be to blame for missed opportunities for earning even more rings.
Despite that, Shaq has a considerable net worth, and his rings rest at a value of around $6.2 billion.
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