All-Time Zero Rings Team: Starting Lineup And Bench

If you were to ask any NBA player why they play the game of basketball, and I guarantee the answer most will give you, aside from the money, is to win an NBA championship. That is the ultimate goal that every player and organization set out to accomplish at the beginning of every NBA season. Unfortunately, for 29 other teams and hundreds of players, there can only be one winner when it is all said and done. With the triumph of an NBA championship comes heartbreak for so many, and some never get the chance to win one again.

There are plenty of NBA superstars and legends who came up just short of an NBA championship in their careers. These players should not be penalized for the lack of a championship on their resume, but ring culture is alive and well. Today, we created a starting lineup and full bench of these ringless superstars. After we have introduced these stars, we will determine if, as a team, these players could hypothetically grab their first NBA championship. The stage is set for one of the most exciting lineup builds that we have presented to you.

Here is the all-time starting lineup and a full bench of the best NBA stars without a championship.

Guard – John Stockton

Career Stats: 13.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 10.5 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Career Achievements: 10x All-Star, 1x All-Star MVP, 11x All-NBA Team Selection, 5x All-Defensive Team Selection

Out of all the great point guards to not win a championship, the one we have chosen is none other than John Stockton to start for our team. Stockton is the perfect floor general to distribute to our wide range of scorers and big men in the paint. He even gets his favorite weapon, Karl Malone, to run that deadly pick-and-roll they had so much success with. Stockton also provides some heavy perimeter defense, with his quick hands and feet that make him such a pest on the ball. The all-time leader in assists and steals is the perfect way to set off our lineup.

Stockton did have his chances during his career to cash in on an NBA championship. The problem is that he ran into Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty. In 1997, the Jazz made it to the NBA Finals behind a 14.4 PPG and 10.5 APG season from Stockton. The Jazz would lose the Finals in 6 games to Chicago and Stockton finished the series with 15.0 PPG and 8.8 APG. The Jazz went back to the Finals in 1998, led by Stockton and Karl Malone. This was thought to be the time that they could finally get the best of Chicago, but they were mistaken. The Jazz again fell to Jordan and the Bulls in 6 games. Stockton had an abysmal series averaging 9.7 PPG and 8.7 APG.

Guard – Allen Iverson

Career Stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Career Achievements: 1x MVP, 1x Rookie of the Year, 11x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 7x All-NBA Team Selection

Allen Iverson’s presence on our team is the first sign of elite scoring. The 4-time scoring champ brings the ability to score from all three levels when he wants to, but more importantly, someone who can penetrate the lane and make tough shots. Having Stockton at the point guard position takes all the pressure off of Iverson as a playmaker and he can focus on being the elite scorer that he is. Much like Stockton, Iverson brings disruptive perimeter defense as well with the ability to clog passing lanes with his quick hands and instincts.

Iverson’s best shot at a championship came in his MVP 2000-01 season. Iverson took home MVP by averaging 31.1 PPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.5 SPG. His PPG and SPG led the NBA. Iverson led the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals for a matchup with the powerhouse defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. No team had beaten the Lakers so far in the 2001 playoffs until Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Iverson dropped 48 points to hand the Lakers their first defeat of the postseason. It would end up being their only defeat of the postseason as they won 4 straight games and claimed their second straight NBA championship. Iverson would never get back to the NBA Finals.

Forward – Elgin Baylor

Career Stats: 27.4 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 4.3 APG

Career Achievements: 1x Rookie of the Year, 11x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 10x All-NBA-Team Selection

As the first prototypical athletic small forward, Elgin Baylor is our starter at the position. Baylor is widely known as one of the best players to never win a ring and oddly enough, one of the great all-time Final performers as well. Baylor was ahead of his time in regard to his athletic ability and the way he played the game. Even though his era was not focused on fancy dunks, Baylor played his game in the air, staying up on jump shots and flying through the paint for fantastic finishes at the basket. He could score in bunches and rebound with the best of them, averaging 13.5 RPG for his career at just 6’5’’ tall.

Baylor appeared in 8 Finals series in his career for a total of 44 games played. In those 44 games, he averaged 26.4 PPG and 13.5 RPG. He shot 42.7% from the field overall during those Finals series as well. Unfortunately for Baylor and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates, they usually met up with the powerhouse Boston Celtics or pesky New York Knicks in the Finals, leading to 8 series losses for Baylor and company. As if coming up short in 8 different Finals series isn’t enough, the Lakers would win the NBA Finals the year after Elgin Baylor retired in 1973.

