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
In an NBA landscape within which superstars are defined by the championships they've won, those that lack rings are judged as slightly (or in some cases significantly) less than their compatriots who have hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy, or its predecessor, the Walter A. Brown Trophy, which was a travelling trophy much like the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup.
So when determining the best players to never win an NBA championship, many factors come into play. Here's a quick explanation of how this list was determined.
Methodology
Players were evaluated on their regular-season statistics and accolades as well as their playoff performance. The qualifying standard for career rate statistics (400 games or 10,000 career points) was used. That left a field of 940 players, 52 of whom are or are projected to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Playoff statistics were weighted more heavily than regular season numbers while accolades such as MVP awards and Defensive Player of the Year honors were factored in, along with All-NBA and All-Defensive teams and finally, with the lowest weight of the honors, All-Star Game selections.
At that point, the rudiments of this list took shape. Then the top contenders were evaluated and a final order was chosen.
With that, here are the five greatest players to never win an NBA championship.