Not everyone can be as lucky as Battur and Sun Yue. Winning a championship ring in the NBA is by no means an easy task. For the dream of winning a title, many great players have devoted their entire lives. However, for various reasons, despite receiving countless honors during their careers and achieving extraordinary accomplishments with their respective teams, they ended up empty-handed and eventually retired in disappointment. Such a group of people, we call them "Kings without Crowns." There are quite a number of superstars in history who did not win championships. Among the top 21 players in terms of total points scored in the league, 9 superstars fall into this category.
We use the following criteria for ranking: Of these 25 players, 21 have already or will enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The ranking is determined by the height their teams reached. If a star led his team to the finals, he would rank higher than those who did not make it to the final stage. Of course, the order also needs to take into account the player's personal data. Below is a list of 25 nobles in NBA history who never won a championship.
25. Tim Hardaway
In his 14-year career, Hardaway averaged 17.7 points, 8.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He was called the "father of crossover". Despite being only 6 feet tall, he could score from anywhere on the court. He achieved 5000 points and 2500 assists in just 262 games, only 15 games more than Oscar Robertson, the record holder. In 1989, the Golden State Warriors successfully assembled the "three giants" of Richmond, Mullin, and Hardaway. Eventually, after they went their separate ways, Richmond was the only one to win a championship. Hardaway reached the peak of his career with the Heat. In 1992, he achieved another milestone in his career - becoming the 7th player in history to score 20 points and achieve 10 assists in a season.
24. Chris Webber
There should have been many players who could have been chosen for the last two positions, and Webber was ultimately selected based on one statistic: there are only 6 people in history who average 20+9+4. The other five are the well-known Bird, Elgin Baylor, Chamberlain, Cunningham, and Garnett. In the Kings team, they once came very close to winning the championship. If they had succeeded, Webber would not have appeared on this list. In his rookie season, Webber won Rookie of the Year, made the All-Star team 5 times, and his peak occurred in the 2000-01 season when Webber averaged 27 points and 11 rebounds, ranking high in the regular-season MVP voting.
23. Dikembe Mutombo
Mutombo is one of the best defenders in NBA history. He changed every team he played for throughout his career, including the Rockets. In his third season, Mutombo created a miracle; the Nuggets he played for defeated the Supersonics, who ranked first in the regular season, in the first round of the playoffs, creating the first "Black Eight" in history. In the five games of this series, he blocked 31 shots, and the scene of him shaking his finger at opponents after a block was forever etched in fans' memories. Notably, Uncle Mu has Finals experience, and he ranks second in the historical blocks list, behind only Olajuwon.
22. Adrian Dantley
Dantley scored 23,177 points in his career, ranking 9th in NBA history. He holds the record for non-center players' shooting percentage. Dantley had four consecutive seasons where he scored over 30 points. In his second NBA season, he reached the Finals with the Pistons, but unfortunately lost to the Lakers in a Game Seven. He scored 34 points in the first game of the Finals, missing only two shots. Subsequently, Dantley was traded to Dallas, and he never returned to the Finals.
21. Bernard King
King was one of the best small forwards in the 1980s. In his rookie season, he broke the Nets' single-season scoring record. In the 1984 season, he scored 2027 points, breaking the record again. The next season, he became the scoring champion with an average of 32.9 points per game. After being traded to the Knicks, he became the first player in 20 years to score 50+ points in consecutive games. He is also one of the 10 scorers in NBA history who have scored over 60 points. At the peak of his career, he suffered an injury and never regained his All-Star level.
20. Connie Hawkins
Connie Hawkins entered the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992. He moved from the ABA to the NBA and signed with the Suns. In his first season, Hawkins averaged 24.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. In the last game of his rookie season, Hawkins scored 44 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, dished out 8 assists, blocked 5 shots, and stole the ball 5 times. Hawkins took the Lakers, with Elgin Baylor, Chamberlain, and West, to the seventh game of the Western Conference Finals. In this series, he averaged 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 7 assists. At the age of 11, he could dunk and was hailed as the Michael Jordan of that era.
19. Lenny Wilkens
Lenny Wilkens scored 17,000 points, 7,000+ assists, and 5,000+ rebounds in his career. Many players turn to coaching after retirement, but no coach's victory count can compare with Wilkens. Unlike the other players on this list, he led the SuperSonics to a championship in 1979 as their coach. He is one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history and also a great coach.
