You'd think that New Mexico would be home to more than just a couple of elite, pro-level basketball players due to their proximity to California. But, surprisingly, there are only a handful of NBA players from the border state that have played more than a full season in the NBA. However, the 6'6 power forward, Bill Bridges, hailing from Hobbs, New Mexico is more than deserving to hold the crown for his hometown state. Prior to entering the NBA, in 1961, Bridges entered the American Basketball League as a member of the Kansas City Steers where in his second season he lead the league in scoring.
In 1964, Bridges finagled his way into the NBA and played for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors where he won his first and only NBA Championship in his final season in 1975. Averaging a career double-double of 11.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, Bridges was also a 3x NBA All-Star (1967, 1968, 1970). Unfortunately, Bridges lost his battle with cancer at the age of 75-years-old in September 2015. With that said, thank you for pushing the game forward and holding New Mexico down. Rest well.
In the US, the average spent on an engagement ring is $6,351 but how do these figures compare with our favorite celebrities? The answer: they don't. As the diamonds increase in size, obviously the price tag appreciates handsomely. Well, we've compiled a list of some of the most expensive celebrity engagement rings.
This list would be nothing without Kim Kardashian's rock from Kanye, which clocked in at around a cool $4 million when he presented it to her at his stadium proposal in October 2013. Unfortunately, though, the 15-carat sparkler was among the jewelry stolen during Kim's infamous Paris robbery in 2016.
Jennifer Lopez's husband Alex Rodriguez popped the question to the singer, and he really had to step it up to outshine her previous engagement rings—and wow, did he deliver. The baseball star proposed with a reported 15-20 carat emerald cut stunner set on a platinum band that was estimated at $5 million. It's getting harder and harder not to be fooled by the rocks she's got...
It should come as no surprise that Beyonce herself totes one of the world's highest-valued diamonds. Weighing in at 24 carats, Jay reportedly paid around $5 million (now worth $6,047,013) for Bey's flashy emerald-cut ring back in 2008.
Anna Kournikova's relationship Latin music artist Enrique Iglesias since the early '00s has been one of the most lowkey celebrity relationships to date. That is with the exception of her $5,400,000 engagement ring that made headlines in 2004. Now, worth a whopping $7,443,596, the giant yellow stunner was spotted on Kournikova even during her tennis matches. (Pssst! It's rumored she got two rings from Iglesias. Prior to this, she sported an equally giant pink pear-shaped ring.)
Clocking in as the most expensive celebrity engagement ring, Mariah Carey's 35-carat bling from ex-fiancé James Packer reportedly cost a cool $10 million. And the "Obsessed" singer seemed to be a bit, well, obsessed with the jewel. She continued to wear the ring over a year post-breakup, and didn't part ways with the bauble until May 2018, selling it to a Los Angeles jeweler for $2.1 million.