5 greatest players to never win an NBA championship

NBA greats are defined as much, if not more, by their legacy of leading teams to titles than by their regular-season records and accolades. We look at the five best players in NBA history who never (or haven't yet) reached the pinnacle in the postseason

By Phil Watson | Oct 10, 2023

Minnesota Timberwolves v Houston Rockets - Game Two / Bob Levey/GettyImages

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5. Steve Nash

Steve Nash, born in South Africa and raised in Canada, didn't become a full-time starter until his fifth NBA season and emerged as a star with the Dallas Mavericks in the early 2000s. A first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018, Nash is the lone player on this list without an NBA Finals appearance on his resume.

Drafted by the Phoenix Suns out of Santa Clara with the 15th overall pick in 1996, Nash was dealth to Dallas on draft night in 1998 for Martin Müürsepp, Bubba Wells, the rights to 19th overall pick Pat Garrity and the Mavericks' 1999 first-round pick who became Shawn Marion. The point guard earned the first two of his seven All-NBA nods in Dallas and made two All-Star appearances.

Nash returned to Phoenix in July 2004 as a free agent and his career went to a new level with the Seven Seconds of Less Suns. He won two MVP awards and was named to five All-NBA teams as well as six All-Star games.

While Phoenix reached the Western Conference Finals three times during Nash's second tenure, they never broke through. He ended his career with an injury-plagued cameo for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012-13 and 2013-14 before retiring due to his health in 2015.

He led the NBA in assists five times and in free-throw shooting twice, finishing with career averages of 14.3 points and 8.5 assists in 31.3 minutes per game over 18 seasons. In the playoffs, those numbers were 17.3 points and 8.8 dimes in 35.7 minutes.

Nash was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2022.

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