10 Youngest NBA Players To Win An NBA Championship

Winning an NBA championship can be a career-long goal for many superstars in the NBA. For some NBA legends, the goal of an NBA championship was never achieved, no matter how good they played or how stacked their team was at the time. However the cards fell, they fell and some players were left ringless which can be a major hit to one’s legacy as a basketball player on the professional level. On the flip side of that, there are players who have won NBA championships at an extremely young age and accomplished what many work their entire lives for in no time at all. 

Now, not all of these players are your Finals MVPs or major contributors to an NBA title. Some of these players were drafted to the perfect situation at the perfect time and rode the bench to an NBA championship, which is still a championship nonetheless. Not everyone can be Magic Johnson and win Finals MVP as a rookie ascending to superstardom almost immediately upon arrival to the NBA. Some of these youngsters that won NBA championships went on to have solid or even elite NBA careers and others, well fell into obscurity. Regardless, no one can ever take away their claim to being an NBA champion.

These are the 10 youngest NBA players to win an NBA championship.

10. Johnny Davis – 21 Years, 277 Days Old

Unless you are a diehard NBA fan over the past 50 years, the name Johnny Davis may not be familiar to you. Davis was a 6’2’’ guard out of Portland that was drafted in the second round of the 1976 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Drafted to a team that already had Lionel Hollins and Herm Gilliam at their guard spots, Davis had to fight for minutes as a rookie. He was still able to get some play off the bench in 79 games at just over 18.0 minutes per night. As the playoffs approached, the Trail Blazers valued Davis’ defensive ability even greater and he received more playing time.

As a rookie in the 1977 season, Davis averaged just 8.0 PPG, 1.9 APG, and 0.5 SPG in 79 appearances. During the playoffs, Davis saw a considerable amount of time on the court at 27.0 minutes per game and it paid off for the Trail Blazers. Davis would average 10.5 PPG, 3.3 APG, and 1.8 SPG, giving Portland a much-needed boost. Portland would win the NBA championship and Davis would be out of Portland by the end of 1978. Davis would also play for the Pacers, Hawks, and Cavaliers in his 10-year career and averaged 17.0 PPG at his peak.

9. Andrew Bynum – 21 Years, 230 Days Old

Andrew Bynum is one of the most peculiar cases in Los Angeles Lakers history. He had all the talent to be a perennial All-Star and Lakers legend. He was shifty in the post and wasn’t afraid to get physical with any opponent he was up against, just ask Shaq. After being drafted 10th overall in 2005, Bynum would go on to play just 46 games his rookie season, a microcosm of what was to come to be expected from him for the rest of his career. 

Bynum would struggle with knee injuries for most of his career even when he was playing his best basketball. In 2008 when the Lakers went to the Finals but lost to Boston, Bynum played in just 35 games with 25 starts for that entire season. In the 2009 season, Bynum would make 50 starts for the Lakers and averaged 14.3 PPG along with 8.0 RPG and 1.8 BPG. Things were looking up until he fell apart in the playoffs with just 6.3 PPG and 3.7 RPG. The Lakers would go on to win the NBA title and Bynum was an NBA champion at just 21 years old. After another title in 2010, Bynum would be an All-Star in 2012 when he averaged 18.7 PPG and 11.8 RPG. Bynum would miss the entire 2013 season with a knee injury before playing just 26 games for the Cavaliers in 2014. He retired after the season and never played in the NBA again.

8. Vern Mikkelsen – 21 Years, 184 Days Old

You have to go all the way back to 1950 in order to catch up with the eighth spot on our list and Vern Mikkelsen. Drafted 11th overall in the 1949 BAA Draft, Mikkelsen became a member of the Minneapolis Lakers with George Mikan and company. The Lakers would win four championships in Mikkelsen’s first five seasons in the NBA which accounted for all of Mikkelsen’s career championships.

