In the NBA, it's all about winning a championship. Over the years, we've seen players and teams sacrifice everything, including their future, in order to win at the moment. That couldn't be seen any better than Kevin Durant joining the Golden State Warriors in 2016, sacrificing his reputation to win a title at that point in time.

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These teams achieved greatness (in most cases) on the backs of players who arguably had the best individual seasons in NBA history.

However, not every player could be as lucky as the former MVP. There have been some incredible players over the years who might've been the best at their positions, and who won a lot of games. However, they were also sadly unable to win the big one when it counted.

UPDATE: 2024/03/01 21:00 EST BY ROBERTH PEREZ

Most of the time, talented NBA players manage to lead their teams to a championship victory, but sometimes talent and the desire to win are not enough to achieve the maximum glory. Throughout NBA history, there have been several extraordinary players who were never able to win a championship ring, perhaps because they were unlucky, were in the wrong place at the wrong time, or simply because they didn't have a strong enough supporting cast on the court to beat the top tier teams. For one reason or another, the following incredible players never won a Championship in the NBA.

20 Chris Webber Never Won An NBA Championship

Chris Webber Played 15 Years In The NBA

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

15 years

Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons.

10

Rookie of the Year, Rebounding Champion, 5-time All-NBA.

Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III, power forward and sometime center, who was selected with the first overall pick in the 1993 draft by the Orlando Magic, earned rookie of the year in the 1993-94 season and, over his 15 seasons on five different teams, achieved five All-Star Game selections, he was a five-time top ten in the MVP award, and he was inducted into the Hall Of Fame.

Webber had averages of 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He had 10 playoff appearances, in which a couple of times he reached the conference finals without advancing. In these instances, he left numbers of 18.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

19 Alex English Made 10 Playoffs Appearances

Alex English Could Not Take The Denver Nuggets To A Championship Win

Alex English

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

15 years

Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks.

10

Scoring Champion, 3-time All-NBA.

Alex English, born January 5, 1954, in South Carolina, played for the Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets for 15 seasons, but he never won a Championship. He had eight All-Star Game appearances. He was scoring champion in the 1982-83 season with 28.4 points per game. In his career, he scored 25,613 total points (21st in NBA history) and 21.5 per game (44th). In 68 games in the playoffs, he averaged 24.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists, with a 19.9 Player Efficiency Rating.

18 Nate Thurmond Was Not Lucky Enough To Win A Championship In The NBA

Nate Thurmond Was An Amazing Defender In The 1960s & 1970s

Nate Thurmond

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

14 years

Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers.

9

5-time All-defensive.

This center and power forward, the number three pick in the 1963 draft by the San Francisco Warriors, established fascinating numbers in his career, averaging 15 points and 15 rebounds per game in addition to 2.7 assists in a total of 964 games. He also showed a great level in the playoffs, with 11.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, but never won a championship despite trying with three different teams.

17 Lenny Wilkens Was Close To Winning The Championship With The St. Louis Hawks

Wilkens Was One Of The Best Point Guards Of The 1960s

Lenny Wilkens

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

15 years

St. Louis Hawks, Seattle Supersonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers.

7

Assists Champion.

Left-handed Leonard Wilkens averaged 16.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game in the regular season, and 16.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists in the playoffs. This point guard, who played in four teams over 15 seasons, led the league in assists in the 1969-70 season, and appeared in nine All-Star Games, being named MVP of the 1971 All-Star Game. He had a Hall Of Fame-worthy career, but there are no championship rings on his fingers.

16 George Gervin Was A Generational Talent

George Gervin Was A Four-Time Scoring Champion

George Gervin

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

10 years

San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls

9

4-time Scoring Champion, 7-time All-NBA.

George Gervin was one of the best players in San Antonio Spurs history. He averaged 25.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in 14 seasons (including ABA). He also averaged 26.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks in 84 games during the playoffs, but despite those outstanding numbers, he wasn't able to reach the ultimate glory in basketball. "Iceman" went to 12 all-star games, and he was a four-time NBA scoring champion.

15 Adrian Dantley Was One Win Away From A Championship Ring

Adrian Dantley & The Pistons Lost The 1988 NBA Finals

Adrian Dantley Utah Jazz

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

15 years

Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Buffalo Braves, St. Louis Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks.

7

2-time Scoring Champion, 2-time All-NBA.

Adrian Dantley was one of the best NBA players of the 1980s, although people don't really give him the credit he deserves. Dantley had a 15-year NBA career, in which he wore the uniform of the Utah Jazz, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Lakers, Buffalo Braves, Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks and the Indiana Pacers.

