Mickey Mouse ring

Noun

Mickey Mouse ring (plural Mickey Mouse rings)

1. (US, derogatory, informal) The 2020 NBA championship won by the Los Angeles Lakers.
   • After the Lakers won their little Mickey Mouse ring, LeBron went to the church of victimhood as he often does, and talked about what a ‘huge challenge’ it was to be in Orlando.2020 December 3, Will Leitner, quoting Ben Maller, “The Ben Maller Show: 'Stop Acting Like LeBron's Championship at the NBA's Bubble Was Challenging'”, in Fox Sports Radio
   • Occasional jabs about James and his supposed 'Mickey Mouse' ring haven’t really stuck.2020 December 31, Marc Stein, “From Kobe to LeBron: Tragedy and Triumph in the N.B.A.”, in New York Times
2. (US, broadly, derogatory, informal) Any championship in a sporting competition that is perceived to be of lower quality than other championships due to weaker competition or circumstances.
   • Basically, a Mickey Mouse ring is a championship that is not earned and seems to come “easily.”2021 July 15, Ethan Moutes, “It’s time to retire the notion of a ‘Mickey Mouse ring’”, in The Daily Californian
   • But this upsets many fans, leading to widespread comments all over social media such as a Mickey Mouse Ring/Win/Championship (in reference to how the NBA bubble was at Disney World) to underline how these competitions are not authentic enough because of coronavirus's impact on how well teams can...2021 March 17, “The Medic: NCAA's March Madness offers real threat for pandemic madness”, in Daily Trojan, University of Southern California, page 1
3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see Mickey Mouse, ring.
   • Q: I have a child’s Mickey Mouse ring. I think it’s sterling silver and from the 1930s. Could you please tell me what it’s worth?2010 July 11, Terry Kovel, “Each cupboard had its own special purpose”, in The Flint Journal, archived from the original on 19 Jul 2021, page C3
   • In addition, Pandora has also added some new charms to style alongside this limited edition piece, including a sterling silver Mickey Mouse ring, a stone-encrusted Minnie Mouse charm and an exclusive Mary Poppins capsule collection, which features an enamel umbrella charm and Mary Poppins Bag...2018, All India Gems, Jewels Federation, “Pandora marks 90 years of Mickey Mouse with limited edition charm”, in Policies on Gems and Precious Stones