Active NBA Players With The Most Rings: LeBron James And 4 Warriors Players Lead With 4 Rings
There are only 16 players in the NBA right now that have more than two championships. You read that correctly. While there remain a decent amount of players that own at least one championship, there are just 16 players that have two rings. For that statistic alone, it should create more respect for the players that have won multiple championships in their careers.
Some of these active players, they are getting up there in years. Others have some prime seasons left and are still hunting down more rings in their collection. Some legends are chasing down a spot in the top-5 greatest players of all time, while another is chasing down the great Michael Jordan and his spot at the top of the greatest player of all-time discussion.
Before we get into that, let’s look at the facts. Winning multiple titles is extremely hard. Making an NBA Finals is hard enough. Some players make one NBA Finals in their career. They might have been swept in defeat or taken down in seven games, but the standard has always been trying to win at least one title. For some younger players like Jordan Poole, who is 23 years old, he could go the rest of his NBA career without another championship.
When looking at these specific players that have won championships, five of them own an NBA Finals MVP Award. Two of them own at least two or more Finals MVP Awards. Some of these players are hated by the fans around the league because they are simply great. The fact of the matter is that you can hate these winners, but you have respect for greatness. As the next generation of championship players rolls over into the 2020s, some of these players will be remembered as all-time legends.
With that said, let’s dive into the active players that won multiple championships.
2 Rings - Tier
Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Rajon Rondo, Chris Boucher, Quinn Cook, Damian Jones
The first two players were both Finals MVP winners for their championships. Durant went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 as a member of the Warriors. Durant was the leader of the pack in both Finals. In 2017, he averaged 35.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.6 blocks in five games. Then, the Warriors ran it back by sweeping the Cavaliers. Durant lost a total of one game in nine tries against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. In 2018, he averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.3 blocks.
Leonard won with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. He played great defense on LeBron James and was the second-leading scorer. In 2019, he won with the Toronto Raptors, where he averaged 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 40.5 minutes of action. Leonard, like Durant, will be in contention for winning a third ring next season.
Rondo played on the 2008 Boston Celtics, where he was a starter alongside Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Rondo averaged 9.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 27.0 minutes per game. The more impressive championship run likely came in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers. There, he was the fourth-leading scorer during the Finals, averaging 8.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.0 steals in 26.0 minutes per game.
Both Chris Boucher and Damian Jones were lucky players. They were carried to two championship rings in the Finals. Neither player made an appearance in the Finals but was rewarded with rings for their contributions during the regular season. Boucher and Jones were members of the 2018 Golden State Warriors, while Jones was a member of the 2017 team. Boucher won a title with the Raptors in 2019.
Cook was in a similar situation. He did make an appearance with the 2018 Finals team, which included two games and a total of four minutes combined. He joined the Lakers in 2019-20 and was a part of that championship squad. For those Finals, he played in two games and three minutes combined. Altogether, Cook won two titles with seven combined minutes playing. To be fair, he had his most productive season in his career in 2019-20, where he averaged 11.5 minutes, 5.1 points, and shot 36.5% from the three-point range. Since 2021, he is not in the NBA, but he is still the active player.
3 Rings - Tier
Danny Green, Kevon Looney, JaVale McGee, Patrick McCaw, Udonis Haslem
Green could win another title after he heals up. He is likely to miss all of next season due to injury. When healthy, he was a sharpshooter and a tough perimeter defender. His expertise as a role player helped him win a title with the Spurs in 2014, the Raptors in 2019, and the Lakers in 2020. Altogether, Green is going to be a sought commodity when healthy.
If the Warriors can keep the team together, Looney could rise the charts. Looney did not make an appearance in the Finals in 2017. Then, Looney was used sparingly on the 2018 championship team, playing a combined 39 minutes. The championship he won with the 2022 squad was well-earned. His offensive rebounding was key. He was the second-leading rebounder on the team at 7.5 per game and the closest person to a big man.
McGee was in a similar boat as McCaw in 2017. He played a combined 22 minutes, which was 12 minutes less than McCaw. That load increased in 2018 when he was sometimes a starter in the playoffs. He averaged 8.0 points per game, which was the fifth-best on the team in 13.8 minutes per game. That was his best contribution to a championship team as he did not play a game in 2020, but played 68 regular-season games, averaging 6.6 points and 5.7 rebounds.
