Earlier this season, the Oklahoma City Thunder received their championship rings from Jostens Inc., a U.S. Manufacturer of memorabilia. The company’s main focus is on producing yearbooks, academic regalia, and class rings for various high schools and colleges, as well as championship rings for sports.
The championship ring not only represented all the hard work put in during the offseason and throughout the season, but also the sacrifices their families, partners, and spouses make.
For example, the solo nights on long road trips during the season, having to reorganize holiday plans due to the NBA schedule, and dealing with the highs and lows that the season entails. It is a lifestyle that comes with many perks but also requires patience and resilience as much as the game itself, and it is rarely acknowledged as it deserves.
Reigning NBA and Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a deep understanding of that reality.
When asked why it’s important to have significant others and families at the ring presentation, he didn’t deliver a polished PR answer. He offered the truth in a more valuable manner.
“They a lot of the times sacrifice as much as we do, and they kind of don’t get their horn tooted the way we do. So, it was just nice to be able to make them a part of the experience. I can only speak for myself, but I know I wouldn’t be the basketball player I am without mine. So, they’re only deserving,” SGA said.
The difference between exceptional leaders and ordinary players lies precisely in the level of accountability and public acknowledgement that a championship is built on teamwork.
Shai is both.
His words are a testament to his genuine understanding of what it takes to sustain greatness, and he refuses to overlook his support system.
The Thunder’s championship ring is the physical manifestation of everything the organization stands for. Tasked with bringing that vision to life was Chris Poitras, Managing and Senior Vice President of Jostens’ Professional Sports Division, the company that has stood at the center of championship ring manufacturing for decades.
The process in Oklahoma City, as described by Poitras, was not normal. The ring was treated as a story, not a product, in a deliberate, player-first design approach.
“Clay Bennett and Sam Presti and the organization were really meaningful to make sure that Shai and the other players were part of that. And I think you’re gonna see the evolution of jewelry, in items being done for them that absolutely had Shai’s, and the organization, player organization, fingerprints on it,” Poitras said.
The word Poitras is always associated with fingerprints, and it’s not an accident. The word authorship is used to describe it. To ownership. The Thunder’s ring was not distributed in a boardroom. The players who earned it shaped it in a meaningful way. The significance of that distinction lies in its ability to change the ring’s meaning when a player looks at it twenty years from now. The moment that makes it all worthwhile Championship rings hold the weight of entire careers. To certain players, they symbolize the fulfillment of a childhood dream.
For others, they are a testament to years of patience and perseverance finally paying off. Despite having been at this presentation for dozens of championship cycles, Poitras still speaks about it with genuine reverence.
“There’s this personalization aspect, this storytelling aspect that we’re really proud of… And when they put it on their finger and they look down, that reaction is why I do what I do. It’s just so meaningful.”