Knicks coaches waiting on rings; staffers duped by phishing offer, per report
New York Knicks assistant coaches did not receive their championship rings during Tuesday's title ceremony ahead of the season opener, while a number of team employees instead were targeted by a Madison Square Garden phishing scam and will not receive rings at all, according to a report.
The Athletic reported Thursday that the assistant coaches were handed empty boxes during Tuesday's ceremony, in part because they had not yet been fitted for the rings.
The coaches' reaction to the delayed rings ranged from annoyance to anger, according to The Athletic.
But for some team employees in Knicks' business operations and at Madison Square Garden, no rings are coming. Instead, they reportedly received an email last month saying "your Employee Championship Ring is here" that claimed that they could choose from a pair of options at "no cost to you."
When the employees clicked on a link in the email, The Athletic reported, they were informed that they had failed a phishing test and would have to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class.
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An MSG Sports spokesperson said in a statement, "The company had previously sent out an email to its corporate team as a simulation of a phishing attack designed to strengthen our security against hackers. MSG was recently hacked and extorted using an employee login and password obtained through a similar phishing attack. Using the rings as a lure to gain employees attention was an unfortunate mistake."
They added, "The company is gifting more than 275 championship rings and jewelry to players, coaches, employees and other members of the Knicks family, worth more than $3.7 million, in recognition of their contributions and celebrating this achievement."
The delay in some rings being handed out also occurred for the Oklahoma City Thunder after their 2025 title, The Athletic noted.
The Knicks ended a 53-year championship drought when they defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. On Tuesday, the team had not one but two new banners in the rafters, as one was also added to honor their win in the NBA Cup during the 2025-26 season.br/]
