While the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs fine-tune their final tactical details ahead of Game 1, there is one player who can approach the NBA Finals 2026 with unprecedented peace of mind. Jeremy Sochan already knows, mathematically, that he will put an NBA championship ring on his finger no matter who lifts the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

The reason lies in a rare and unusual roster situation that places him in one of the strangest scenarios in league history: the Knicks forward played for both franchises during the 2025-26 season.

Sochan began the year in Texas, appearing in 28 games under head coach Mitch Johnson before being waived in February, posting averages of 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds. Once free, he signed with the Knicks, appearing in 16 regular-season games and becoming an efficiency spark plug (56.7% from the field), albeit in a limited role.

A supporting-piece role that does not erase what he showed in his first three seasons in San Antonio, where the No. 9 overall pick in the 2022 Draft consistently produced double-digit scoring averages (11.4 points and 6.5 rebounds last year).

Now, the playoff bracket delivers a twist of fate. If the Knicks win the title, Sochan will receive a ring as an active member of New York’s roster. If the Spurs prevail, NBA tradition suggests the franchise would still award him a ring for his contribution in the first half of the season before his release.

The 3 NBA players who experienced Sochan’s situation

In NBA history, only three players have ever been in a similar situation: Anderson Varejao in 2016 (split between Cavaliers and Warriors), Dion Waiters in 2020 (Heat and Lakers), and Torrey Craig in 2021 (Bucks and Suns).

Interestingly, Craig later revealed he declined the ring offered by the Bucks after they defeated his Suns in the Finals. It is unclear whether Sochan would make a similar decision in the event of a San Antonio victory, but the only certainty is that the 23-year-old will finish the season with “champion” status.

Given his current role in New York and how quickly he embraced Knicks culture, the Polish forward is now fully integrated into Mike Brown’s rotation.

And yet, ironically, Sochan owes this unique record to the Spurs’ remarkable run led by his former teammate Victor Wembanyama.

The two remain on excellent terms, with Sochan recently even providing media “instructions” on how to slow down the French phenom: extreme physicality and forcing him to constantly move end to end. New York will be taking notes, knowing it has the only player in the building who, no matter how the Finals end, already has confetti waiting in his drawer.