Greatest NBA Players Who Never Won a Championship
Charles Barkley scored 23,757 points and grabbed 12,546 rebounds in his career. But he never won an NBA title. John Swart / AP Photo
We don’t know who started this you-ain’t-nothing-without-the-bling thing in pro sports, but it has got to stop as soon as possible, if not earlier.
If the number of championship rings really is the measure of greatness, as too many seem to think, then the best NBA player of the expansion era is none other than — drum roll, please — Robert Horry (seven rings as a player)?! Oh, and K.C. Jones (eight rings) is better than John Stockton (zippo), too.
True, some of the best players need only to look in the mirror to understand why there’s no championship bling in their vaults. Yet pro sports can be crueler than post-happy hour. Too many times the inability to win the big one comes down to a bad bounce, a bad call, a bad matchup, bad health or just plain bad luck.
Based on career achievements, statistics and metrics, these are the 25 greatest NBA players without a league championship on their resumes.
The qualifiers: Players with ABA titles aren’t eligible. Sorry, Artis Gilmore and Dan Issel, but you had a taste of it. And active ones need to have played at least 10 seasons to be considered.
Note: We may earn money from affiliate partners if you buy through links on our site.
25. Allen Iverson, Guard
Career: 1996-2010 (14 seasons)
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies
Win shares/48 minutes: .126
Postseason record: 30-41
NBA Finals appearances: 1 (2001)
Bottom Line: Allen Iverson
In a memorable NBA Finals debut, the miniature pit bull went off for 48 points on 50 total shots. Then it all went pfft against the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the next four games.
Could be the losers needed more practice. What are we talkin’ about — practice?
Yeah, we’re talkin’ about practice.
24. Jack Twyman, Forward-Guard
Career: 1955-66 (11 seasons)
Teams: Rochester/Cincinnati Royals
Win shares/48 minutes: .138
Postseason record: 12-22
NBA Finals appearances: None
Bottom Line: Jack Twyman
If the Boston Celtics’ dynasty hadn’t gotten in the way, the Royals might have achieved championship status.
Their best team (55-25) fell in five games to Gang Green in the 1964 Eastern Division semis.
Jack Twyman, a six-time All-Star, averaged 20.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in the series.