Toronto Story behind Toronto Raptors' record-breaking championship ring

As the Toronto Raptors prepared to tip off their 2019-20 NBA season on Tuesday night, they first celebrated their 2019 NBA title by raising a championship banner to the rafters at Scotiabank Arena and presenting players, coaches, and front office staff with championship rings in a pregame ceremony. “The Raptors’ first NBA Championship is a moment that basketball fans across the country, and the franchise itself, waited 24 years for and we are incredibly proud to mark the occasion for the players, coaches and staff who made it possible with this stunning championship ring,” said Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of MLSE. “This championship made history and will be treasured forever as will this ring commemorating the achievement.” The Raptors’ 2019 World Championship Ring is the largest NBA Championship ring ever made and the face features the Larry O’Brien trophy centered over the iconic Toronto skyline, the team’s NORTH chevron jersey logo, and the Scotiabank Arena. The face of the ring is made up of 74 diamonds, representing the number of wins during the 2018-19 season, including one large diamond in the trophy to celebrate the team’s first NBA Championship. Custom-cut baguette diamonds accentuate the iconic Toronto skyline. The outer edge of the ring features 16 genuine natural rubies along with the jersey numbers of the team roster and is complimented by a unique cascade of diamonds. Both shoulders of the ring are set off by the inclusion of even more diamonds, with one side displaying each player’s name and jersey number, while “WORLD CHAMPIONS”, the NBA logo, and the Raptors logo complete the look on the opposite side. The inside of the ring features personalized messages unique to each player, a ruby set inside a Maple Leaf, and the Championship series scores. The 2019 Raptors’ championship ring is record setting on many accounts: the most diamonds of any professional championship ring with more than 640, the most diamond total carat weight (tcw) of any professional championship ring with more than 14 tcw, and the largest single diamond in any professional championship ring with a massive 1.25 carat diamond featured in the Larry O’Brien trophy. All of the gold and diamonds used to create the Raptors’ 2019 World Championship Rings were sourced from Canada. “This isn’t just a ring for the Raptors. It’s a ring for the city of Toronto and the country of Canada,” Kyle Lowry said. “The details in the ring reflect things that are important to us and are symbolic of our Championship season. I think it’s one of the best rings in the history of the NBA.”