10 Best NBA Players to Never Win a Title (Ranked)

When it comes to naming who the greatest NBA player of all-time is, invariably, most people want to talk about championship rings. Whether people are fans of Michael Jordan or LeBron James, it’s a conversation that gets brought up all the time, and it’s no surprise that so many top stars look to ‘ring chase’, particularly in their later years of their career.

But does winning an NBA title automatically make you one of the game’s all-time greats? And on that same note, does not winning it, preclude you from being included in that debate in the first place? Well, there have been several stars and Hall of Famers who have enjoyed legendary careers in the game, but were unable to get past that final hurdle and secure a ring.

From Charles Barkley and him being constantly ridiculed by his Inside the NBA co-stars Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith over his lack of a title, to Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul desperate to end his career on a high note, we have decided to rank the 10 greatest players in NBA history to never have won the title.

Ranking Factors

• Individual awards like MVPs, All-Star selections and All-NBA nominations
• How close they were to winning the title
• Longevity of their careers
• Teams they played on
• Impact and legacy on the NBA

10

Dominique Wilkins

Credit: © USA TODAY Sports

A walking highlight reel, Dominique Wilkins confounded gravity and logic by being one of the most explosive players to ever step foot in the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks legend was a supreme scorer and fierce dunker, and while he had some personal accolades to his name – not least All-Star appearances and a scoring title – he couldn’t inspire his team to a title.

That was in part to playing at a time where the Eastern Conference was absolutely loaded and stacked full of superstars and top teams, unlike now. During the 1980s when Wilkins played in his prime, he had to contend with the likes of Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics, Isiah Thomas’ Detroit Pistons and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

9

Elgin Baylor

Given that Elgin Baylor was listed at a height of 6 foot 5, the Los Angeles Lakers star could be considered one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history for his size. A 10-time member of the All-NBA First Team, Baylor, along with Jerry West, led the Lakers in terms of taking on the scoring burden, regularly pouring in mammoth performances on the stats sheet.

Baylor would incredibly reach eight NBA Finals in his time as a Laker, but would lose every single one, coming up short – unsurprisingly perhaps – to Bill Russell and the legendary Boston Celtics.

8

Chris Paul

One of the greatest point guards in NBA history, Chris Paul continues to be a huge leader in the league even to this day, now returning to the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2025/2026 season. CP3’s play-making abilities and on-court leadership has meant he has generally elevated any team he has played for.

Perhaps his closest misses when it comes to winning the NBA title came with the Houston Rockets, when, paired alongside James Harden in the backcourt, they just couldn’t quite get over the hump in terms of the Western Conference and beating one of the best teams of all-time in the Golden State Warriors. While Paul did reach the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns, they were promptly defeated by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.

7

Steve Nash

A two-time NBA MVP, Steve Nash is one of the few players in the game to have won the league’s biggest individual award but not come away from his career with a single title. Nash was a key part of the ‘seven seconds or less’ philosophy that catapulted the Phoenix Suns into a contender year-in and year-out, with his passing and vision being one of the best of his time.

While the Suns had a talented team led by Nash, they would often come unstuck against teams like the San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan and co) and the Los Angeles Lakers (Kobe Bryant et al) in a stacked Western Conference.

6

Reggie Miller

Until the likes of Ray Allen and later Stephen Curry came along, it was Reggie Miller who was considered the greatest shooter in NBA history. The legend of the Indiana Pacers had everything you could want in terms of clutch personality and a desire to take on responsibility even in the toughest of occasions, but he didn’t quite have the team around him to really threaten for a title.

The Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals in the 2000s was the closest Miller came to tasting championship success, but they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers who could boast the Hall of Fame double act of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.

5

Patrick Ewing

The big man in the middle for the New York Knicks during the 1990s, Patrick Ewing played during an era when the center group in the NBA was perhaps stronger than it ever was before. Not only was Ewing making All-Star teams, but the league also had the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Dikembe Mutombo among others holding things down in the paint.

Ewing would lead the Knicks to two Finals appearances in 1994, but fell short both times – first, he succumbed to Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets, while the 1999 run would see him go down injured.

4

Allen Iverson

Aside from Chris Paul, Allen Iverson may be the one man who even neutral basketball fans would have hoped to see win a championship ring before his career was over. Unfortunately for him, the winner of the 2001 MVP award for all his greatness couldn’t inspire the Philadelphia 76ers to a title success, although it was through no fault of his own.

Iverson carried the 76ers on his back throughout his tenure with the franchise, including during a historic run to the Finals in 2001, when he managed to steal a game off the legendary Los Angeles Lakers team of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant thanks to a 48-point masterpiece.

3

John Stockton

Now onto third place of the best players to never win a NBA title, John Stockton can genuinely stake a claim to being the best pure point guard in history. An assists machine who leads the NBA even to this day in that category as well as in steals too, Stockton ran the show for the Utah Jazz along with his running mate (who we’ll get onto in a second).

Stockton would help the Jazz to back-to-back Finals against the Chicago Bulls, but the shadow of Michael Jordan proved to be too strong to overcome.

2

Karl Malone

A points scoring machine, Karl Malone with his two MVP awards goes down as one of the best power forwards of all-time. A 14-time All-Star, Malone, much like his teammate Stockton, literally carried the Jazz on his back, but again couldn’t quite beat Jordan and co in the Finals.

Scoring well over 35,000 points in his NBA career, Malone would finish his time as an NBA player averaging 25 points per game and over 10 rebounds per game too. For someone with his stats, it’s remarkable he didn’t get his hands on a title.

1

Charles Barkley

Credit: © RVR Photos-Imagn Images

Now the man we have ranked as the greatest player in NBA history, the much-loved Charles Barkley was right there alongside Michael Jordan trying to battle him for the best player in the league during the 1990s. Despite standing at just 6 foot 6, Barkley played well above his size and was a dominant rebounder and scorer using his athleticism and speed.

Barkley would carry the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals in 1993 off the back of a season in which he won the regular season MVP award, but fell short to Michael Jordan (like a lot of other players on this list) when the title was on the line.