The 2021 NBA Finals are set. In one corner, the Milwaukee Bucks have finally, after years of coming up short, made their way through the Eastern Conference. In the other, the Phoenix Suns’ decision to go all-in by acquiring Chris Paul paid off when they finished their march through the West.
The number of fascinating subplots in this Finals — Giannis Antetokounmpo making his first Finals but going in with an injury, Paul finally getting over the hump, the Suns’ various youngsters making their ascents, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday getting Milwaukee over the finish line, etc. — will be examined in the coming days. But before that, we have an NBA champion to crown.
That someone is Torrey Craig of the Suns. You see, Craig played in 18 games for the Bucks earlier this year before getting traded to Phoenix, and as a result, the fine folks over at SB Nation noted Craig is eligible to receive a ring no matter what team ends up winning the whole thing.
Torrey Craig is now a 2021 NBA Champion!
The Finals haven't started yet, but Craig started the season on the Bucks and now he's on the Suns. He's getting a ring regardless pic.twitter.com/tWyJTCTQYn
— SB Nation (@SBNation) July 4, 2021
This isn’t a new thing — then-Warriors big man Anderson Varejao was famously eligible to receive a ring from the Cavaliers after the 2016 Finals but declined — but it’s a fun coincidence for Craig, a very good role player whose wing defense was important in the Suns’ series against the Clippers. Having said that, we’re gonna go out on a limb and assume he’d rather win a ring than get one on a technicality from the team that moved him for cash considerations.
