Richard Jefferson might’ve leaked the Cavs’ NBA championship rings
Throughout the 2015-16 NBA season and playoffs, Richard Jefferson became one of the league’s more surprisingly entertaining players thanks to his adoption of Snapchat, and his passion for chronicling the Cleveland Cavaliers’ path to the NBA championship through the app from the comfort of his phone. He used the social media service to announce his retirement shortly after the Cavs knocked off the Golden State Warriors, and to confirm his championship-parade-day reversal of field, revealing July 6 that he’d signed a new two-year deal to return to Ohio. He’s also used it as a way to take fans behind the scenes, unveiling the Cavs’ secret motivational Larry O’Brien trophy puzzle, offering proof that LeBron James does in fact drive a Kia, updating fans on the Cavs’ travel status during a postseason trip to Toronto and giving followers a bird’s-eye view of the team’s trip to the 2016 ESPY Awards.
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Given Jefferson’s insider access and tendency to pull back the curtain, when he snaps, we’re paying attention, and on Tuesday evening, he dropped something awfully eye-catching: what might be the first look at the Cavaliers’ 2015-16 NBA championship rings.
Unfortunately for Jefferson, this is the Internet, and as the Academy Award-winning film “Hackers” taught us, information wants to be free:
Richard Jefferson just snapchatted what the Cavs' championship rings look like: pic.twitter.com/sOaF7YRpwa
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) September 6, 2016
A sneak peek at Cleveland's first championship ring since 1964, from Richard Jefferson's SnapChat account. #Cavs pic.twitter.com/UzAg0wmCkW
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) September 6, 2016
If the preview hold true I definitely like the Cavs championship ring layout (via Richard Jefferson) pic.twitter.com/a94aiK2Wjs
— James Blair (@jamesblair06) September 6, 2016
… which prompted Jefferson to delete the image, and post a follow-up snap:
We won’t know for sure if this is the real, final design of the Cavs’ new jewelry until they receive their rings next month. If it is, though: pretty nice! They’re certainly very shiny, and the “LII” on the side — presumably a reference to the Cavaliers becoming the first Cleveland professional sports team to win a championship in 52 years — is an especially nice touch. So too, y’know, are roughly eleventy billion diamonds.
The only thing this mock-up seems to be missing is Kermit wearing a crown kissing the O’Brien, but surely Dan Gilbert is hard at work hashing out a deal over the use of that particular image with the fine folks at The Jim Henson and Walt Disney companies. Still plenty of time to work it all out before the Cavs’ season-opening contest against the New York Knicks at Quicken Loans Arena on Oct. 25.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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