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Knicks Owner James Dolan Tests Staff with Fake Championship Ring Email
· Confirmed
In Short: The New York Knicks organization sent employees a phishing email promising free championship rings, causing backlash among staff.
The New York Knicks organization sent employees a phishing email promising free championship rings, a move that has sparked significant backlash among staff. The email, which was part of a cybersecurity test, promised rings with personalized engravings and no cost to the employees, according to Ars Technica and NBC Sports.
The email read, 'This one is on the house. MSG is issuing a complimentary employee championship ring. The same jeweler, the same craftsmanship, personalized with your name. No cost to you,' as reported by Ars Technica. However, clicking the link led employees to mandatory cybersecurity training, not rings.
The phishing email was sent to test the staff's ability to detect scams, following a recent hack of the organization. MSG’s statement said, 'We sent out an email to our corporate team as a simulation of a phishing attack designed to strengthen our security against hackers. Using the rings as a lure to gain employees’ attention was an unfortunate mistake,' as cited by Ars Technica and NBC Sports.
The New York Times reported that MSG is gifting more than 275 championship rings and jewelry to players, coaches, employees, and other members of the Knicks family, worth more than $3.7 million. However, the email scam was a targeted test that did not align with the actual ring distribution plan, causing confusion and frustration among employees.
Joe Vardon, senior NBA writer for The Athletic, noted that typically, most employees for NBA teams receive rings, even if they are not as fancy and expensive as those given to players. However, the Knicks assistant coaches did not receive their rings on Tuesday when the team raised its first league championship banner since 1973, as reported by Ars Technica and NBC Sports.
According to The Athletic, MSG Sports spokesperson said, 'We are not disclosing anything about the rings,' in a statement to the outlet on Thursday evening. The spokesperson added that the assistants learned earlier Tuesday that they would not be getting their rings that evening, which came as no surprise because they had not yet been fitted for one.
The phishing email was part of a broader cybersecurity initiative spearheaded by Knicks owner James Dolan, who has been increasingly concerned about the organization's security. However, the method of testing employees with a fake ring offer has been criticized for its insensitivity and poor judgment.
The backlash from employees and media outlets highlights the delicate balance between cybersecurity measures and employee morale. While it is common for IT and cybersecurity departments to test employees with similar fake scams, the use of a championship ring offer as a lure has been deemed inappropriate and insensitive.
What this adds
The phishing email was part of a broader cybersecurity initiative spearheaded by Knicks owner James Dolan, who has been increasingly concerned about the organization's security. However, the method of testing employees with a fake ring offer has been criticized for its insensitivity and poor judgment.
Background
The phishing email was sent to test the staff's cybersecurity awareness, but it caused significant backlash among employees.
What's confirmed
- Seven league sources, all speaking on condition of anonymity so they could talk freely about a sensitive matter, said the Knicks assistant coaches did not get rings on banner night.
- It’s also unclear whether head coach Mike Brown got his ring.
- Dolan still hasn’t sprung for the rings for the Knicks assistant coaches, who received empty ring boxes during the ceremony and didn’t open them, a story broken by Joe Varden at The Athletic.
- Two of those sources told The Athletic that the assistants learned earlier Tuesday that they would not be getting their rings that evening, which came as no surprise because they had not yet been fitted for one and that boxes without their rings were a late addition to the ceremony.
- The Spokesman added this about the phishing email, admitting that was poor judgment.
- It’s also worth noting that assistant coaches don’t always get their rings on ring night — the Thunder assistants didn’t last year.
What's still developing
- Madison Square Garden employees who clicked that link “were forced to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class to help satisfy some of [owner James] Dolan’s growing cybersecurity concerns,” the report said, citing team sources.
- “Ring orders, designs, and measurements can take time, and not every coaching staff for every defending champion gets its rings on ring night… The Knicks assistants were told they would receive championship rings eventually, but many longtime employees at Madison Square Garden, including some who work in the Knicks’ business operations, will not receive rings at all, team sources told The Athletic,” Vardon wrote.
- Four months ago, the New York Knicks defeated the Spurs to claim their first NBA title in 53 years, breaking one of the longest droughts in North American professional sports.
- On Tuesday, the NBA opened the 2026-2027 season, and the Knicks hosted the new-look 76ers at Madison Square Garden for the season’s tipoff — and the championship celebration.
- This is why teams reward their staff with rings if a team finally breaks through, because while athletes are the ones responsible for winning, the organization as a whole would be nothing without the hundreds of people working behind the scenes, from marketing to equipment management, and beyond.
- In it, the team seemingly promised everyone a ring — going so far as to ask for their customization preferences.
- James Dolan is firmly cemented as one of the most reviled owners in sports, but even knowing the depths of his awfulness, nobody was prepared for the story that broke on Thursday night about how atrociously he treated Knicks employees.
- Not only was there never a plan to give MSG employees rings, but anyone who did click on the link and tried to reserve their ring was instead put in compulsory cybersecurity training.
- As reported by The Athletic, the New York Knicks' staff at Madison Square Garden were looking forward to receiving commemorative championship rings after their team took the NBA Championship from the San Antonio Spurs earlier this year.
- Even worse, it seems that longtime staff members weren't getting rings at all, regardless of whether they fell for the scam, which rubs even more salt in the wound.
- In any case, the message is clear: there is such a thing as a phishing test email that goes too far.
- According to The Athletic’s report, coaches’ reactions ranged from “genuine anger” to mere “annoyance,” but it’s clear none of them were happy with the situation.