Forward – Charles Barkley

Career Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Career Achievements: 1x MVP, 11x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 11x All-NBA Team Selection

The first big man that we are sporting out there in our starting lineup is none other than Charles Barkley. He will be our first real physical presence in our lineup and someone this team will rely on to score in the post and grab rebounds as much as possible. Barkley can score in bunches with a crafty low-post game and soft touch on his mid-range jump shots. He can also, from time to time, step out and knock down a three-pointer if need be. On defense, Barkley is at his best off of the ball and baiting defenders into errant passes into the paint. With his high anticipation skills, Barkley can turn those errant passes into fast break opportunities regularly.

Charles Barkley had his best opportunity at a champ[ionship during the 1992-93 season. Barkley was named MVP that year as he averaged 25.6 PPG, 12.2 RPG, and 1.6 SPG to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 62-20 record. The Suns breezed through the Western Conference Playoffs and set up a date with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Finals. Barkley averaged 27.3 PPG, 13.0 RPG, and 1.2 SPG in the series, but the Suns would fall in 6 games. Jordan averaged 41.0 PPG in the series to win Finals MVP. Barkley would never get another chance at an NBA championship.

Forward – Karl Malone

Career Stats: 25.0 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG

Career Achievements: 2x MVP, 14x All-Star, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 14x All-NBA Team Selection, 4x All-Defensive Team Selection

Karl Malone completes our starting frontcourt for our all-time ringless team. Consistency from our bigs was our goal in order to finally deliver a championship, and almost no one was more consistent than Karl Malone. We slide him to our center spot here with a bit of a small-ball lineup, but Malone showed over the course of his career that he can go at elite big men on both sides of the ball. On offense, he can free up the paint by making opposing bigs come out to guard his mid to medium-range jumper. On defense, he is big and physical enough to force opponents further away from the basket than they are comfortable with.

Alongside Stockton, Malone had back-to-back opportunities at an NBA championship in 1997 and 1998. It was clear that Malone was the No. 1 option and main beneficiary of Stockton’s incredible playmaking. In 1997, Malone was the MVP with 27.4 PPG, 9.9 RPG, and 1.4 SPG to lead the Jazz to a 64-18 record. In the Finals loss to the Bulls, he averaged 23.8 PPG and 10.8 RPG. Malone again did everything he could in the 1998 NBA Finals averaging 25.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.2 BPG, but again, were defeated by the Chicago Bulls.

Bench

Guard – Chris Paul

Career Stats: 18.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 9.5 APG, 2.1 SPG, 0.1

Career Achievements: 1x Rookie of the Year, 12x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 11x All-NBA Team Selection, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection

Chris Paul is the perfect point guard off of the bench for our all-time ringless team. Paul is basically the modern version of Stockton when it comes to his offensive game. As a point guard, no one leads an offense from the position quite like Paul, who gets the most out of every teammate he has, especially big men. Paul can also score the ball when he needs to, especially from the mid-range and three-point range at times. Paul is also a fantastic on-ball point guard defender who will throw his weight around and put pressure on guards as soon as they cross half-court.

Over the course of his career, Chris Paul was at the helm of many teams who underachieved and blew opportunities at championships. His lack of playoff success and injury issues are well documented. His best opportunity came just two years ago in the 2021 NBA Finals. Paul and the Phoenix Suns met up with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks to decide the championship. After jumping out to a 2-0 series lead, the Bucks came back to win 4 straight games and rip the Larry O’Brien Trophy right out from under Paul’s feet.

Guard – Steve Nash

Career Stats: 14.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 8.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.1 BPG

Career Achievements: 2x MVP, 8x All-Star, 7x All-NBA Team Selection

The final point guard we are adding to our lineup off of the bench is the final perfect piece, Steve Nash. When our team needs a change of past and really wants to push the tempo of the game, Nash is the perfect player for that role given what we know about his time with the Phoenix Suns. Nash thrives in fast break situations but he can pick apart defenses in set offenses as well. When given opportunities to shoot the ball from deep or a few steps in, Nash is one of the more accurate shooters we have seen in the past 20 years.

Unlike everyone else we have named to our team so far, Nash was never able to make an appearance in the NBA Finals. He was able to make 4 different Western Conference Finals appearances but was obviously eliminated all 4 times. He made one appearance in the Western Conference Finals with the Dallas Mavericks in 2003 and 3 more with the Suns in 2005, 2006, and 2010. The 2005 and 2006 seasons were the seasons he went back-to-back winning the MVP award but came up short each time in delivering a championship. I am willing to bet he’d trade those MVP awards for a ring.