He averaged 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Dantley made seven playoff appearances but was never able to win a championship. It is worth mentioning that Dantley came just one game short of winning a ring in the 1987-88 season, when the Pistons lost Game Seven of the Finals to the Lakers.

14 Karl Malone Is One Of The Best Players In NBA History

Karl Malone Never Missed The Playoffs

Karl Malone John Stockton

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

19 years

Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers.

19

2-time MVP, 14-time All-NBA.

Karl Malone was one of the many great players that Michael Jordan prevented from winning a championship, thanks to the Bulls' back-to-back NBA Finals wins over the Utah Jazz in 1997 and 1998. Malone joined the Lakers, led by Kobe and Shaq in the twilight of his career, in order to get that elusive ring.

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Unfortunately, Malone's year with the Lakers happened to be when the Detroit Pistons put on a defensive clinic, upsetting the Lakers in the 2004 Finals. Malone was one of the NBA's best big men of all time, but sadly, the championship always eluded him.

13 John Stockton Played His Entire Career For The Utah Jazz

John Stockton Had 19 Playoffs Appearances, But Never Won The Championship

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

19 years

Utah Jazz.

19

9-time assists Champion, 2-time steals Champion, 11-time All-NBA.

John Stockton was a force on both sides of the ball for most of his career with the Utah Jazz. He was named an All-Star on ten occasions, as well as being a multiple-time All-NBA selection, and All-Defense selection.

However, despite his terrific abilities, he couldn't win a ring for the Jazz. It wasn't for a lack of trying, as the team got close to winning the Finals in 1997 and 1998, but they were unable to get the job done against the Chicago Bulls. It is unbelievable that such an amazing duo (Malone and Stockton) never won an NBA Championship.

12 Dominique Wilkins Never Won A Championship Ring

Dominique Wilkins Was The 1985-1986 NBA Scoring Champion

Atlanta Hawks forward Dominique Wilkins

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

15 years

Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers

10

Scoring Champion, 7-time All-NBA.

Dominique Wilkins led the Atlanta Hawks to the NBA playoffs eight times, but was unable to lead them to the title. He couldn’t even make it to the Conference Finals. He played in the playoffs with the Boston Celtics, and the Orlando Magic, but the result was the same. Nevertheless, “Zoid” always put body and soul and played very well, as he averaged 25.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

11 Bob Lanier Was Not Able To Win An NBA Championship

Bob Lanier Was One Of The Best NBA Players In The 1970s

Bob Lanier

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

14 years

Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks.

9

8-time All-Star.

Bob Lanier was one of the best players in the history of the Detroit Pistons, as he played 10 years with the franchise and left amazing numbers, but he was never able to win a championship with them. Lanier played the last years of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, but he was also unlucky. This center averaged 20.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game, with a 21.7 Player Efficiency Rating and 117.1 Win Shares.

10 Walt Bellamy Never Played In The NBA Finals

Walt Bellamy Played 14 Years In The NBA

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

14 years

Atlanta Hawks, Baltimore Bullets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, New Orleans Jazz.

7

Rookie Of The Year.

Walt Bellamy was a phenomenal center who played in the NBA from 1961 to 1974. He played for the Baltimore Bullets/Chicago Zephyrs, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Jazz, but did not achieve the dream of winning a ring with any of those teams.

The farthest Bellamy got was the Western Division Finals (twice). Bellamy was a very dominant player; he recorded 20.1 points, 13.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Unfortunately, there are no records of his blocks, but watching old game footage of his, it's safe to say he was good for at least two blocks per game.

9 Tracy McGrady Almost Wins A Ring In His Last Season

Tracy McGrady & The San Antonio Spurs Lost To The Miami Heat In The 2013 NBA Finals

Tracy McGrady Spurs

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

16 years

Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs.

9

2-time Scoring Champion, 7-time All-NBA, Most Improved Player.

Tracy McGrady got really close, but he was unable to get a ring. During his career, he was a star for the Houston Rockets, and the Orlando Magic. He was named a multiple-time All-Star and was named to several All-NBA first and second teams.

Despite all of his individual accolades, McGrady never won a ring. In the last year of his career, McGrady signed with the San Antonio Spurs for the postseason, where they made it to the finals but lost to the Miami Heat.

8 Vince Carter Played 22 Years In The NBA

Vince Carter Made 11 Playoffs Appearances

Vince Carter

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

22 years

Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns

11

Rookie Of The Year, 2-time All-NBA.

Tracy McGrady's cousin, Vince Carter, had a tale of two careers. In his prime, he was a force that was nearly impossible to stop, as he was named an eight-time All-Star. The second half of his career saw him lose his athleticism, but make up for it in his court IQ, and leadership ability. The second part saw him stay in the league for over twenty seasons. Despite his lengthy career, he never won a ring or even made the NBA Finals for that matter.

