With the widespread move toward analytical study and nuance in the sports media world, the #RINGZ culture isn’t quite as prevalent as it used to be. In short, players are more often valued based on things that they can actually control, rather than being blamed for situational issues, team construction, injury and more.
With that said, NBA players are still judged harshly when they are unable to capture the ultimate glory of a championship. That begs the question of who the best players are that haven’t lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy. This is the goal of our trip down memory lane in our space, as we attempt to differentiate between individual play and team results since, well, it takes five players working as one to win NBA championship. Not even LeBron James or Michael Jordan could win with sub-standard supporting casts.
At any rate, we will roll through the ten best players without a ring but, before that, here are a few honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)
Carmelo Anthony – This might seem like a bizarre inclusion to some but Anthony is already one of the Top 30 all-time scorers in NBA history, and he isn’t done yet. Throw in 10 All-Star appearances and six All-NBA nods and it isn’t crazy to think Carmelo could crack the Top 10 list when all is said and done.
Vince Carter – The fact that Carter is still rolling along as a quality role player is astounding. He is a Hall of Fame player without question, as “Half Man, Half Amazing” posted eight All-Star appearances and a Top 30 place on the all-time scoring list. The team success never came with Carter as the centerpiece, but longevity and the ability to adjust his game as he matured should matter for Carter.
James Harden – If Harden never wins a title, it is a safe bet to assume he’ll crack the Top 10 on this list. His numbers over a five-year period in Houston (27.4 points, 7.6 assists, 5.9 rebounds per game) are incredible and Harden remains only 27 years old. With another half-decade of this production, all bets are off.
Dwight Howard – The twilight years of Howard’s career haven’t gone incredibly well and his rumored off-court impact casts a shadow over his on-court performance. With that recipe, it is easy to forget just how incredible Howard was at his peak. He is an eight-time All-NBA selection and a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Howard is the active leader in rebounds and blocked shots. Could he have been better? Maybe, but Dwight Howard was one of the best five players on the planet for a half-decade. We shouldn’t forget that.
Tracy McGrady – McGrady’s cumulative value doesn’t reach as high as some of the other retired players on this list, but his peak was obscene. The 2002-2003 season was the year of McGrady, when he averaged 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game while posting a league-leading 30.3 PER and a career-best 56 percent true shooting. He would never recapture that in full but McGrady was tantalizing.
Reggie Miller – Miller is the rare top-flight player who was probably more famous than his play deserved. Make no mistake, Miller was tremendous but he was “only” a five-time All-Star and brought very little to the table aside from his shooting stroke and ability to score. Miller’s HOF inclusion is probably fine given the diluted product in Springfield, but he’s closer to 15 than 10 on this list.
Russell Westbrook – I mean, he averaged a triple-double for a season. Okay, other stuff does matter but Westbrook is already a five-time All-NBA selection at the age of 28. His game isn’t super conducive to age, but if Westbrook can simply string together four or five more peak(-ish) years, he’ll be in the mix for the top 10.
Dominique Wilkins – Averaging 24.8 points per game over a 15-year career is nothing to sneeze at and Wilkins carried some mediocre Hawks teams to impressive results. With that said, his defense left quite a bit to be desired and ‘Nique wasn’t overly efficient either. He is Hall of Fame worthy to be sure, but that doesn’t ensure inclusion here.
Now, to the big guns.
10) Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson is a cult hero and he was a phenomenal NBA player. With that said, I almost left him off this list. There would be no great shame in that given the high level of competition, but Iverson’s numbers don’t hold up quite as well in this era of efficiency and analytics and he knows it. In fact, Iverson has (quite refreshingly) acknowledged that he wouldn’t be any better off playing in today’s game given the sophistication of opposing defenses, and he needed 21.8 shots per game to reach his 26.7 points per contest. He was, however, selected to 11 All-Star games and seven All-NBA teams while also winning an MVP and four scoring titles.
There is a reason he is beloved – and that’s because he was awesome.
9) Steve Nash
If you look at Nash’s award-based resume, this might seem low. The all-world offensive point guard won two MVP awards while making eight All-Star teams and seven All-NBA squads. For good measure, Nash finished his career with a true shooting percentage north of 60 percent and he ranks tenth all-time in assists per game and a staggering third all-time in total assists. Nash is also (rightly) credited with helping to jumpstart the offensive revolution in the NBA and, if only offense mattered, he would be higher on this list.
Alas, Nash’s defense was an issue throughout his career and at least one of his MVP’s was probably undeserved when compared to other candidates. It has to be said that Nash was tremendous, though, and he deserves inclusion in this space after a wonderful career.
8) George Gervin
Much like Nash, Gervin’s defense was less than stellarm but that won’t keep him off the list either. The “Ice Man” ranks 16th all-time in scoring when combining NBA and ABA numbers and he put together a full career while averaging more than 25 points per game. Gervin was a 12-time All-Star that led the league in scoring on four occasions and he was the epitome of cool both on and off the floor.