As a rookie, Mikkelsen averaged 11.6 PPG on 39.9% shooting for the Lakers who would win 51 of their 68 games played that season. In the playoffs, Mikkelsen stepped it up a bit with 13.0 PPG but still shot just 36.9% from the floor. In the Finals against the Syracuse Nationals, Mikkelsen’s teammate George Mikan was clearly the best player on the floor and led them to a championship in six games over Syracuse. Mikkelsen held his own though as one of three players for the Lakers to average double-digit scoring in the series joining Mikan and Jim Pollard. Mikkelsen would go on to make six All-Star teams and four All-NBA teams in his 10-year NBA career.

7. James Wiseman – 21 Years, 77 Days Old

James Wiseman being drafted second overall put him in a position that many young players get put into way too quickly in their careers. Wiseman was supposed to be the guy that saved the Warriors’ frontcourt due to their lack of size and depth in their frontcourt positions. Unfortunately for Wiseman, he was dealt a tough hand at the start of his career. He played just 39 games as a rookie and missed his entire second season with a knee injury which is the season that the Warriors won their fourth title in eight seasons. 

As a beneficiary of the Warriors dynasty, Wiseman had even more expectations placed upon him by Warriors fans and media, who were hungry for a fifth title. Kind of a selfish bunch, eh? Anyway, Wiseman struggled for a bit to start the 2022-23 campaign with no relief from criticism, even after missing 125 games over two years. Wiseman was traded to the Pistons at this year’s 2022-23 trade deadline, where fans and media alike will be much more lenient with his development.

6. Tony Parker – 21 Years, 29 Days Old

Who knew Tony Parker was this young when the Spurs won their second NBA championship in 2003? Maybe it is just me, but Parker always looked like he was in his later 30s or 40s, but anyway, I digress. Parker is perhaps the most underrated point guard in the history of the game, and if you don’t think he is, he is at least in the Top Three. If Duncan was the heart and soul of the Spurs dynasty, Parker was the brains and together, they accomplished things not many in NBA history can say they did.

Parker was 19 years old when he made his NBA debut with the Spurs in 2001-02. He had a typical rookie season that saw him start 72 games and average 9.2 PPG, 4.3 APG, and 1.2 SPG. In his second season, Parker took a considerable leap and averaged 15.5 PPG, 5.3 APG, and 0.9 SPG. The Spurs would take on the Nets in the NBA Finals with Parker as their starting point guard. Parker would be the Spurs’ second-leading scorer with 14.0 PPG and also added 4.2 APG. Duncan would win his second Finals MVP, but for Parker, it was his first NBA championship making him the sixth youngest player in NBA history to do so.

5. Magic Johnson – 20 Years, 276 Days Old

Magic Johnson is widely regarded as the greatest point guard in NBA history. We have seen all types of playmakers make their mark on the game over the course of NBA history but nobody, and I mean nobody, did it like Magic. He saw the floor with what seemed like 360-degree vision, and half the time defenders had no clue if he was going to finish a play himself or dump it off to a teammate while looking in the other direction. He ran the fast break better than anyone I have ever seen and made his teammates infinitely better every time he stepped on the court.

If you do not believe what I am saying about Magic, look no further than his rookie season with the Lakers. From the moment the opening tip was thrown in the air for the 1979-80 season, the world knew Magic was going to be special. He was an All-Star as a rookie with 18.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 7.3 APG, and 2.4 SPG. The Lakers made their way to the Finals, where they met the 76ers led by Julius Erving. Magic and Kareem did their jobs to perfection for the first five games of the series, but with Kareem out for Game Six, the Lakers turned to a rookie to bring the title home. Magic delivered scoring 42 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and dishing out seven assists to declare victory for L.A. He would win the Finals MVP award and go on to have the greatest career for a point guard ever.

4. Moses Moody – 20 Years, 16 Days Old

Imagine becoming an NBA champion just two weeks after your 20th birthday. That is exactly what Moses Moody accomplished in 2022 with the Golden State Warriors. Now, Moody was in his rookie season after being selected 14th overall by the Warriors in the 2021 NBA Draft. He struggled to find time on the floor during the regular season registering just 52 appearances and 11 starts but averaging just 11.7 minutes of playing time. He recorded 4.4 PPG and 1.5 RPG during his time on the court.

