Basketball World

Robb Harskamp and Milton Un collaborated on this awesome visual history of every championship ring laid out by team. We love how quickly this visualization tells the story of which teams have won championships, how many they have won, and when they won them. Truly a great reminder of what’s at stake in the Finals!

With the exception of the 1967 Sixers, all the rings were relatively similar for the first three decades. Starting in the 80′s the rings got more bling, becoming increasingly more elaborate from year to year. Thus, it is easy to see at a glance which teams won their championships recently (Spurs/Bulls), which teams haven’t won a championship in several decades (Knicks), and which teams have a mix (Lakers, Celtics). Also, we found it interesting that 43 of the 64 championships have come from just four teams (Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Spurs).

We asked Robb and Milton about their inspiration for this amazing illustration:

The NBA Championship ring is that piece of hardware every fan knows about. We can name which franchises have won the most rings, measure our favorite players by rings they’ve won, and even call out the players that have never gotten one in their careers. Dirk “NoRingski”. But, one thing that we don’t always know is what the rings look like. Even the Basketball Hall of Fame doesn’t have a championship ring to showcase! Why? Because each ring is a precious and personal piece to that specific player; unlike the Championship trophies. And no player is willing to give that up.

Click on the picture for highest resoulution