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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.

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25. Allen Iverson, Guard

Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson was fearless on the court. Jeff Mitchell / AP Photo

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

Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson average 26.7 points per game in his career. Miles Kennedy / AP Photo

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.

Shop Allen Iverson jerseys at Fanatics.

24. Jack Twyman, Forward-Guard

Jack Twyman
Jack Twyman averaged 19.2 points per game in his career. AP Photo

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

Jack Twyman
Jack Twyman did not even play in an NBA Finals series. MikeDyer / Twitter

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.