Lakers championship rings feature Kobe Bryant tribute
The rings were designed by 'Jason of Beverly Hills' and streetwear designer Don C
It is almost a year since the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, and his impact and legacy certainly lives on. Last night, the Lakers received their championship rings, and they feature a memory of the forever Laker.
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Last night the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against the Los Angeles Clippers, but before kicking off their 2020-2021 season, the Lakers received their championship rings from the 2019-2020 season.
The rings, which according to Complex, have “804 stones, 15.50 carats of yellow and white diamonds, and .95 carats of Laker purple amethyst stones,” also feature a touching tribute to the late legend Kobe Bryant.
The ring features Bryant’s Laker jerseys (both #8 and #24) and “Black Mamba” snakeskin behind jersey numbers.
The rings were designed by Jason Arasheben of “Jason of Beverly Hills” who according to ESPN, “waited 10 years for a chance to design another Los Angeles Lakers championship ring.” He told ESPN, “This ring eclipses last year’s NBA championship ring as the most valuable NBA championship ring in history with the most amount of diamond carat weight than any other ring in history. I mean, this ring, we really wanted to make a statement. It’s been 10 years since the Lakers have won. We wanted to come out and really make a statement and really reward these players for a job well done.”
When speaking specifically of the tribute in the design, he explained, “We created a removable top that exposes the rafters that are up in Staples Center with [jerseys of] 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.”
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Arasheben also recruited help from streetwear designer Don C when designing the ring. Don C told ESPN, “I think we killed it. Because I think when you look at all the typography, the icons on the ring, the different design elements, it’s new.”
LeBron James, who was named Finals MVP after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat with a 106-93 win in Game 6, took to Instagram to further celebrate and pay respect to his brother, Kobe. The caption reads, “What I felt like last night when I grabbed the ring from the case. Love and miss you my brother!!!! #Mamba4Life? 8•24 ♾. ??❤️? photo cred @cole.”
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