LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts as he receives his 2020 NBA championship ring during a ceremony before the opening night game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on December 22, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
The Los Angeles Lakers received their NBA Championship rings on Tuesday night in a pregame ceremony at Staples Center.
The rings were designed by Jason Arasheben of Jason of Beverly Hills. He's the same jeweler who designed the Lakers last championship rings in 2009 and 2010.
The Lakers won the NBA Championship inside the bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida on Oct. 11 after defeating the Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 to win the series 4-2.
That gave Arasheben less than 70 days to create the rings after the shortest offseason in NBA history. A monumental task that he was barely able to complete.
Arashben said he wanted the ring to have plenty of bling and he also wanted it to be able to tell a story.
"That was actually the fun part about this particular ring, is that there was so much story to tell," Arasheben told ESPN. "This was a season unlike any other in history."
There are 17 purple amethyst stones for the Lakers NBA record-tying 17th NBA championship inside the "L" on the front of the ring. There are also .52 carats of yellow diamonds in the ring, that represent the team's 52 regular season wins that earned the Lakers the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference headed into the NBA Playoffs.
The Lakers spent 95 days inside the Bubble in Orlando, so Arasheben made sure there were .95 carats in each of the amethyst stones.
The ring also has the word "unite" engraved in it to honor the social justice movement that began during the NBA's hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The words "Leave a Legacy" in Lebron James' handwriting are also engraved on each ring.
Kobe and Gianna Bryant, who tragically died in a helicopter crash during the NBA season in January, are also recognized in the ring's design. There is a black mamba snake around each player's jersey number, and the ring has a unique detachable top that reveals a tribute to Bryant and other Laker legends.
"We created a removable top that exposes the rafters that are up in Staples Center with all of the retired Laker greats, with a special emphasis put on Kobe's No. 8 and No. 24 jersey, and it's set on a snakeskin texture background," Arasheben told ESPN.
According to Arasheben, the 16.45 carat ring that has 804 different stones is the most valuable championship ring in NBA history.
The Lakers received their rings during a 30-minute pregame ceremony at Staples Center on Tuesday, ahead of their Opening night tip-off against the LA Clippers.
During the socially distanced ceremony, families of the players recorded videos presenting each championship ring to their loved one. There were no fans in the arena, and the team's 17th banner was covered with the words "Stay Tuned. Lakers Family."
The Lakers plan on revealing the record-tying banner as well as holding another ring presentation ceremony once fans are allowed back inside Staples Center.
