A countdown of the greatest players in NBA history to have won one championship ring from Oscar Robertson to Nikola Jokic.
At the end of each season, every NBA player hopes to be able to fight for an NBA championship. Some of the greatest players in NBA history never got that opportunity and could never cement their legacies with a championship ring. Meanwhile, there are certain NBA legends who were able to cement their basketball legacies and become NBA champions, but only once despite multiple opportunities for more. Those are the players we will be highlighting below.
Most of these 10 NBA players with one championship ring also solidified their careers with other major accomplishments that add to their standing in NBA history. They are former MVPs, Defensive Player of the Year winners, All-Stars, and All-NBA Team selections. Now, it is time to narrow it down to the 10 greatest.
These are the 10 greatest players in NBA history to win just one championship ring.
10. Clyde Drexler
Credit: Fadeaway World
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-2
Career Stats: 20.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.6 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Career Achievements: 10x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team Selection
Clyde Drexler spent 15 seasons in the NBA from 1984 through 1998 with two teams, the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. He was Portland’s 14th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft and would go on to rival Michael Jordan as the best shooting guard in basketball over the next decade.
Drexler was a long and athletic two-way guard, standing 6’7’’ and weighing 210 pounds. In his first 12 seasons with Portland, he averaged 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. In 1990, he helped lead the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals where they would fall to the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons in five games. Two seasons later, he would lead them to the Finals again but ran into a Chicago Bulls budding dynasty led by Michael Jordan who put the debate between the two players to rest in six games and never looked back.
During the 1994-95 season, it became clear that Portland was going to be heading for a rebuild which Drexler wanted no part of. He would be traded to the Rockets and join forces with Hakeem Olajuwon in order to chase the championship that had eluded him all those years. In 35 games for the Rockets to close the year, he averaged 21.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. Then, miraculously, Drexler would help the Rockets capture their second NBA title in a row by taking down the Orlando Magic in the Finals in a four-game sweep. Drexler averaged 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on the entire playoff run to finally capture the NBA championship.
9. Nikola Jokic
Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-0
Career Stats: 20.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Career Achievements: 2x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA Team Selection
Nikola Jokic is already one of the greatest players in NBA history to win just one championship ring, and he is the only player on this list still adding to his legacy. As a scorer, playmaker, and passer, we have never seen a specimen like Jokic who is one of the most offensively sound and talented players at the center position in NBA history.
Jokic’s rise toward the top of the NBA began in 2019-20 when he led the Nuggets to their first Conference Finals appearance. The following season, he would capture his first MVP award, becoming the first player in Nuggets history to capture the award. The following season, in 2022, Jokic would repeat as MVP by nearly averaging a triple-double with 27.1 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.
The 2022-23 season would be his best season to date. Despite not winning the MVP as he probably should have, what Jokic would accomplish would be far more special. Jokic would not only lead the Nuggets to their first NBA Finals appearance in NBA history against the Miami Heat, but he would make easy work of his opponents in five games to win their first championship ever. Jokic would claim Finals MVP honors with 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game.
8. Bob Pettit
Credit: Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-3
Career Stats: 26.4 PPG, 16.2 RPG, 3.0 APG
Career Achievements: 2x MVP, 1x Rookie Of The Year, 11x All-Star, 4x All-Star Game MVP, 11x All-NBA Team Selection
Bob Pettit might just have the greatest career of any NBA player who played 11 seasons or less in the NBA. Pettit played just 11 seasons from 1955 through 1965 with the St. Louis Hawks where he became a 2x MVP, 2x Scoring champion, and a rebounding champion in 1956. Pettit was a consistent and offensively lethal power forward who never averaged less than 20.0 points or 12.0 rebounds per game in any season of his career.
While Pettit was able to lead the Hawks to four different NBA Finals in his career, none were more special than in 1958. Up against the Boston Celtics led by Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, Pettit and the Hawks had their work cut out for them. In the six-game series, Pettit would average 29.3 points and 17.0 rebounds per game to take the Celtics down, handing them their only Finals loss of the Bill Russell era. In Game 6, Pettit sealed the championship with 50 points and 19 rebounds. It is still the only NBA title in the history of the Hawks franchise.
