The ultimate goal for any NBA player should be to win a title; this is especially true for players who were peak stars of their generation. Sadly, not every star wins a title; that being written, their contribution to the game shouldn't be unsung. With that in mind, below is a ranking of the top-50 players who never won an NBA title.
Before beginning, here are some honorable mentions: World B. Free, Gilbert Arenas, Walter Davis, Anthony Edwards, Victor Wembanyama, and Marquese Johnson. They were all close to making this list and should be remembered for their greatness.
*Players who won ABA titles are also excluded from this list, such as Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore.*
Let's start with one of the more underrated shooters in NBA history, Mark Price. He's one of the few players who is a member of the 50-40-90 club in terms of shooting percentages. He also led the League in free throw percentage multiple years and was named an All-Star as well as an All-NBA player four times in his career. The closest he's ever gotten to winning an NBA title was in the 1991-92 season when his Cleveland Cavaliers lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Joe Johnson, aka "ISO Joe", was one of the most underrated scorers of his generation. With 20,407 points over his 18-year career, Johnson could score like few others. The Atlanta Hawks star also has seven All-Star nominations and one All-NBA selection to his name. Sadly, Johnson was never able to get out of the second round of the playoffs.
DeMarcus Cousins is the first of a few players on this list whose careers and/or primes were cut short by injuries in these rankings. As a member of the Sacramento Kings, Cousins was a dominant force as arguably the best center during that time but never made the playoffs. Before a career-altering Achilles injury, Cousins was named to four All-Star games and two All-NBA teams. Post-injury, he was on a Golden State Warriors team that made the NBA Finals, but he was a fringe role player during that run, and due to multiple injuries on the team, the Warriors lost that Finals appearance.
As a member of Run TMC, Tim Hardaway Sr. was a staple at the point guard position during the 1990s as a member of the Warriors and Miami Heat. Outside of one Eastern Conference Finals appearance with the Heat, where he lost to Jordan and the Bulls (this is a common theme on this list), Hardaway never got close to an NBA championship. He was a five-time All-Star and All-NBA player during his 13-year career.
Like Price and Hardaway Sr., Shawn Kemp's NBA title hopes were dashed by Jordan and the Bulls in the 1995-96 Finals. Kemp was a staple of the Seattle SuperSonics back in the 1990s and was one of the high flyers of the NBA. He made six All-Star and three All-NBA appearances during his prime.
Jermaine O'Neal might not have been as dominant as Shaquille O'Neal, but for the Indiana Pacers during the mid-2000s, he was their star. The six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA big man was a two-way star who only made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the Detroit Pistons. O'Neal also won the Most Improved Player Award early on in his career.
Yet another player on this list whose prime was cut short due to injury, Anfernee Hardaway made it to the NBA Finals with the Orlando Magic before being swept by the Houston Rockets. The tall point guard was one of the best young point guards in the 1990s. He was a four-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player. At his peak, he was an MVP candidate.
While on the topic of MVP, this list wouldn't be complete without including the youngest MVP in NBA history, Derrick Rose. The Bulls' super-athletic point guard was on his way to becoming a first-ballot Hall of Fame player before knee injuries turned the three-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA player into an above-average sixth man. The closest Rose ever got to a title was in the 2010-11 season when he lost to the LeBron James-led Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kevin Johnson is one of only three players on this list who has more All-NBA selections (five) than All-Star selections (three). The former Phoenix Suns point guard was underrated during his time and even made it to the NBA Finals, where he, along with one of his teammates later to be named on this list, lost to Jordan and the Bulls back in the 1993 postseason.
Like Hardaway, Chris Mullin was also a member of "Run TMC" who didn't win an NBA title. While it's true this Hall of Famer did win Olympic gold as a member of the "Dream Team", one of the best shooters in the NBA failed to win it all. The closest the five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA sharpshooter got to winning a title was to both Jordan and the Bulls in the 1998 playoffs and the New York Knicks during the 1999 postseason.
Despite making the Western Conference Finals twice as a member of the Suns, Amar'e Stoudemire also makes this list. Stoudemire had both elite skills and athleticism, which made him one of the more dominant big men in the 2000s. He was named to six All-Star games and five All-NBA games. Injuries did cut his prime short, like several other players on this list.
