The NBA season has only just begun, but the New York Knicks are already embroiled in a PR nightmare after an email to staff to get a championship ring turned out to be an IT phishing test.

On Tuesday, the defending champion Knicks played their first home game at Madison Square Garden since beating the San Antonio Spurs for their first NBA Finals win since the 1970s. As is custom, the first home game after a championship is when the team and fans get to watch the banner raised to the rafters and the presentation of their brand-new championship rings.

According to reporting from The Athletic , based on conversations with seven league sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, many of the ring boxes handed out to coaching staff were empty.…