30 best NBA players to never win a championship

2. Karl Malone

There’s a good chance that you were expecting to see Karl Malone’s name atop this list, and there are many reasons as to why. The Mailman was certainly an iconic force, especially as the roll-man in the previously mentioned Utah Jazz pick-and-roll combo with John Stockton. However, the list of accolades and accomplishments for Malone don’t stop there at all.

Malone finished his career as the second-leading scorer in NBA history with 36,928 points in his career. He’s also 11th all-time in career steals, eighth all-time in career rebounds, 11th all-time in career points per game average, and even has longevity working in his favor having played the fourth most NBA games of anyone in the history of the league.

Thus, it’s easy to make the case for why Malone could be No. 1. Thus, it’s more prudent to make the case as to why he’s “only” the second greatest player to never win a championship.

First off, there’s the simple fact that Malone earned the reputation of being a bit of a stat-chaser at times. Granted, his Jazz teams were phenomenally successful, but that’s an important factor that was present at various snapshots throughout his career. But perhaps the biggest hindrance to his case is, in fact, playing with Stockton.

The success of Malone is so closely tied to his point guard and pick-and-roll partner. Yes, the Jazz big man would’ve been great independent of him, but he reached the pinnacles and all-time marks he did largely because of the success of Stockton as a point guard. Without him, he wouldn’t have nearly the case he does now.