7. Jason Kidd
Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-2
Career Stats: 12.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x Rookie of the Year, 10x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Team Selection, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection
Although you might think that Jason Kidd is a little too high up on this list, his career warrants much more respect than it gets these days. Kidd rewrote what a typical NBA point guard was supposed to look like as a passer, playmaker, defender, and even a rebounder.
Jason Kidd tormented defenses with his constant adaptations and seemingly 360-degree vision. In the late 90s and early 2000s with the Suns and Nets, Kidd captured five assists titles while also averaging around 15.0 points and 2.0 steals per game. In 2002 and 2003, Kidd was a top-five MVP candidate who took a very underwhelming New Jersey Nets roster to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances, falling only to dynasties in the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.
It would not be until much later in his career, with the Dallas Mavericks, that he would be able to finally call himself an NBA champion. Kidd was a starter for the 2011 Mavericks team who marched their way to the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Kidd would start all six games and averaged 7.7 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.2 steals per game to help Dallas capture their only championship in team history at 37 years old.
6. Moses Malone
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-1
Career Stats: 20.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.3 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x Finals MVP, 3x MVP, 13x All-Star, 8x All-NBA Team Selection, 2x All-Defensive Team Selection
Somehow, in some way, Moses Malone is still one of the most underrated and underappreciated legends in NBA history. Malone is a three-time MVP who played 19 seasons in the NBA and is one of the greatest players to ever play the center position. Malone is a five-time rebounding champ and the NBA’s all-time leader in offensive rebounds altogether. He captured three MVP awards with two different teams including the Rockets and 76ers, leading both to the NBA Finals once in his career.
In 1981 with the Rockets, Malone led the team to the NBA Finals where they would lose in six games despite Malone’s efforts. He would come back with an MVP season in 1982 averaging 31.1 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. That offseason, Moses Malone would be traded from the Rockets to the 76ers where he would go on a special individual run in 1983.
In his first season in Philadelphia, Malone would capture his third MVP award averaging 24.5 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Alongside Julius Erving and Maurice Cheeks, the 76ers stormed toward the NBA Finals for a date with the Showtime Lakers. Malone dominated the series and opposed big man Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a four-game sweep to win the NBA championship. Malone would receive Finals MVP honors with 25.8 points, 18.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game.
5. Kevin Garnett
Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-1
Career Stats: 17.8 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.4 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x MVP, 1x Defensive Player Of The Year, 15x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 9x All-NBA Team Selection, 12x All-Defensive Team Selection
Coming out of high school in the 1995 NBA Draft, Kevin Garnett was one of the early innovators of the modern-day power forward in the NBA. Garnett could do a little bit of everything on the floor which raised the level of play of everyone who shared the court with him. He was an elite scorer with a beautiful mid-range game as well as a great playmaker and one of the best defenders in all of basketball during most of his career.
In his first 12 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 1996 through 2007, Garnett was only able to get them as far as the Western Conference Finals in 2004 during an MVP campaign despite being one of the best defenders in the game. In those 12 seasons, he averaged 20.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game but the organization failed to build a substantial team around him to win. It would be in 2008 when he was traded to the Boston Celtics that we would finally see Garnett become a champion.
In his first season with the Celtics, Garnett would lead the team by becoming the Defensive Player of the Year averaging 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. The team would go on to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the NBA Finals that year. Even though he didn’t win Finals MVP, Garnett was Boston’s biggest advantage with 18.2 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. In 2010, the Celtics and Garnett would have their second chance at a ring but fell to Kobe Bryant’s Lakers in seven games.
4. Dirk Nowitzki
Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-1
Career Stats: 20.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 14x All-Star, 12x All-NBA Team Selection
Coming out of Germany in the 1998 NBA Draft, Dirk Nowitzki would go on to be the face of the stretch forward movement during the 2000s and 2010s. Standing 7’0’’, Nowitzki went on to become the greatest three-point shooting big man in NBA history as well as a true three-level scoring threat. He is one of the greatest mid-range shooters ever, armed with his unguardable one-legged fadeaway.
One narrative that haunted the first half of his career and beyond was his constant collapses in the NBA playoffs. Whether it was losing to an eighth-seeded Warriors team in 2007 or his first Finals loss after being up 2-0 in 2006, Nowitzki always found a way to fall apart in his team’s biggest moments. Then, 2011 happened.
