- Some all-time great NBA players have never won championships.
- We compiled a list of 12 great former players and four current stars who have never won a championship.
- We limited the list of current players to players who have played over 12 seasons in the NBA.
Reggie Miller
Years in the NBA: 18 (1987-2005)
Teams: Indiana Pacers
Career stats: 18.3 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 39.5% 3FG
All-Stars: 5x
Awards/Honors: 3x All-NBA, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: Known as one of the greatest shooters of all-time and a clutch player, Miller came tantalizingly close to winning a championship in his 18 years with the Indiana Pacers. They were also-rans during the 1990s, when they faced Michael Jordan's Chicao Bulls and the New York Knicks, then ran into the Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers when they made the finals in the 2000s.
* denotes a current player
Vince Carter
Years in the NBA: 22 (1998-2020)
Teams: Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks
Career stats: 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists
All-Stars: 8x
Awards:/Honors: 2x All-NBA, 1998-99 Rookie of the Year
What to know: Carter was a spring-loaded scorer who finished 23rd all-time in points. He played on some very good teams in his prime, but never reached the mountaintop. He could have chased a ring in the later years of his career, but instead chose to play a mentor role on young, up-and-coming teams.
Tracy McGrady
Years in the NBA: 15 (1997-2012)
Teams: Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks
Career stats: 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists
All-Stars: 7x
Awards/Honors: 7x All-NBA, 2000-01 Most Improved Player, Hall of Fame
What to know: McGrady's smooth scoring touch and dynamite athleticism was matched only by Carter (his cousin) and Kobe Bryant in the early and mid-2000s. Injuries — both to him and his teammates — ultimately held back his talented Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets teams.
Carmelo Anthony
Years in the NBA: 19 (2003-2022)
Teams: Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers
Career stats: 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists
All-Stars: 10x
Awards:/Honors 6x All-NBA, 75th Anniversary Team
What to know: Known for a time as the NBA's "purest" scorer, Anthony's ability to put the ball in the hoop elevated his teams. However, an unwillingness to make plays or defend hard all of the time likely held back some of them back. He made just one conference finals in his career.
Dominique Wilkins
Years in the NBA: 15 (1982-1999)
Teams: Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic
Career stats: 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists
All-Stars: 9x
Awards/Honors: 7x All-NBA, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: "The Human Highlight Reel" was an athletic force of nature and one of the NBA's best scorers in his prime — he's 17th all-time in points scored. However, he never made it past the second round of the playoffs in his career.
John Stockton
Years in the NBA: 19 (1984-2003)
Teams: Utah Jazz
Career stats: 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 2.2 steals
All-Stars: 10x
Awards/Honors: 11x All-NBA, 5x All-Defensive, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: The textbook definition of a point guard, Stockton is the NBA's all-time leader in assists and acted as the table-setter on some truly great Jazz teams. Utah reached the Finals twice under Stockton's stewardship, but they never were able to beat Michael Jordan's Bulls. A lot of players suffered similar fates.
Patrick Ewing
Years in the NBA: 17 (1985-2002)
Teams: New York Knicks, Seattle SuperSonics, Orlando Magic
Career stats: 21 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.4 blocks
All-Stars: 11x
Awards/Honors: 7x All-NBA, 3x All-Defensive, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: One of the great centers in an era chock full of them, Ewing had the Knicks in championship contention through much of the '90s. Of the players on this list, few got as close to a ring as Ewing — the Knicks lost to the Rockets in seven games in the 1994 finals, with Ewing averaging 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 blocks per game in the series.
Steve Nash
Years in the NBA: 18 (1996-2014)
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers
Career stats: 14.3 points, 3 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 42.8% 3FG
All-Stars: 8x
Awards/Honors: 2x MVP, 7x All-NBA, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: Few players have left as big of an imprint on the NBA than Nash and his Phoenix Suns, who revved the engines on offense, spread the floor, and shot a ton of threes. Nash won back-to-back MVPs as the leader of the team. Unfortunately, the Suns came up just short in the playoffs, reaching the Western Conference Finals three times, but never past it.
