Miami's Thomas Bryant to receive championship ring from Nuggets despite suspension
Thomas Bryant celebrates the NBA championship from last season with the Denver Nuggets.
DENVER (AP) — The NBA will allow suspended Miami Heat center Thomas Bryant to briefly be in Denver’s arena Thursday night so he can receive his 2023 championship ring from the Nuggets in a pregame ceremony.
Players who are suspended are usually not permitted in the arena during game nights. Bryant is about to complete his three-game suspension resulting from his participation in a scuffle in a Heat game against New Orleans last week.
The NBA has informed the Miami Heat that Bryant can receive the ring he earned from the 2022-23 season, during Miami’s only game in Denver this season. Bryant was part of the Denver Nuggets team that defeated Miami in the NBA Finals. He then signed with the Heat as a free agent last summer.
After the ceremony, Bryant will need to depart from the arena.
Denver handed out its championship rings on Oct. 24, just before playing its first game of the season. A player no longer with the title-winning team routinely get his ring in the first game against the former club. Otto Porter Jr. received his 2022 championship ring from Golden State when Toronto visited there in early January — a year and a half after Porter was part of the Warriors’ most recent title team.
The rings from Denver’s previous season contain 16 carats of diamonds, rubies, and sapphires, symbolizing the 16 playoff victories required for a championship win.
Last season, Bryant participated in 18 regular-season games and one playoff game with the Nuggets. He started the season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and was on the court when LeBron James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA scoring record on February 7, 2023.
Bryant’s final game as a Laker was followed by his trade to Denver two days later in a four-team deal.
