Jaylen Brown rewards Celtics fans for return of ring lost during NBA championship parade

Jaylen Brown stepped up as the hero the Celtics needed throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, capturing the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals MVP awards as Boston captured its 18th NBA title.

Even heroes need a helping hand now and then, though. And when Brown lost track of a diamond ring during his team's championship parade, the California product had legions of Bostonians clamoring to offer support.

In the end, a pair of Celtics fans answered Brown's prayers, returning his glittering treasure from the mire of the parade route.

The 27-year-old guard had vowed to hand out a "big reward" to anyone who could help him track down the ring — the face of which was adorned with his personal brand, "7uice," and plenty of diamonds.

MORE: Breaking down Celtics' salary cap space after Tatum, White deals

With a $285.9 million deal in hand — the second-largest on his team following Tatum's historic extension — Brown had plenty to offer the duo.

The reward proved apropos: He offered the fans courtside seats to the Celtics' championship ring ceremony, which will likely come on the opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season. He also gifted them a signed basketball and signed jersey.

Finding Brown's prized possession was equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. After all, more than 1 million Celtics fans spilled onto Boston's Causeway Street in an outpouring of joy and ecstasy for the championship parade.

Brown lost his ring while traversing around the tempest of fandom on one of Boston's famous duck boats.

On the opening night of the upcoming season, expect Brown will receive his official championship jewelry. Defending champions are customarily outfitted in their championship rings prior to planting their flag into the rafters.

His other fingers won't be so barren when that time comes, however, after Luke and Adi's impressive search and recovery mission.

Jon Bon Jovi Sends A Heartbreaking Message To Richie Sambora

In a new interview with Record Collector magazine, Jon Bon Jovi talked about how much he misses Richie Sambora.

For more than 30 years, Sambora played with Bon Jovi and helped write many hit songs. But in 2013, he didn’t join the band for their tour. Sambora said he left to spend more time with his family. Bon Jovi reflected on this over a decade later:

“It’s heartbreaking that Richie left and that he did it in that way. We were shocked. I miss him personally and creatively, in the studio and as an integral part of the band onstage.”

Jon couldn’t change Richie’s decision to leave. The frontman added:

“If you don’t show up for work, your boss is going to say, ‘What the f*ck?’ Get help. And if you don’t want to get help…It’s 11 years now. David and Tico have seen Richie once and I’ve seen him twice. It’s not like we haven’t tried.”

Jon’s Earlier Statements On Reuniting With Sambora

Still, Bon Jovi’s comments on Sambora and their band dashed hopes of a reunion. In a chat with Classic Rock magazine following the documentary ‘Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story’ last month, the singer disclosed that he has spoken to Sambora only twice since he left the band:

“I’ve talked to him twice. He. Quit. The. Band. I swear to Christ there was never a fight, nothing… He wasn’t kicked out, he quit. And he hasn’t made any great overtures about coming back.”

Sambora also later said he left because he thought the band was getting boring. Bon Jovi didn’t agree with this:

“I didn’t think so, and the collective, we didn’t think so. I personally thought that everything was going incredibly f*cking well. And it was never brought up in the room, or in the writing, or in the recording, or during the first 20 shows of that tour.”

After leaving the band, Sambora returned to perform with them at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. However, since then, there has been no further contact.