Allen Iverson
Years in the NBA: 14 (1996-2010)
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies
Career stats: 26.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.2 steals
All-Stars: 11x
Awards/Honors: 2000-01 MVP, Rookie of the Year, 7x All-NBA, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: One of the most electric players in NBA history, Iverson — generously listed at 6-feet tall — was an unlikely centerpiece of some great 76ers teams. They made a run to the finals in 2001, but ran into the Shaq-Kobe Lakers, who won their second of three titles that year. Iverson kept up his dynamic scoring from there, but ultimately never made it past the second round of the playoffs again.
Elgin Baylor
Years in the NBA: 14 (1958-1972)
Teams: Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers
Career stats: 27.4 points, 13.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists
All-Stars: 11x
Awards/Honors: 10x All-NBA, 1958-59 Rookie of the Year, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: Perhaps no player had worse NBA championship luck than Baylor. Baylor put up some mind-boggling stats in his prime, like a 38-18-4 stat line for the 1961-62 season. Equally as mind-boggling: His Lakers made the finals eight times during his career and lost all eight times. They finally won in 1971-72 — when Baylor was forced to retire just nine games into the season because of a knee injury.
Karl Malone
Years in the NBA: 19 (1985-2004)
Teams: Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers
Career stats: 25.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 51.6% FG
All-Stars: 14x
Awards/Honors: 2x MVP, 14x All-NBA, 4x All-Defensive, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: Malone was one of the great scorers of all-time (third all-time in points) and alongside Stockton, captained some Jazz teams to the finals, where they lost to the Jordan Bulls. Malone attempted to ring-chase in his final year, joining the Lakers, only for that team to implode under the weight of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's feud.
Charles Barkley
Years in the NBA:. 16 (1984-2000)
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets
Career stats: 22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.5 steals
All-Stars: 11x
Awards/Honors: 1992-93 MVP, 11x All-NBA, 75th Anniversary Team, Hall of Fame
What to know: Barkley is so synonymous with not winning a championship that he regularly gets teased about it on TNT's "Inside the NBA." Barkley was a dominant, bruising forward who put up huge stats, and even won MVP in 1993 while leading the Phoenix Suns to the Finals. Unfortunately, they ran into — you guessed it — the Michael Jordan-led Bulls.
Chris Paul
Years in the NBA: 18 (2005-present)
Teams: New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns
Career stats: 17.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 2.1 steals
All-Stars: 12x
Awards/Honors: 11x All-NBA, 9x All-Defensive, Rookie of the Year, 75th Anniversary Team
What to know: "The Point God" has been among the NBA's very best playmakers approaching two decades, but hasn't quite reached the mountaintop. Paul's best chance so far came in 2021, when the Suns made the finals but lost to the Bucks. This year's Suns team, with Kevin Durant, may be his best chance at grabbing an elusive ring.
Russell Westbrook
Years in the NBA: 15 (2008-present)
Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers
Career stats: 22.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 1.6 steals
All-Stars: 9x
Awards/Honors: 2016-17 MVP, 9x All-NBA, 75th Anniversary Team
What to know: A walking triple-double and one of the NBA's most forceful and energetic players, Westbrook made the finals once and the conference finals three times with the Thunder. Since then, he has been searching for the right fit, becoming something of a journeyman playmaker in the process.
James Harden
Years in the NBA: 14 (2009-present)
Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
Career stats: 24.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.5 steals
All-Stars: 10x
Awards/Honors: 2017-18 MVP, 7x All-NBA, 2011-12 Sixth Man of the Year, 75th Anniversary Team
What to know: Harden has lost a step since his peak, when he led the league in scoring three straight years with an unstoppable combination of drives and stepback threes. But now, as a secondary scorer and lead playmaker on the 76ers, he has a chance to capture a championship that would bolster his legacy.
Paul George
Years in the NBA: 13 (2010-present)
Teams: Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers
Career stats: 20.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals
All-Stars: 8x
Awards/Honors: 6x All-NBA, 4x All-Defensive, Most Improved Player
What to know: One of the NBA's most versatile, two-way wings, George has plied his trade with some teams that have come close to winning it all during his career: the Pacers, who challenged LeBron James' Miami Heat teams, and now the Clippers, who just can't seem to be healthy in time for the playoffs.
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