Kevin Durant has two. That’s the short answer. If you’re just looking for a number to win a bar argument, there it is: two championship rings, both earned during that explosive, controversial, and high-octane run with the Golden State Warriors.
But honestly? The "how" and the "why" behind those rings are way more interesting than the jewelry itself. People act like he just woke up and someone handed him some diamonds because he was tall. It wasn't like that. He had to go through LeBron James at the peak of his powers to get them.
The Reality of the Kevin Durant Championship Rings
You've probably heard the "bus rider" jokes. Charles Barkley made sure of that. The narrative is basically that KD joined a 73-win team and took the easy way out. But if you actually look at the 2017 and 2018 NBA Finals, Durant wasn't just some passenger. He was the engine.
In 2017, the Warriors faced a Cleveland Cavaliers team that was arguably better than the one that beat them the year before. Durant didn't just play well; he was supernova. He averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. He shot 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 90% from the line. That’s a 50-40-90 stat line in the Finals. Most players can't do that in a gym by themselves.
He hit that pull-up three over LeBron in Game 3. You know the one. That shot basically sealed his first ring. It was the moment he went from a scoring champion to a winner.
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2017: The First Piece of Hardware
The 2017 ring is a beast. It’s got 36 princess-cut blue sapphires, which represent the team's home wins. There are also 31 white trapezoid diamonds for the road wins. It’s heavy. It’s loud. And for KD, it was the culmination of a decade of being "the other guy" behind LeBron.
2018: The Back-to-Back
By 2018, the Warriors felt inevitable. They swept the Cavs. It almost felt boring to some people, but Durant was even more efficient. He snagged his second Finals MVP, becoming one of the few players to ever win that award in consecutive years.
Winning two in a row is hard. Doing it while everyone on the internet is calling you a "snake" is probably harder. Durant has always been sensitive to the noise, but on the court, those two years were the most complete basketball anyone has ever played.
What the Rings Are Actually Made Of
We’re talking about serious jewelry here. These aren't just gold bands.
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- Diamonds: Hundreds of them. The 2018 ring actually has a reversible top. You can flip it from blue to white depending on how you're feeling.
- The Records: The 2017 ring has "16-1" engraved on it, marking their near-perfect postseason run.
- Personalization: Each ring has Durant’s name and his number, 35, etched into the side.
Kinda crazy when you think about it. The 2018 ring ceremony was one of those "all-time" vibes at Oracle Arena. It was the last real peak of that dynasty before the injuries in 2019 and the move to Chase Center.
The OKC Elephant in the Room
It's 2026 now. Things have changed. Last October, something happened that no one really expected back in 2016: the Oklahoma City Thunder finally won their own title.
KD was actually in the building for that. He was playing for the Houston Rockets at the time, and he had to sit there and watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and that young OKC crew get their rings. It was a weird, full-circle moment. He looked happy for them, mostly. But you could tell it felt different.
The criticism he gets is that his rings "don't count" the same way a Dirk Nowitzki or a Giannis ring counts. People say they were "rented."
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Does he care? Probably. He’s Kevin Durant; he’s on Twitter at 3:00 AM arguing with fans about his legacy. But a ring is a ring. When you walk into the Hall of Fame, they don't ask how many 73-win teammates you had. They just look at the trophy case.
Why He’s Still Hunting for Number Three
Since leaving the Warriors, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. The Brooklyn experiment was a disaster. The Phoenix stint had its moments but didn't result in a parade. Now, as he winds down his career, the search for that "solo" ring—the one where he's the undisputed leader of a new franchise—is what drives him.
He wants to prove he can do it without the Steph Curry "gravity."
Whether he gets a third one or not, the two he has are statistically some of the most dominant performances in the history of the sport. You can hate the move, but you can't hate the production.
What You Should Do Next
If you’re a fan or a collector, there are a few things you can actually look into regarding these specific championships:
- Watch the Game 3 2017 highlights again. Seriously. It’s the highest level of basketball ever played.
- Check out the "Story of the Ring" videos. The Warriors released detailed breakdowns of how they designed the jewelry—it’s fascinating for anyone into engineering or design.
- Track his current stats. Despite being an "old man" in NBA years in 2026, his shooting splits are still remarkably close to those championship years.
Durant's legacy is complicated, but the gold is real. Two rings. Two Finals MVPs. No matter what the trolls say, those are staying in the history books forever.