Devin Booker is the first current player on this list, and that technically means he can eventually earn his way off this list. However, Booker has had much postseason success outside of one NBA Finals appearance in which he and the Suns were beaten by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Booker's career 70 points is also justified by his five All-Star appearances, two All-NBA appearances, and he is the Suns' all-time leader in points.
Among franchise greats, Bernard King fits that title for the Knicks. In the 1980s, King was one of the best scorers in the NBA, leading the league in the 1984-85 season with 32.9 points per game. King only ever made it to the second round of the playoffs. He was named to the All-Star team and All-NBA roster four times each during his career.
Primarily known for his elite dunking skills, Blake Griffin's teams always came up short when he was a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, despite the overwhelming talent on the rosters. He was never able to advance past the second round of the postseason despite having six All-Stars and five All-NBA selections to his name. He might have had a chance to do so with the Pistons if injuries hadn't ruined the rest of his prime.
While on the subject of the Pistons, Grant Hill was a rising superstar with the franchise in the late 1990s before he was traded to the Magic and subsequently dealt with multiple injuries that stole his prime. His one Conference Finals appearance was with Stoudemire in 2009. For his very long career, Hill was named to seven All-Star Games and five All-NBA teams.
Like Booker, Donovan Mitchell's story isn't complete yet, but the shooting guard only made the Eastern Conference Finals with the Cavaliers this past season. With a career high of 71 points, Mitchell is one of the better scorers in NBA history. He currently has seven All-Star and three All-NBA nominations.
During his heyday, Yao Ming was an international sensation. The 7-foot-6 center was one of the best centers during his era. Every season he played, he was an All-Star, which was eight times, and he earned five All-NBA selections. Yao only made it out of the first round with the Rockets once in his career.
In terms of defense, Rudy Gobert is arguably the second-best player on this list. The French big man has quite the resume of accolades. He is a three-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA player, nine-time All-Defensive player, one-time blocks leader, and four-time Defensive Player of the Year. His career is still ongoing, but currently Gobert has only made the Western Conference Finals twice as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
LaMarcus Aldridge will always be remembered as one of the great power forwards in Portland Trail Blazers history. However, the closest he got to winning a title was as a member of the San Antonio Spurs back when they reached the Western Conference Finals in 2017. Aldridge has seven All-Star selections and five All-NBA selections to his name. He has also scored 20,558 points during his impressive career.
In the 1990s and 2000s, there were few players more polarizing than Chris Webber. The Hall of Famer's playoff runs in the professional and amateur ranks have been marred by miscues. The former Kings power forward has five All-NBA and All-Star selections, while also claiming one rebounding title.
Before Cade Cunningham, Chauncey Billups, and Isiah Thomas, there was Dave Bing among the great guards who have suited up for the Pistons. Bing was a seven-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection back in the 1960s and 70s. Sadly, he never made it past the semifinals of the playoffs.
While his career isn't over, Jimmy Butler has had a pretty accomplished career at this point. He's made two appearances in the NBA Finals with the Heat, losing to the Bucks and the Denver Nuggets. Those runs are more impressive than most due to the lack of offensive support he had during those runs. He's also claimed six All-Star, five All-NBA, and five All-Defensive team appearances.
Like Butler, Sidney Moncrief was another two-way star who never won a title. The closest the two-time Defensive Player of the Year got was losing to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in the 1984 Eastern Conference Finals. The Bucks star was honored with five All-Star, All-Defensive Team, and All-NBA appearances throughout his career.
Due to the fact that Lenny Wilkins never won an NBA title as a player, most fans forget he was one of the best point guards of the 1960s. He dominated as both a member of the St. Louis Hawks and the Seattle SuperSonics, leading the league in assists once. He made the Finals once in his career and was named to nine All-Star teams.
Bob Lanier is one of the forgotten centers in the NBA. As a member of the Pistons and Bucks, he was named to eight All-Star games and finished third in MVP voting in the 1973-74 season. He also has a career average of 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds. Like Moncreif, Lanier's closest chance to win a title was in the 1984 Eastern Conference Finals.
