Blatt accepts Cavs' championship ring: 'It was earned, not given'

David Blatt is adding an NBA championship ring to his trophy case.

The former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach has accepted the team's offer of a championship ring. The Cavs won the title in June after firing Blatt in January and promoting his assistant, Tyronn Lue.

"(Cleveland) offered and I graciously accepted because they presented it to me in a way that was very respectful," the ousted bench boss told reporter David Pick on Tuesday.

"The Cavaliers wanted to give me a ring because the organization felt that I contributed to the championship."

Blatt, 57, acknowledged it wasn't his title because he wasn't with the Cavaliers when they overcame a 3-1 Finals deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors in seven games. He did, however, help before he was let go.

"It's not my championship, I recognize that, but I also feel that I did something there, and I graciously accepted because it was a gracious offer on their part," the former player said.

"The big thing for me was that I felt that they felt that it was earned, not given, therefore I was happy to accept."

Blatt coached Cleveland to a 83-40 record after being hired in the summer of 2014 - right before LeBron James returned for his second stint with his hometown club. The Cavs won the East in his first year at the helm, and were on pace to win 60 games when he was sacked.

Prior to joining the Cavaliers, the 57-year-old coached for two decades overseas, winning numerous titles - most recently a Euroleague championship with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014.