Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Elgin Baylor, Allen Iverson, Karl Malone, and Reggie Miller. You know what these players have in common? All of them lack that Larry O’Brien trophy and the big diamond and gold ring.
All of them had their chance at the ultimate goal one time, if not more. These players are all phenomenal talents, but the lack of a title will always be an asterisk on their careers when they are placed on the all time greats list. Is that fair though?
What are Real Chances for Players?
When you look at NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics dominate the championship list. It dates back all the way to the 50’s and the Minneapolis Lakers. Between those two franchises, they have 33 titles, which is just under half of the total amount of titles. Teams that have the most up next? The Philadelphia/Golden State Warriors with six, but three of those came within the past four years. The other one is the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bulls squad in the 90’s with six titles.
The San Antonio Spurs have five titles, but that has been just over the last twenty years during the Tim Duncan dynasty. Between those five teams, that makes 50 titles over the last 71 years. A handful of other teams may have one, two, or three titles, but that list is very limited. Unless you were doing the one-year contracts and bouncing around the league like the trend that has taken over the league today, your chances at a ring were a long shot.
When Does Ring Count Matter?
Since so few players have got to experience the taste of the championship champagne and enjoy the championship parade, this question can get tricky to answer. It really should only be asked when you are talking the greatest of all time. Even if you won the titles, though, you had to be the leader of that team to get the real recognition.
Most people say Jordan is the GOAT, but if we are going on ring count, it should actually be Bill Russell. During his historic career, Russell won 11 titles. That’s one for every finger plus one extra on the pinky for the youngsters to kiss when they except the Finals MVP trophy that is named after him.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar needs to be taken into consideration as well. He also has six titles to go along with the most point scored all time. The points feat alone should place him in the GOAT conversation right away, but he tends to get overlooked. When do we stop asking who the GOAT is and judge players on their careers in the league and the impact they left on the association?
Ring Chasing Ruining the League?
The league nowadays is so fixated on the idea of getting that ring, that if you don’t within five years you might as well retire. Very few teams over the past few years have had legitimate shots. If you were in the east in the last decade, there was this guy named LeBron James that ruled the conference. Luckily for the east, James took his talents to La La Land in California.
Golden State gets criticized for being the definition of super team, which is completely understandable nowadays. That wasn’t the case though at first. At first it was just smart drafting (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green) and small but key signings. Pickups like Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut are an example of that. When they added Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins, it looked like playing NBA 2K with the cap turned off. Granted Cousins has been injured essentially all season, so he has been somewhat of a non-factor.
Luckily, there are a few players in the league that want to stick with their squads thru thick and thin. Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are some of the talents that are willing to stick with their squad even if they win a title or not with their franchise. They are guys that have said they want to spend their careers with their original squad.
Is It Ever Okay?
This is when the real question steps in. Is there ever a time that bouncing around from team to team to get the title okay? If you are at the tail end your career, possibly. Playing that role player position, sure. When you are in the prime of your career and joining other players in their prime can be considered “soft” and took the easy way out. Is that a fair thing to say? A little bit, but considering you get condemned if you don’t have a ring, it’s understandable.
In the end, though, it just matters how the individual player wants to be remembered. A player that took the easy way out and super team’d up, or the ones that hustled fought their entire career and just came up short.
