With the Spurs back in the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years, fans may be wondering who the unluckiest former Spurs are. Is it Tre Jones and Zach Collins, who were shipped to the Chicago Bulls in the De’Aaron Fox trade? Is it Dejaunte Murray, who became an All-Star with the Spurs before upsetting fans with his social media critiques? Is it Kawhi Leonard (hehe)? Or is it a more colorful character who, at one time, gave Spurs fans hopes for a bright future?
Jeremy Sochan quickly became a fan favorite for his ever-changing hair colors, his one-handed free throws and his willingness to get physical in defense of his teammates. Dennis Rodman-esque, he was the most entertaining reason to watch the Spurs before Victor Wembanyama’s arrival, and he continued the Spurs’ tradition of drafting European players to the NBA. However, the two sides parted ways in February, making Sochan the biggest what-if, as he was four months away from representing the Silver & Black in the NBA Finals. But fans shouldn’t be too upset.
The Polish American Sochan, who played one year at Baylor before getting drafted No. 9 overall by the Spurs in 2022, played three full seasons with San Antonio before his eventual departure. Ironically, he signed with the New York Knicks two days after getting waived and now finds himself headed to the NBA Finals against his former team. This means that Sochan is guaranteed a championship ring regardless of who wins the series.
If the Knicks win, Sochan gets a ring. If the Spurs win, he is eligible for a ring since he played with the team earlier in the season (28 games, to be specific).
This has only happened three times in NBA history. Anderson Varejao played for the Golden State Warriors when they lost to his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in the 2016 NBA Finals; he was offered a ring by the Cavs but reportedly declined. Dion Waiters won a ring in 2020 when the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat, his prior team. Lastly, Torrey Craig on the Phoenix Suns lost to his old team the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 Finals, he also reportedly declined the ring he was offered.
Sochan has played sparingly for the Knicks, scoring 20 points in 23 minutes across five playoff games, but he didn’t play at all in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’ll probably get a shoutout when the Knicks come to San Antonio, but it’s unclear how much fans will get to see him play. If the Spurs win, we’ll have to see if Sochan will come back for a one-of-a-kind ring ceremony.