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Poland's Sochan the sole NBA player already certain of the champion's title

01.06.2026 13:43
The current season's NBA finals are only about to begin - but it is already certain that Jeremy Sochan will go down in history as the first Pole to become the league's champion, one way or another.
Jeremy Sochan
Jeremy SochanPhoto: Vincent Carchietta/Imagn Images via Reuters

Jeremy Sochan is the sole Pole in the NBA right now - currently representing the New York Knicks, whom the 23-year-old forward joined in February this year, moving from the San Antonio Spurs where he started the season.

As it happens, the two teams will now meet in the NBA Finals. This means that regardless of the outcome, Sochan is the only player already certain of being listed among this season's champions - and, most likely, getting the iconic NBA champions' ring as well.

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If the Knicks raise the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the Pole will be a full-fledged league champion as a current member of the winning team, even though he has scarcely appeared on court since the winter move.

If the Spurs are victorious in the best-of-seven playoff finals, Sochan will be listed among the league winners as well, although ultimately it will be up to the club to decide which of its players will physically receive the ring.

Still, there has long been an unwritten rule in the NBA that teams also send rings to players who were traded or left mid-season. And as Sochan played a significant role for the Spurs in the previous season - it's unlikely that the former club will omit him when it comes to handing out the honours.

The 2026 NBA finals will begin on June 3rd in San Antonio, with the following games scheduled for June 5th (SA), June 8th (NY), June 10th (NY), June 13th (SA), June 16th (NY) and June 19th (SA).

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Source: weszlo.com, sportowefakty.wp.pl