In one of the greatest runs in NBA playoff history and one of the most difficult of the last 20 years, Nowitzki and the Mavericks would defeat the Trail Blazers, defending champion Lakers, and young star-studded Thunder to make their way back to the NBA Finals. There, they met the Miami Heat led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. After falling down 2-1 in the series, Nowitzki locked in to lead Dallas to three straight wins and their first championship in NBA history. He earned Finals MVP honors as well, taking down the Miami Heat Big 3 in the process.
3. Jerry West
Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-8
Career Stats: 27.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 6.7 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x Finals MVP, 14x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 12x All-NBA Team Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection
Jerry West aka “The Logo” is one of the most iconic and legendary players in the history of the game. His silhouette is literally the symbol of the Association and his impact on the game is still felt today as he made an impact in coaching and managerial roles as well. With the Lakers over the course of 14 seasons, West led them to nine NBA Finals, meaning he played in an NBA Finals for 64.3% of his career.
We should all be fortunate that Jerry West didn’t have the luxury of a three-point line given his ability to score from that distance regularly without one. Even though West’s championship dreams were often thwarted by Hall of Fame-riddled teams like the Celtics and Knicks, he still rose above the competition on most nights. He even won his only Finals MVP award in a loss in 1969, the only player to do so in NBA history.
West would finally get the proverbial monkey off his back in 1972 when the Lakers took down the New York Knicks in five games. West would contribute greatly with 19.8 points and 8.8 assists per game to finally become world champion in his eighth attempt in the Finals. After his career was over, West would be responsible for future Lakers dynasties such as the Shaq and Kobe era as well as the Warriors in the 2010s.
2. Julius Erving
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-3
Career Stats: 24.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 4.2 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.7 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x MVP, 11x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 7x All-NBA Team Selection
When the NBA and ABA merged in 1976, many of their upper-tier talent came over in the deal. The biggest of them all was Julius Erving aka “Dr.J” who had tormented the ABA with two championships and three MVP awards in his five seasons with the league before merging. The domination would not stop in the NBA either.
Almost immediately, Erving made the 76ers a serious powerhouse In his first season in the NBA, Erving would lead Philadelphia to the NBA Finals, falling to the Trail Blazers in six games. They would also make it once again in 1980, falling to rookie Magic Johnson and the Lakers in six games as well. In 1982, they would suffer yet another Finals loss at the hands of the Lakers, giving Erving all the motivation he needed to get the job done the very next season.
In 1983, Erving would finally get the chance to call himself an NBA champion when the 76ers swept the Lakers in four games thanks to the addition of Moses Malone and a tremendous two-way effort from Erving. In his 11 seasons 9in the NBA, Erving inspired a generation of players that ushered in the era after his. There has never been another player like Erving and his impact on the game should never and will never be understated.
1. Oscar Robertson
Credit: Malcolm Emmons – USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 1
NBA Finals Record: 1-1
Career Stats: 25.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Career Achievements: 1x MVP, 1x Rookie Of The Year, 12x All-Star, 3x All-Star Game MVP, 11x All-NBA Team Selection
Before Russell Westbrook became the King of the Triple-Double, there was Oscar Robertson. In his 14 seasons of play from 1961 through 1974, Robertson broke the mold for NBA point guards as a scorer, passer, playmaker, defender, and rebounder. There was nothing he couldn’t do on the court with a scoring title and seven assists titles in his first 10 seasons with the Cincinnati Royals.
The only issue was that even with his outstanding play, the Royals could never get over the hump and make it to even compete in an NBA Finals series. While Robertson accumulated stats and awards such as the 1964 MVP, he got little support in his pursuit of an NBA title. That all changed in 1970 when he was traded to the Bucks ahead of the 1970-71 season. The addition of Robertson alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made for one of the most unstoppable duos in the league who were rewarded for their play immediately.
In their first season together, Kareem would win an MVP award while Robertson chipped in with 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. They would go on to face the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals that season as well. Robertson and the Bucks took care of business in four games and although Kareem won Finals MVP, they did not get there or win without Oscar’s 23.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game. Oscar’s impact on basketball and career full of numbers and accomplishments that have rarely been seen since makes him the greatest player in NBA history with one championship ring.