Modern fans probably aren’t exceedingly familiar with his work but, in any era, George Gervin was a monster in the best possible way, and he should be treated as such historically.
7) Patrick Ewing
Because his counterparts (David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal) all took home rings, Ewing is wildly underrated. The former Georgetown legend is the centerpiece of the legendary frozen envelope myth at the first NBA Draft Lottery and the Knicks received the benefit of his services for 15 years. During those seasons, Ewing averaged 22.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while earning 11 All-Star nods, seven All-NBA inclusions and three trips to the All-Defensive team.
It would be fair to point out that Ewing’s offensive game went away at inconvenient times, especially in the 1994 NBA Finals. Still, his defense was dominant for more than a decade and Ewing ranks within the top 25 all-time in rebounds and the top-10 all-time in blocks. He was a menace.
6) Kevin Durant
Durant might not be on this list for long, as the Golden State Warriors are seen as prohibitive favorites in his first season with the team. The 28-year-old still lives on this block, for now, though, and Durant could rapidly ascend on this list if, for some reason, he does not pick up a title along the way. He is already an eight-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection with an MVP award to his credit but, beyond that, Durant ranks within the top 10 all-time in win shares per 48 minutes and his numbers (27.2 points, 7.2 rebounds per game) jump off the page.
You won’t find many more efficient offensive players in league history from his position (25.2 PER, 60.8 percent true shooting) and Durant might be too low on this list if he can keep it up for a few more years at this peak.
5) Chris Paul
Chris Paul is one of the ten best point guards in the history of the NBA. Given the way that the Los Angeles Clippers bowed out (again) in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, Paul has been a hot topic of conversation, as he famously has not reached even the conference finals in his career. With that said, it would be (very) difficult to find a situation in which Paul had a title-worthy supporting cast during his NBA stint, and beyond that, his numbers are off the charts impressive. He is an eight-time All-NBA player with eight All-Defense nods by the age of 31, and Paul ranks third all-time in assists per game (9.9) and second all-time in assist percentage.
Throw in the fact that he has been one of the best defenders at his position for a decade and one of the most efficient shooters (58 percent true shooting) and you have the full picture. Did I mention that Chris Paul is sixth all-time in PER (25.7) and second all-time in win shares per 48 minutes? Let’s just say the hate has gone too far.
4) Elgin Baylor
Most people forget that Baylor is even eligible for this list. The Hall of Fame forward played nine games for the 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers before retiring and, later that year, the team claimed the championship. Baylor was not around, however, and he sneaks in by a technicality. With that out of the way, Baylor averaged 27.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per game for his career while making 11 All-Star games and 10 All-NBA teams.
He remains third all-time in points per game as a result and, if not for longevity concerns, Baylor would be even higher on this list. He’s an all-timer.
3) John Stockton
John Stockton averaged 10.8 points, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game while posting a 57.7 percent true shooting and a 21.0 PER at the age of 40. That is basically all you need to know about John Stockton. The legendary point guard played for the Utah Jazz for 19 seasons and was the picture of consistency. He is the NBA’s all-time leader in assists with nearly 16,000 (!) and Stockton also leads the all-time pace in steals.
While that isn’t everything, Stockton’s efficiency was remarkable and he was an underrated defensive player throughout his career. The knock on Stockton would be lack of “peak” considering the fact that he was never seen as the best player at the position for any singular season. He should be treated with the reverence of an all-time great, though, as that is exactly who he was.
2) Charles Barkley
Because of his visibility even in 2017, Barkley is the poster child for this moniker. It should be said, however, that he was awesome as a player, even if the ultimate goal was never reached. The “Round Mound Of Rebound” was named to both the All-Star game and as an All-NBA member on 11 occasions and Barkley took home the MVP award in 1992-1993. For his career, Barkley rattled off 22.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game and, at his peak, his numbers were staggeringly impressive when considering his high-level passing ability and relative efficiency.
Putting him in the No. 1 spot wouldn’t be controversial, and that is a testament to how good Sir Charles was on the floor.
1) Karl Malone
It might be surprising to some people that Malone sits atop the heap but a look at the numbers should help to provide clarification. Barkley has remained in the public eye by virtue of his legendary work on television and, even before that, he was the more popular player based on personality. With that said, Malone’s list of accomplishments is quite simply longer and his longevity is flat-out incredible. Over a 17-season period from 1986 through 2003, Malone averaged a comical 26.0 points (on 52 percent shooting) and 10.3 rebounds and that helps to bolster his crazy resume.
Malone was a 14-time All-Star and 14-time All-NBA selection while winning two MVP awards and he sits eighth all-time in rebounding and second (!) all-time in scoring, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Malone’s issues in big moments are well documented but the full package leans in his direction and, if anything, he has become vastly underrated from a historical standpoint.