7 Reggie Miller Played For The Indiana Pacers For 18 Seasons

Reggie Miller Is One Of The Best 3-Point Shooters Of All Time

NBA: All Star Game-Team Durant at Team LeBron

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

18 years

Indiana Pacers.

15

3-time All-NBA.

Reggie Miller was an absolute force in his heyday as a member of the Indiana Pacers. He was named to the All-Star team ten times and is even in the Hall of Fame today for his accomplishments during his time in the league. Sadly, the one accomplishment he's missing is a ring. Miller came close in 2000, as he made the NBA Finals. However, standing in the way of his sole ring were Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal's Lakers, who defeated the Pacers in six games.

6 Patrick Ewing Was One Of The Best Centers In NBA History

Ewing Was Not Able To Win A Championship In The NBA

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

17 years

New York Knicks, Seattle Supersonics, Orlando Magic.

14

Rookie Of The Year, 7-time All-NBA.

Patrick Ewing is one of the most accomplished players ever. As a member of the New York Knicks for most of his career, he was an 11-time All-Star, was named to several All-NBA teams, and even made the Hall of Fame. Ewing's biggest issue was timing. While he was in his prime, so was Michael Jordan, and he couldn't get past the Bulls as a result. The closest Ewing came to winning a ring was in 1994, when Jordan was gone from the league. However, the Knicks lost in the NBA Finals to the Houston Rockets.

5 Steve Nash Was A Two-Time MVP

Steve Nash Never Made It To The NBA Finals

Steve Nash Suns

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

18 years

Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers.

12

2-time MVP, 5-time assists Champion, 7-time All-NBA.

The story of Steve Nash is that he was so good, but didn't come through at the right moment. He was a two-time MVP, named to several All-Star teams, and had the Phoenix Suns as the favorites to win the NBA Finals on many occasions. Despite that, Nash couldn't even get to the Finals. While he hoped to win a ring for the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of his career as a part of their failed superteam, they couldn't make it past the opening round of the playoffs.

4 Allen Iverson Was A Generational Talent

Allen Iverson Was The 2000-01 NBA MVP

Allen Iverson Grizzlies

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

14 years

Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies.

8

MVP, Rookie Of The Year, 4-time Scoring Champion, 3-time steals Champion, 7-time All-NBA.

Allen Iverson is one of the greatest offensive players that the league has ever seen. In his prime, he was unstoppable and could do it all on that side of the ball. He was a multiple-time All-Star, named an MVP in 2001, and is a Hall of Famer today. Sadly for Iverson, basketball is a team sport. For most of his career with the 76ers, he had a lackluster squad around him to put it lightly. The one time they made the Finals in 2001, they ran into the Bryant/O'Neal Lakers, who dispatched them in five games.

3 Charles Barkley Is One Of The Greatest NBA Players Who Never Won A Championship

Charles Barkley Played 16 Years In The NBA

Charles Barkley

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

16 years

Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies.

13

MVP, Rebounding Champion, 11-time All-NBA.

Charles Barkley's career is missing only one thing: a ring on his finger. In his career, he won an MVP, was named a multiple-time All-Star and made it to the Hall of Fame. Sadly, he just couldn't get the big one. Barkley tried, but it just didn't come to fruition. The closest he came was in 1993, the same year he won MVP. However, the Barkley-led Phoenix Suns ran into the Chicago Bulls, who defeated them in six games.

2 Dikembe Mutombo Was Arguably The Best Defender Of The 1990s

Mutombo's Defense Was Not Enough To Win An NBA Championship

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

18 years

Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets.

13

4-time Defensive Player Of The Year, 3-time Blocking Champion, 2-time Rebounding Champion, 3-time All-NBA.

Dikembe Mutombo got close, but, like Barkley, was unable to get the job done. In his prime, he was a defensive force, as he was named to several All-Defense teams, and named a multiple-time All-Star.

In his career, Mutombo made the Finals twice. In 2001, he made it alongside Allen Iverson but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2003, Mutombo made it as a member of the New York Nets but lost to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.

1 Elgin Baylor Was One Of The Best NBA Players In The 1960s

Elgin Baylor Lost Seven NBA Finals

Elgin Baylor

NBA Career Length

Teams He Played For

Playoffs Appearances

Awards

14 years

Los Angeles Lakers

12

Rookie Of The Year, 10-time All-NBA.

Elgin Baylor made the NBA Finals more than most players, as he made it to the Finals on seven occasions. Incredibly, despite his incredible ability, he lost every single time. Baylor was named to the All-Star game on 11 occasions and is in the Hall of Fame today. Unfortunately, his prime came in the midst of Bill Russell's Boston Celtics era of dominance, so he couldn't get the ring.