McCaw was a member of three straight winners from 2017 to 2019. The first two titles came with the Warriors. In 2017, he made five appearances and averaged 6.8 minutes of action. He provided 2.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. The following year, he played in only 11 combined minutes, while in 2019 with the Raptors, he played only 12 combined minutes. Right now, he is not in the NBA, but he is still an active player and that is the reason why he is still on this list.
Haslem seems to be not worried about leaving the league because at 42 years old, he is the oldest player in the NBA. Haslem won all three titles with the Miami Heat in 2006, 2012, and 2013. He is one of two active players that won a championship in the 2000s era. Haslem was a starter for the 2006 team, while he played sparingly for the 2012 and 2013 teams. The Heat was one game away from making the 2022 Finals. Had they made it, who knows what would have happened.
4 Rings - Tier
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala
Many fans like to point to the 4-6 Finals record and compare that to the 6-0 record of Jordan. James had had many opportunities. He made eight straight Finals appearances from 2011 to 2018. He also made an appearance in 2007 and 2020. He won titles and Finals MVP Awards in 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2020. The 2016 title was special as it was the title he dreamed of bringing to Cleveland. James will be 38 years old next season but is coming off a sensational season. His quest of getting to six is starting to close, but first, he must find a way to win No. 5.
Curry won his first Finals MVP in 2022. He had a sensational Finals, which included saving the team in Game 4 with 43 points to avoid going down 3-1 to the Celtics. He averaged 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals. Even with an 0-9 shooting night in Game 5, he still shot over 43% from three-point range. Curry has been the glue of these Warriors and helped this team rise to dynasty status.
Every MVP needs a supporting cast. Iguodala, Thompson, and Green have been just that. Thompson is going to go down as the second-best shooter in the history of the game by the time his career ends. Had Thompson not been injured in Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, the Warriors might have sent that series to seven games. He then missed two straight seasons due to other injuries. His comeback story should go down as one of the most iconic legends in NBA history.
As for Green, he is the modern-day version of Dennis Rodman. While Rodman and Green are different players, the Bulls needed an enforcer from 1996 to 1998. When Rodman played with the Pistons, the whole team was enforcers. Green has no problem being the bad guy. In a world where everyone needs to be liked or wants to always say the right thing, Green has no problem saying the truth but also playing a role that does not always put him in the highlight reels. Take the name off of his jersey. A stat line of 6.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks would be accepted by anyone.
Iguodala was the first Finals MVP of the Warriors dynasty. He won the 2015 award for his defense and for being the second-leading scorer at 16.3 points per game. While Iguodala had a nice series, many believe that Curry should have won Finals MVP for averaging 26.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. In the end, Iguodala was a deserving player and it didn’t matter because Curry would eventually win a Finals MVP Award of his own.
Who Will Be The First To Get The 5th Ring: LeBron Or The Warriors?
If we were to predict the winner of the 2023 championship, the Warriors have one of the best shots to repeat. The core of Curry, Thompson, and Green is not trending in the wrong direction. When healthy, they provided that they can be one of the best lineups on the court. Andrew Wiggins has one year left on his contract, as does Jordan Poole. The rest of the lineup could be brought back. That will depend on what Looney and Gary Payton II decide.
Not to mention, their age is still in a contending zone. Curry will be 35 years old next year, while Thompson and Green will both be 33. Curry seems to be getting better and better as time goes on. Some players like Chris Paul seem to have that switch for when the older they get, they continue to play at a high level. Curry is coming off a season that saw him average 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. His high level of play is not going to drop off that significantly next season.
The Warriors also have a better team that is ready to contend for a championship. Unless the Lakers make some serious moves, the team looks like it is in shambles. The Warriors were 10 players deep last season. The Lakers have only six players on the roster and are going to be pushing the luxury tax. The rest of the roster is going to have to be built with veteran minimum players. That is not going to make the team young and athletic and there are only so many needles in a haystack that you can find that will produce high-quality minutes on that type of contract.
James is going to be 38 years old next season. Anthony Davis is trending towards not being trusted as staying healthy, while everyone is still wondering how Russell Westbrook can fit on this team. Assuming Westbrook opts into his $47 million player’s option, these three players will combine for about $129 million. The only other guaranteed spots for the surrounding cast are Kendrick Nunn, Austin Reaves, and Talen Horton-Tucker.
In the end, the Lakers took a gamble and it’s going to cost James precious time. He has one year left on his contract. When that runs out, he can leave and have one or two years left to push for a title. There is nobody that takes care of their body better than James, which was evident by his play last season. For now, the Warriors have a team that will contend for repeating as champions. If that happens, there will be some serious conversations about Curry contending with James in the all-time rankings.