His playing time even began to dwindle even more in the NBA playoffs. Moody would get 13 games played in the 2022 playoffs and just over 8.0 minutes on the court in each appearance. He averaged just 3.2 PPG and 0.6 RPG during that run. While the Warriors went beast mode to and through the NBA Finals, it was tough to find a spot for Moody to contribute. Moody appeared in four games during the 2022 NBA Finals and a total of 11 minutes on the court during the title run. Moody’s time on the floor has stayed the same once again in 2022-23 as he has appeared in 44 games so far this season at just over 14.0 minutes per game.

3. Talen Horton-Tucker – 19 Years, 321 Days Old

The hype around Talen Horton-Tucker as he came into the NBA at 19 years old was insane. Lakers fans everywhere swore he was going to be a franchise cornerstone for years to come alongside Anthony Davis and LeBron James. They were correct in their assumptions in one capacity, and that is that he had all the talent in the world and could be that guy, it just didn’t work out that way. Horton-Tucker was a fan-favorite and someone the Lakers refused to give up in any sort of trade despite the glaring interest from other teams. In hindsight, they probably should have taken one of the first deals they got.

As a rookie, Talen Horton-Tucker’s hype train suffered a derailment. Due to injuries, his rookie season was cut to just six games and one start before the season was shut down for the COVID-19 pandemic. The layoff and injury were clearly a setback for Horton-Tucker, as he would play just two games in the Bubble Playoffs that season. In his two games, he averaged 7.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 1.0 SPG, so the promise was certainly there. The Lakers would win the 2020 NBA championship by defeating the Heat in six games. It is now three seasons later, and Horton-Tucker is a member of the Utah Jazz where he still has not lived up to any of the hype he was getting as a teenager in Los Angeles.

2. Jonathan Kuminga – 19 Years, 253 Days Old

As you may have noticed, there are a lot of youngsters who benefited greatly from being drafted to already established contenders on this list. Kuminga was another rookie taken by the Warriors in the 2021 NBA Draft but had much more to do with the Warriors’ success than his teammate Moses Moody did. Kuminga would appear in 70 games for the Warriors during the regular season and averaged 9.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 16.9 minutes of action.

Kuminga has clearly established himself as the better option from the 2021 NBA Draft so far in their very young careers. Despite the room for growth and clear talent from Kuming, he would appear in 16 playoff games for the Warriors in 2022 but only with 8.6 minutes of playing time. He was still able to make an impact on both ends of the floor, but in playoff time, the Warriors turned to their stars to bring home a championship. In 2022-23, Kuminga has been on the floor a bit more but has regressed a bit in production. At 20 years old, the potential is there, but will Golden State be the ones to unlock it, or will they move on just as they did from James Wiseman? 

1. Darko Milicic – 18 Years, 361 Days Old

Now we get to break down one of the biggest draft busts in recent memory. Back in the 2003 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons saw fit to draft Darko Milicic out of Serbia with the second overall pick. This was directly after the Cavaliers selected LeBron James and before players like Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were selected. Now, obviously, the pick didn’t hurt Detroit much as they acquired Rasheed Wallace at that year’s trade deadline and went on to win the NBA championship, but I would love to hear what they saw in Darko that they didn’t see in the names I just mentioned.

Milicic was a disappointment from the minute he stepped on the court in 2003-04. During the regular season, he could only muster up 34 appearances and play less than five minutes per game. In the playoffs, Milicic would see eight games of action and less than two minutes on the court per appearance. The truth is, Detroit didn’t need Milicic after they acquired Wallace, and they never really needed him at all. Milicic would play 10 years in the NBA before retiring in 2013 with career averages of 6.0 PPG and 4.2 RPG for six different teams. 

We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.

Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.

Next

NBA Players Who Won The NBA Championship, MVP Award, And Finals MVP In The Same Season: Michael Jordan Did It Four Times

Finals MVP With The Most And Fewest Points Per Game In NBA History

The Greatest All-Time NBA Teams: Michael Jordan And LeBron James Lead The First Team

NBA Players With The Most Championships: Bill Russell Is The Real Lord Of The Rings

The Most Accomplished Active NBA Players: Rings, MVPs And Finals MVPs Combined