In terms of being a walking bucket, few compare to Adrian Dantley. He averaged at least 30 points per game four times in his career, leading the league twice. The Hall of Famer was named to six All-Star teams and to two All-NBA teams during his career. He was almost able to claim an NBA title in the 1987-88 season with the Pistons but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.
Dikembe Mutombo was one of the bigger international stars of the 1990s, and he did it primarily on the defensive end. He led the NBA in blocks per game for three straight seasons and rebounding for two straight seasons. He won four Defensive Player of the Year awards and was named to six All-Defensive teams. He was also honored with eight All-Star appearances and three All-NBA selections. He only made one NBA Finals appearance with the Philadelphia 76ers back in the 2001 postseason, but lost to the Lakers.
Paul George another current player on this list who is closer to the end of his career end of his career and is arguably beyond his prime. He's a nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA player, and four-time All-Defensive player, with a top-three MVP finish during the 2018-19 season. The star two-way wing has made the Conference Finals three times in his career, twice with the Pacers and once with the Clippers.
In terms of rebounding, none compares to Nat Thurmond. He's currently ranked fifth in NBA history in rebounds per game, with a career average of 15.0 per game. The Hall of Fame center made the NBA Finals twice as a member of the San Fransico Warriors during the 1960s but failed to win the title in both appearances. He was named to seven All-Star games and five All-NBA teams.
Before Magic Johnson came on the scene, Pete Maravich was the first flashy star of the NBA. He led the league in scoring during the 1976-77 season and finished in the top three in MVP voting the following season. He was a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA player, but sadly, he only reached the Eastern Conference Finals once at the end of his career.
Damian Lillard is arguably the second-best pure shooter among point guards in NBA history. Yet the Blazers have only made one Western Conference Finals appearance in his career, which occurred in the 2019 playoffs when he lost to the best-shooting point guard in NBA history, Stephen Curry, and the Warriors. He has nine All-Star and seven All-NBA selections on his resume.
There's little doubt that Vince Carter is the best dunker of the 21st century in the NBA, if not one of the best of all time. On top of that, he's one of the few players to play 20-plus seasons and to play into his 40s. He has eight All-Star and two All-NBA nominations in his career. Despite all of those accolades, Carter only made the Eastern Conference Finals once with the Magic.
Until the past 20 years in the NBA, when 3-pointers became a much more common shot selection, Pacers legend Reggie Miller was easily the best 3-point shooter in NBA History. He's seventh all-time in 3-pointers made, with five of the six players ahead of him being active players. The legendary sharpshooter made five All-Star games, three All-NBA teams, and one NBA Finals in his career.
Few could score the ball on all three levels like Tracy McGrady. He was a two-time scoring champ in the NBA and had been named to seven All-Star and All-NBA teams. While McGrady made it to the NBA Finals as a member of the Spurs, he was at the very end of his career and didn't play a meaning rule in the team's loss to the Heat in 2013.
Few players could score like Alex English in the 1980s. He led the NBA in scoring during the 1982-83 season. From 1981-82 through the 1988-89 season, English never averaged below 25 points per game as a member of the Nuggets. He's an eight-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player who only made one Western Conference Finals.
For the first 14 seasons of his career, Carmelo Anthony averaged at least 20 points per game. The forward appeared in 10 All-Star games, including six straight as a member of the Knicks. He was also named to six All-NBA teams, and in the season he led the league in points per game, he finished third in MVP voting. He only made the Western Conference Finals once but lost to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers back in 2009.
Not just known as a fantastic dunker, Dominque Wilkins was one of the more powerful scorers of his era. He couldn't manage to get out of the second round of the playoffs throughout his career, despite leading the league in scoring once and having a career average of 24.8 points per game. He was a nine-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA player.
There's still plenty of time for Luka Dončić to get off this list, and considering he's already made one NBA Finals appearance in his young career when he was on the Dallas Mavericks, the prognosis looks good for him to win a title down the line. The 27-year-old has already led the league in scoring twice in the past three seasons and has 90 triple-doubles in his career. He's also been named to six All-Star and All-NBA teams. The only reason why he's not higher is due to the lack of longevity in his career.
