Winning an NBA championship takes more than just one player. An individual can go their whole career without winning due to poor play, an underperforming supporting cast or just bad luck. There are a mixture of reasons why the players listed below don't have a ring, but their contributions to the game of basketball cannot go unnoticed. Let's look at the 15 greatest NBA players to never win a championship.
The 15 Greatest NBA Players to Never Win a Championship
15. Reggie Miller
Reggie Miller was often overlooked in his career, but there is no mistaking his impact as a scoring guard on the Indiana Pacers. Miller was only a five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA but played in an era with an abundance of talent at the guard position. He is third on the all-time 3-point list with 2,560, a record he held until Ray Allen broke it, and Stephen Curry has taken control of it since. He is most remembered for his battles with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Miller made one run at the NBA Finals in 2000 but was taken down by the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
14. Adrian Dantley
Adrian Dantley was one of the best offensive players of the 1980s. For a four-season stretch with the Utah Jazz, Dantley averaged over 30 points per game. He was a six-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA, two-time scoring champion, and 1976-77 Rookie of the Year. His teams only made the playoffs seven times throughout his career, with only two of those runs going further than the second round. He was a member of the Pistons in 1987 and 1988 when the Pistons lost in the Eastern Conference Finals and then the NBA Finals in six games. Midway through the 1988-89 season, Dantley was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. The Pistons went on to win back-to-back NBA titles.
It's hard to give someone the label of not being a winner, but Dantley's absence helped the Pistons get over the hump. The Pistons acquired Mark Aguirre, as there were rumors that Dantley had conflicts with Isiah Thomas and coach Chuck Daly.
13. Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins led the Atlanta Hawks to the playoffs eight times but failed to make it as far as the Eastern Conference Finals. The closest he came was a Game 7 semi-final matchup with the Boston Celtics in 1988, but the Hawks lost despite a 47-point performance from Wilkins. He was a nine-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, and the 1985-86 scoring champion. As we know, the East was on lock in the '80s and '90s by the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and Chicago Bulls. Wilkins was a great player but in the wrong place at the wrong time with those Hawks teams.
12. Tracy McGrady
No. 12 and No. 11 on the list were hard to choose between. They started their career in the same place, made all-star and all-NBA teams, and are cousins. Tracy McGrady had a rough couple of years in Toronto before going to Orlando and becoming one of the purest scorers of the era. He led the league in scoring back-to-back years from 2002 to 2004, averaging a career-high 32.1 points per game in the 2002-03 season. McGrady was a seven-time All-Star and All-NBA player in total.
McGrady spent the 2012-13 season in China but signed on with the San Antonio Spurs for the playoffs. He only made it on the court for six games, but the team made it to the NBA Finals, losing to the Miami Heat. It would be the closest that McGrady ever made it to the title. Before that season, McGrady's teams had never gotten out of the first round in eight appearances.
11. Vince Carter
Vince Carter's career may be better known for his longevity than his productivity. Carter played for 21 seasons and was an All-Star for eight consecutive years from 1999 to 2007. In his first 12 years, he averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game with the Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets.
He then went on to play for six teams over his last nine seasons. He couldn't get over the hump and make a playoff run. The furthest he went in the playoffs was to the Conference Finals, making the playoffs 11 times in his career. He and his cousin, McGrady, had plenty of chances to bring a championship to the family, but both failed to do so.
10. George Gervin
George Gervin was one of the great players in his generation but couldn't get any success in the playoffs. The Iceman was good enough to lead his San Antonio Spurs teams to the playoffs, but the team failed to show up when it mattered most. Gervin was a 12-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, and a four-time scoring champion. He averaged 27.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
His teams made the playoffs nine times in his career and only made it past the first round three times. He never played in the Conference Finals. Albeit in a short sample size due to them getting eliminated early, Gervin led the playoffs in scoring average for five straight years with the Spurs, so it wasn't his performance that was causing the lack of success.
9. Chris Paul
Chris Paul is the one active player on this list. There is still hope that Paul will win one before he retires. His career is cutting short, and he has made his last big move by joining the Golden State Warriors. Paul might be a couple of years too late in joining the Warriors dynasty, but the team could have a shot at winning one more. Paul is a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, and nine-time All-Defensive player.
His best chance at an NBA title came in 2021 when the Phoenix Suns made the finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. Phoenix took a 2-0 series lead on the strength of Paul and Devin Booker's clutch play, but the team fell apart and lost four straight to give Giannis Antetokounmpo his first NBA championship. Paul's inability to win a championship has made him the brunt of jokes in NBA circles, but it shouldn't take away how great of a player he continues to be.
