LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers received their championship rings before opening the 2020-2021 NBA Season on Tuesday at Staples Center.
The rings were designed by Jason of Beverly Hills — who not only grew up a fan of the purple and gold, but gives tremendous credit to the franchise for his career success.
It’s been an unprecedented turnaround for the Los Angeles Lakers, 71 days between a championship in October, to opening night in December.
For the jeweler responsible for creating the championship rings, that means a typical four-month window has been sliced to four weeks.
But Jason Arasheben, founder of Jason of Beverly Hills, is well aware that pressure makes diamonds.
“When I sit back on ring night and I see every player’s reaction to the ring for the first time, there will be no greater gift I could have given myself or someone could give me,” said Jason, a lifelong Lakers fan.
From the design to the actual assembly of an NBA championship ring, Jason has been here before. He designed his first NBA Championship ring in 2009 when the late great Dr. Jerry Buss gave a young jeweler and his small company a chance.
“I was not a big enough company, but nobody wanted it more than me. Believe it or not, we did not finish the very last ring until an hour and a half before tip-off on opening night,” recalls Jason.
His company has grown over the past 11 years. Jason went on to make his second ring with the Lakers in 2010, and three more with the Golden State Warriors. He now has 250 NBA clients.
This will be his sixth championship ring over the last decade, and for Jason it’s a full circle moment with the team that has given him everything.
“Growing up such a huge Laker fan, it literally like, it brings tears to my eyes to know that I’m a part of Laker history. It brings tears to my eyes to know that the Lakers gave me the opportunity to be a part of NBA championship ring history and NBA history and that there’s going to be a time one day where my kids get to look and they can say 'my dad made that ring.'”