The Los Angeles Lakers have announced that if they claim their 18th banner, every player who has contributed to their season run will receive a championship ring, regardless of the extent of their involvement, including Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook.
During his podcast, Patrick Beverley mentioned that he and Russell Westbrook would like to receive championship rings if the Los Angeles Lakers were to win the NBA Finals.
Beverley shared that Westbrook had approached him about his desire to receive a ring, and Beverley expressed his excitement about the possibility of receiving one as well, stating that he would be "suited and booted" and eagerly waiting for his ring if the Lakers win.
TNT sideline reporter Chris Haynes confirmed this decision during the network's pregame broadcast on Monday.
"They [Lakers] would extend a championship ring to ALL players who were on the roster at any point during this season." 💍
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 8, 2023
Russ and Pat Bev will get a ring if Lakers win the championship, per @chrisbhaynes pic.twitter.com/4Ybut4d2pf
Haynes credits Rob Pelinka, the Lakers general manager, for instituting this policy, which was also implemented in 2020 when rings were given to DeMarcus Cousins and Avery Bradley, despite their limited contributions to the team.
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Lakers' 26 Championship Rings for the Players
If the Lakers win the championship this year, they will have to produce 26 championship rings just for the players.
Despite the significant number of rings that would need to be produced, the Lakers have expressed their commitment to celebrating the contributions of all players and staff members who have helped the team throughout the season.
This includes the 15 players currently on the roster - LeBron James, Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Dennis Schröder, Austin Reaves, Troy Brown Jr., Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Lonnie Walker IV, Rui Hachimura, Wenyen Gabriel, Max Christie, Mo Bamba, Tristan Thompson and Shaq Harrison.
Included also are players with two-way contracts - Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider.
Then to be added is the list of players who were traded midseason - Thomas Bryant, Kendrick Nunn, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, and Damian Jones.
Also, to add up, the team released some players after their 10-day contract was up, and some other seemingly footnotes - Matt Ryan, Davon Reed, and Sterling Brown.
In total, that would be a count of 26 players.
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