It can be argued that Joel Embiid is the most skilled big man in NBA history. His MVP, seven All-Star selections, three All-Defensive teams, and five All-NBA awards help prove that fact. However, health has been a problem for the two-time scoring champion, as he's never advanced the Sixers past the second round.
Steve Nash orchestrated the Suns' famous "Seven Seconds or Less" offense, which led to back-to-back MVPs in the mid-2000s. He was a five-time assist champion, including three straight titles. However, the eight-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA point guard couldn't clinch a title. He made the Western Conference Finals on three occasions but could never advance past that round.
Patrick Ewing is the last center on this list, but for good reason. Ewing made 11 All-Star games, seven All-NBA teams, and three All-Defensive teams as a member of the Knicks. He made two NBA Finals with New York, failing to capitalize on both opportunities. Until the Knicks' most recent title, Ewing was arguably the best player in franchise history.
Excluding ABA stats and accolades, George Gervin has nine NBA All-Star and seven All-NBA appearances. The Iceman was a four-time scoring champion with the Spurs and as an NBA player, has a career average of 26.2 points per game. Sadly, Gervin never made an NBA Finals appearance, but did appear twice in conference finals.
The recently retired Russell Westbrook is the Triple-Double King of the NBA. The former MVP did make one NBA Finals early on in his career, but never made it back after failing to capture a title the first time around. The Oklahoma City Thunder's legendary point guard led the NBA in assists per game three times and scoring twice. The point guard was a nine-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA player.
Allen Iverson was one of the most iconic guards of the 2000s on and off the court. The 2001 MVP carried the Sixers to the NBA Finals but was no match for the Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. The combo guard led the league in scoring four times and steals three times. He was also an 11-time All-Star and made the All-NBA team seven times. Iverson is also nineth all-time in points per game, averaging 26.7 per game.
Despite being the all-time leader in assists, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz were unable to defeat Jordan and the Bulls in back-to-back NBA Finals. He led the NBA in assists for nine straight seasons and in steals for two separate years. Stockton was also a 10-time All-Star and 11-time All-NBA player.
There are few point guards more accomplished in NBA history than Chris Paul, a.k.a. "The Point God". Paul was a five-time assist champion and six-time steal champion during his career. He was also named to 12 All-Star games, 11 All-NBA teams, and nine All-Defensive teams during his career. His career averages are impressive too, at 16.8 points and 9.2 assists. He made his one NBA Finals appearance with the Booker and the Suns, but as previously stated, fell to the Bucks.
Elgin Baylor is a curious case on this list, as he was initially on the Lakers roster that won an NBA championship in 1972, but retired early in the season; he wasn't on the team when they won it all. Baylor is fifth all-time in points per game at 27.4 for his career. He went to the NBA Finals eight times, but failed to win every time. He was nominated to 11 All-Star games and 10 All-NBA teams during his impressive career.
Charles Barkley was named to 11 All-Star and All-NBA teams during his playing career. The former MVP only made one NBA Finals appearance, but like so many before him on this list, Jordan and the Bulls won the title that season. The undersized power forward led the league in rebounding once and in offensive rebounds three times.
James Harden is the last active player on this list and has a beyond-impressive resume. He and Westbrook made their sole NBA Finals appearance back when they were both young with the Thunder. Harden has one MVP, 11 All-Star appearances, and eight All-NBA teams on his resume. He is a three-time scoring champion and two-time assist champion too. During one season with the Rockets, he averaged 36.1 points per game, which is seventh all-time. Only Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain averaged more points in a single season than Harden.
Harden's resume is hard to beat, but there's a reason why Karl Malone is number one on this list. The former two-time MVP has 14 All-NBA and All-Star selections during his career. He was also named to four All-Defensive teams and was the third-leading scorer in NBA history with 36,928 points. He and Stockton made one of the NBA's most lethal two-man games, but as previously stated, Malone, Stockton, and the Jazz were beaten in back-to-back NBA Finals by Jordan and the Bulls.
This list isn't a final end-all, be-all, as there are current players on this list. This list will continue to be fluid each year moving forward.
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