Guard – James Harden

Career Stats: 24.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG

Career Achievements: 1x MVP, 1x Sixth Man of the Year, 10x All-Star, 7x All-NBA Team Selection

For some much-needed scoring and shooting off of our bench, we bring in James Harden. James Harden fit perfectly with the bench unit as a shot-creator, shooter, and overall scorer. Harden stuffs the stat sheet in a variety of ways, including his attack to the basket. Armed with an unstoppable Euro-step and a propensity to draw fouls, Harden will be our No. 1 offensive option off of the bench. He can knock down three-pointers at a decent rate as well and, if in trouble, has no issue distributing the ball amongst his teammates either.

James Harden has had his opportunities at an NBA championship, including early on in his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. In the 2011-12 season, Harden was named Sixth Man of the Year and averaged 16.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.7 APG. The Thunder would make the NBA Finals and match up with LeBron James and the Miami Heat. The Thunder would lose the series in 5 games. As the No. 1 guy on the Houston Rockets, Harden made 2 Western Conference Finals appearances in 2015 and 2018 and lost both times to the eventual champion, the Golden State Warriors.

Center – Patrick Ewing

Career Stats: 21.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 2.4 BPG

Career Achievements: 1x Rookie of the Year, 11x All-Star,7x All-NBA Team Selection, 3x All-Defensive Team Selection

We couldn’t round out our lineup without adding at least one center, so we went ahead and claimed two. The first true big man we are bringing onto the team is Patrick Ewing, who will wreak havoc on both sides of the ball for our squad. Ewing is a fantastic rim protector who averages nearly 2.5 BPG for his career. On offense, he provides a body who can actually succeed often from the post and step out a few feet for a short jumper. The defensive value is the key to Ewing’s presence on our team, but his offensive game is a nice bonus.

Patrick Ewing is yet another player on our list who fell victim to being a part of Michael Jordan’s era. Ewing’s Knicks and Jordan’s Bulls battled it out consistently throughout his career and even more in the postseason. Ewing made 4 appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1993, 1994, 1999, and 2000. His Knicks would go on to make 2 NBA Finals appearances and fall short both times. In 1994 Ewing went toe-to-toe with Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in a hard-fought 7-game series. Ewing averaged 18.9 PPG and 12.4 RPG in the series.

Center – Nikola Jokic

Career Stats: 19.7 PPG, 13.8 RPG, 7.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.7 BPG

Career Achievements: 2x MVP, 4x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team Selection

Our 2nd center and final member of our ringless team is the NBA’s two-time reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic. His placement on our team is unique in the sense that he is probably the only player on this team that has a chance to still capture a championship. That is unless you believe in the Phoenix Suns and Chris Paul. Jokic brings a scoring, rebounding, and playmaking threat from the center position that is perfect to round out our team. He can make plays from the high post to set up easy scoring chances for teammates or he can just finish the play himself with his ability to shoot and put the ball on the floor.

Jokic is just the second player on this team that has never made an NBA Finals appearance but that could be likely to change in the near future. Jokic and the Nuggets have made 1 Western Conference Finals in the 2020 playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers made relatively easy work of the Nuggets in the series, dismissing them in 5 games and eventually winning the NBA championship. After 2 MVP seasons in a row and finally getting his 2 best teammates back from injury, Jokic and the Nuggets are primed more than ever to make another run at a title.

Can This Ringless Squad Finally Deliver Themselves A Championship?

We truly believe that the team we built today of ringless superstars is fully and easily capable of winning an NBA championship together. In our starting lineup, you have the perfect blend of guards to set the tone. There is a defensively adept playmaker in John Stockton running the show beside one of the most elite scores in NBA history, Allen Iverson. The 3 forwards in the lineup round out a strong offensive and defensive presence as well. Elgin Baylor will provide scoring in bunches while Barkley and Malone control the low blocks.

The same well-rounded lineup has been constructed to come off of the bench as well. Chris Paul and Steve Nash are two elite playmakers, with Chris Paul being far more defensively sound and Nash changing the pace of the game to his and the team’s benefit. Harden provides the elite scoring ability and shooting from the perimeter. Ewing and Jokic are perfect fits, with Ewing being a strong and big defensive presence and protecting the rim. Jokic can control the offense from pretty much anywhere on the floor, which is perfect for our 2nd unit. Overall, there is no possible way that this team wouldn’t bring home an NBA championship if it were constructed and thrown into the NBA as we know it. 

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