The 2019 NBA championship rings of the Toronto Raptors were, at the time, the largest and most expensive in history. They sparkle with more than 650 diamonds, including 74 encrusted along the city’s skyline to represent the number of victories that sealed the title. A massive 1.25 carat diamond is set in a replica of the Larry O’Brien Trophy with 16 rubies spaced along an ornate outer rim.

As Norman Powell stood behind home plate at Petco Park on Sept. 22, minutes before throwing out the first pitch for a Padres game, there was the urge to remind the former Raptor what all that bling gone wild looks like.

When the confetti cleared from Toronto streets, the ring stayed.

Powell, now with the Clippers, didn’t.

“After we won the championship, I had to pack up,” said Powell, 29. “I was going to get it when we came back. Then COVID happened. All my stuff was there, but we ended up going to Tampa (for the season, because of uncertainty about border restrictions during the pandemic). After COVID, I never went back to Toronto.

“Then I was traded. So I never went back to Toronto to get my things.”

The unplanned separation continued as Powell was shipped to the Trail Blazers, then the Clippers.

Three years later, the ring remains in the city where he won it.

“A person I’m close to in the (Raptors) front office kept it because they didn’t want to mail my championship ring,” said Powell, who starred at Lincoln High School before doing the same at UCLA. “It’s still in Toronto in a safe.”

Powell’s trajectory and landing spot have sparked thoughts about another ring, alongside a familiar face. The Clippers recently cleared perennial All-Star and San Diego State alum Kawhi Leonard, a former Toronto teammate, to rejoin practices after an ACL injury.

“I’m excited,” said Powell, a 6-3 shooting guard. “Kawhi is someone I’ve known a long time, since high school.”

Being in the same locker room as the two-time NBA Finals MVP was something entirely different, however.

“It’s a sight to see,” Powell said. “I haven’t really seen anything like that. When he came to Toronto, our first day of training camp, it was like, wow. You see the generational talent and how good he is and how smart he is, offensively and defensively, his physical gifts.

“Then to see him take it up to another level at the start of the playoffs that year, it was kind of like watching a version of (Michael) Jordan, his playing style, his approach to the game, how calm he is, the way he attacks.”

Powell did not leave the on-court lessons of playing with Leonard in Toronto. He packed those up and keeps the mental notes handy, nearly 2,200 miles away.

“Picking his brain and seeing how he operates, seeing his approach to the game, having that championship year together and that chemistry is going to help us accomplish what we want to accomplish,” he said.

Powell reasons he has more to accomplish. He played in only five games with the Clippers a season ago because of a foot injury. He showed flashes of his potent offensive game by averaging 21.4 points.

The next step is on the other end of the court.

“I want to hone in on being that two-way player who can lock you up defensively,” Powell said. “That was my calling card coming into the league. My goal is to be an All-Star and win another championship.”

The Clippers own the fourth-best odds to win the 2023 title, according to VegasInsider.com. Leonard and Paul George provide the star power on a deep roster. The team scooped up veteran point guard John Wall in free agency.

In spite of bouncing between cities, teams and countries the last three years, Powell has found a comfortable fit by being so close to home while playing in the city where he attended college.

He’s maintained his San Diego connections throughout, hosting a charity event through his Understand the Grind foundation at Lincoln in July. He took local families in need on a $100,000 holiday shopping spree. He paid to feed 250 families on Thanksgiving at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

Playing for the Clippers, just a few hours away, is likely to strengthen those ties.

“I always told myself, when I’m in position to help others, I would do it,” Powell said. “I’m excited to build some things in San Diego.”

There’s one concrete plan in the works involving another city. On Dec. 27, the Clippers play in Toronto.

“Hopefully, when I go back this year I can take the ring with me,” Powell said.

Good idea. It’s been awhile.

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