The New York Knicks have moved to correct what they have called “misinformation” about the awarding of their NBA championship rings, after some employees received a phishing email that offered a chance to claim one.
A report on Thursday said that some employees received an email in September with the subject line “Your Employee Championship Ring is here”. Employees who clicked the link were told they had failed a phishing test and would need to attend a mandatory cybersecurity class.
On Friday, a Madison Square Garden (MSG) spokesperson admitted that “using the rings as a lure to gain employees attention was an unfortunate mistake”.
In a further statement on Saturday, MSG conceded that using an email about ring distribution to train staff on cybersecurity was a mistake, though “reminding our employees to protect our IP was not”.
Ring Ceremony and Distribution Plans
The Knicks secured their first title since 1973 last season. Players received their rings on Tuesday night, before losing their season opener to LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers.
MSG added that more than 275 employees were already set to receive rings “in about 4-6 weeks”, worth more than $3.7 million.
“There is a great deal of misinformation regarding the championship rings,” the statement said. “The plan has always been to distribute more than 275 rings and jewelry to the people in the organization who were part of last season’s success.”