18. Chris Mullin
Warrior, sharpshooter, these words clearly do not fully describe Mullin. Mullin was selected to the All-Star team five times, and he is the only player in Warriors history, besides Chamberlain, to average at least 25 points and 5 rebounds in five consecutive seasons. In 2000, he reached the Finals with the Pacers but fell to the Lakers.
17. Artis Gilmore
He played in the ABA for five seasons, averaging 22 points and 17 rebounds per game. Subsequently, Gilmore entered the NBA and signed with the Bulls. In his 12-season career, Gilmore averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game. Not winning a championship has already disappointed him, and not entering the Hall of Fame has left him heartbroken. Gilmore holds the NBA shooting percentage record at 59.9%, a hard-to-surpass number.
16. Alex English
The Nuggets superstar English had eight consecutive seasons where he scored over 2000 points. He played for 15 seasons, averaging 21.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, with a total score exceeding 25,000, which ranks 13th in NBA history. If he were still playing today, he might become one of the top three scorers in the league.
15. Nate Thurmond
Thurmond is one of the most outstanding centers in NBA history. His extremely dominant playing style could even threaten players like Jabbar and Chamberlain. This Hall of Famer played professional basketball for 14 seasons from the 1960s to the 1970s, averaging 15 points and 15 rebounds per game. Thurmond ranks highly in both total rebounds and average rebounds in NBA history. He participated in the NBA All-Star Game seven times and was selected to the NBA Defensive First Team or Second Team five times. To this day, he still holds the NBA record for grabbing 18 rebounds in a quarter, a record unlikely to be broken in recent years. He is also the first player in NBA history to achieve a quadruple-double in a game.
14. Dan Issel
Issel is a symbol of the league. In the ABA season, he won the MVP, the scoring title, and the championship in 1975. In his entire career, he scored 27,000 points. When he retired, only Chamberlain and Jabbar scored more points than him. Currently, his combined ABA and NBA total points rank eighth in history. In his NBA career, he averaged 20.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Few people can match his statistics.
13. Patrick Ewing
Willis Reed considers Ewing the greatest player in Knicks history. Michael Jordan said this about Ewing: "He has a champion's heart. When you think of the Knicks, you think of Ewing. His arrival brought life to this city." He led the team to the Finals twice but unfortunately always fell short. In 1999, Ewing became the tenth player in history to score 22,000 points and grab 10,000 rebounds. Ewing, who has been selected to the All-Star team 11 times and is already in the Hall of Fame, is naturally one of the 50 greatest players in the league. His No. 33 jersey has been retired by the Knicks. With a career field goal percentage of 50%, 24,815 points, 2,894 blocks, 11,607 rebounds, and 2,215 assists, what a great achievement!
12. Dominique Wilkins
Wilkins is known as the "Human Highlight Film," a great dunker, and the LeBron James of the 1980s. He spent most of his 16-season career with the Hawks, averaging 24.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, with a career total of 26,668 points. Because he never made it to the Finals, he ranks only 12th.
11. Dave Bing
His first 10 seasons were with the Pistons, where he averaged 22 points and 8 assists per game. In his second season, his scoring increased to 27 points, making him the scoring champion. He scored 18,000 points in his career, was selected to the All-Star team seven times, and won the MVP at the 1976 All-Star Game. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame and is one of the 50 greatest players in the league. He also achieved remarkable success in the political field.
10. George Gervin
George Gervin won the "Scoring Champion" title four times in his NBA career. Only Michael Jordan and Chamberlain have won more scoring titles than him. George Gervin once scored 33 points in a quarter, setting an NBA record. He was selected to the NBA All-Star team nine times and won the All-Star Game MVP award once. Gervin is the first guard in NBA history to win the scoring title three times, and he was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. He also has a famous nickname—"The Iceman."
9. Bob Lanier
Although Chamberlain, Jabbar, Reed, Cowens, and Bill Walton dominated the paint of that era, you shouldn't forget the 7-foot-1 Lanier, just as fans back then always mentioned his deadly hook shot, excellent long-range shooting, and rebounding skills, as well as his proficient rebound control ability. In the history of Detroit, Lanier's 22.7 points and 8,063 rebounds rank second, while his total of 15,488 points ranks third. Including his four seasons in Milwaukee, in his 14-year career, he scored a total of 19,248 points, averaging 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, he never had the chance to perform in the NBA Finals, nor did he realize his biggest wish: to wear a championship ring on his finger.