8. Steve Nash
Steve Nash is one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. He won back-to-back MVPs with the Phoenix Suns and made many trips to the Western Conference Finals. The Suns were title favorites every season, and experts said that this would finally be their year. However, the Suns not only never made it over the hump to win an NBA title, they didn't get past the Western Conference Finals.
Nash was an eight-time all-star, seven-time All-NBA, five-time leader in steals, and earned a spot on the NBA's 75th anniversary team. Nash took one more shot at winning a ring when he formed a “super team” with the Los Angeles Lakers, joining forces with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Dwight Howard. The group failed to make it past the opening round of the playoffs.
7. Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing is one of the most accomplished players who is forgotten because he played in the 1990s. Ewing was an 11-time All-Star, seven-time All-NBA, and three-time All-Defensive. He averaged 22.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game as a member of the Knicks, and the team was always in the heat of the race.
However, they couldn't figure out how to stop Michael Jordan from getting their number in the Garden. Coming second to Jordan isn't the worst accomplishment, but for Ewing, the lack of a ring in his trophy case will always sting. He lost in the Finals in 1994 to the Houston Rockets when Jordan left to play baseball, finally getting his chance but coming up short.
6. Dikembe Mutombo
They say defense wins championships, but Dikembe Mutombo would have to disagree. Mutombo was one of the greatest defensive players, known for his trademark block and finger wag at the rim. Despite his defensive prowess and lack of offensive numbers, Mutombo was recognized as an all-star eight times. He was also a three-time All-NBA, six-time All-Defensive team, and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. In the twilight of his career, Mutombo made it to two NBA Finals but lost both, in five games to the Lakers in 2001 and then to the Spurs in 2003.
5. John Stockton
John Stockton is one of the greatest players without an MVP award. He wasn't recognized enough because he played in an era with players like Jordan and teammate Karl Malone. His reason for not winning a championship was much of the same.
The Utah Jazz, led by Stockton and Malone, were a force throughout their tenures in the Western Conference. However, the two times they made the NBA Finals ended in losses at the hands of the Chicago Bulls with Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Stockton was a 10-time all-star and eleven-time All-NBA, including five times an All-Defensive nominee.
4. Karl Malone
Stockton's running mate in Utah was there for the heartbreaking losses to the Bulls in the Finals. Karl Malone always overshadowed Stockton in Utah because he was the scorer. Malone averaged 25.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game during 18 seasons with the team. He was a 14-time All-Star and All-NBA, two-time MVP, and four-time All-Defensive team. Malone left his home of 18 years to chase one more ring with the Lakers in 2004. The Lakers had a strong team and looked on their way to a title when the Detroit Pistons upset everyone in the Eastern Conference. The defensive-minded Pistons came into the Finals and made one more upset, sending Malone into retirement without a ring.
3. Allen Iverson
One of the most exciting players of his era, Allen Iverson, did everything except win a championship. He was an 11-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA. He won the scoring title four times, averaging over 30 points per game in five of his 17 seasons. Iverson was as cerebral on the defensive end, leading the league in steals in three seasons as well.
Iverson's problem was never his production but rather the 76ers' inability to surround him with talent. He put the team on his back during the 2000-01 season, winning MVP and leading the team to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, the team came up against Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Phil Jackson, and the Lakers, one of the greatest NBA teams of all-time. The Sixers lost handily in five games. Iverson was recognized with a Hall-of-Fame induction and a spot on the NBA's 75th anniversary team.
2. Charles Barkley
The outspoken Charles Barkley will never live down the fact that he didn't win a championship. You may have heard TNT cohost Shaquille O'Neal mention it numerous times on the broadcast. Barkley was an 11-time All-Star and All-NBA and a member of the Hall of Fame and the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Barkley earned one MVP during his career, a feat that wasn't easy as he played in the Michael Jordan era when there were a lot of contenders for the award.
Like Iverson, Barkley's best opportunity to win his first ring was in his MVP season when he lost the finals in six games to the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately for Barkley, the spiteful Jordan made it a personal vendetta to beat Barkley since he had taken the MVP away from him.
1. Elgin Baylor
How bad would it be to make the NBA Finals eight times and have no victories? Ask Elgin Baylor, as the 11-time All-Star was winless in eight trips to the championship series. The first six times, he lost to the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics. An injury made him retire eight games into the 1971-72 season. Then the Lakers began an NBA-record 33-game win streak.
To add insult to injury, the Lakers finally won the championship in the same season. The organization gave Baylor a ring for his contributions, but it couldn't have made him feel any better. Baylor's accomplishments shouldn't be diminished, as he was an 11-time all-star, 10-time All-NBA and was named to the NBA's 75th-anniversary team.
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