8. Allen Iverson
Iverson hasn't retired yet, but he will never win an NBA championship. He was the answer for his team, always stepping up when his team needed him most. He despised training, drove his head coach crazy, and his independent personality made fans deeply love this little guy. He was the best star for the 76ers since Julius Erving. Eleven-time All-Star, two MVP trophies, Iverson has already reserved a spot in the Hall of Fame. In the playoffs, Iverson averaged 29.7 points per game, only surpassed by Michael Jordan.
7. Reggie Miller
Miller holds the records for three-point attempts and makes. He played for 18 years without ever winning a ring because he faced Michael Jordan and the "Auburn Hills Palace" incident. Stephen Jackson said, we owe Reggie Miller a championship. Miller's total minutes played rank fifth in the league, with a total of 47,619 minutes. Not only Pacers fans, but also teams that suffered losses against the Pacers respect Miller. He once had the opportunity to join the Celtics to help the "Big Three," but he chose to decline.
6. Pete Maravich
"Pistol" averaged over 40 points per game in college and remains the NCAA scoring champion. Over 10 seasons, he averaged 24.2 points and 5.4 assists per game. This brilliant guard didn't get a chance to fully showcase his talent before injuries struck. On January 5, 1988, he passed away suddenly from a heart attack. The NBA lost its ambassador to Europe, and the world lost a great master.
5. Charles Barkley
Barkley was a mini power forward, selected to the All-Star team 11 times, included among the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, and successfully inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 1993, he was named Regular Season MVP and led the Suns to the Finals, but they lost to the Bulls in six games. In the 16th season of his career, he joined the Rockets to form the old "Big Three," aiming for the championship, but ultimately failed. Barkley averaged 22.1 points and 11.7 rebounds in his career, fearless and respected as a fighter.
4. Wilt Bellamy
Bellamy's stats are impeccable. In his 13-season and one-game career, he averaged 20+10 points and rebounds per game, with 20.1 points and 13.7 rebounds. He is one of the seven players in NBA history to score over 20,000 points and grab over 14,000 rebounds, alongside Chamberlain, Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Robert Parish, Moses Malone, and Karl Malone. Bellamy was selected to the All-Star team four times and won Rookie of the Year in 1962. He never won a championship, and young people nowadays may not even have heard of Bellamy, but this does nothing to diminish his greatness.
3. John Stockton
Karl Malone should thank Stockton; without Stockton, the "Mailman" wouldn't have had a chance to deliver mail. He holds the league records for assists and steals. Moreover, Stockton was also a sharp three-point shooter. Without a doubt, he is one of the fifty greatest players and a member of the Hall of Fame. Stockton was humble and low-key: "I was never the best player on our team, whether in high school, college, or the NBA." If it weren't for Jordan, Stockton should have won at least two NBA championships.
2. Karl Malone
The most tragic power forward in history, he and Stockton formed the best duo in the NBA, and his personal scoring ranks second in history. Malone received countless honors in his career, except for a championship. The Mailman could deliver mail every day, except when facing the Chicago Bulls. Under Rodman's harassment and Pippen's help defense, Malone lost twice in the Finals. As Malone aged and saw no hope of winning a championship with the Jazz, he chose to join the Lakers to ride on their coattails. Later, everyone knows what happened: he got injured and couldn't play, and the Lakers lost to the Pistons in the Finals. After the Finals, the Lakers disintegrated, and Malone retired in disappointment.
1. Elgin Baylor
Never seen someone so unlucky. Baylor led the Lakers to the Finals eight times, but without exception, all ended in defeat, leaving Baylor and his Lakers team without any championships. In his rookie season, he made it to the Finals, but the Lakers lost to the powerful Celtics. From 1960 to 1963, Baylor averaged 34.8 points, 38.3 points, and 34 points respectively. On November 15, 1961, Baylor scored 71 points and grabbed 25 rebounds against the Knicks, setting an NBA record at the time. He was the Kobe Bryant of the 1960s for the Lakers who didn't have a ring to play with. An interesting topic: if James similarly made it to the Finals 8 times but lost all of them, how would people comment on this prodigy?