NBA

NBA Stars Who Repeatedly Choked Away The Postseason

Darren - November 14, 2022

NBA

NBA Stars Who Repeatedly Choked Away The Postseason

Darren - November 14, 2022

Carmelo Anthony

It’s a travesty that Anthony retired without winning an NBA ring because he was one of the best players of his generation. The 10-time All-Star had a brilliant career with the Nuggets. He helped them to the Conference Finals but never made it to the promised land of the championship (via Fansided).

Then he joined the Knicks and it all went downhill for his hopes of winning a ring. Anthony was still excellent but suffered from injuries at key points. Meanwhile, the erratic Knicks never assembled a roster that was capable of competing. He went on a nomadic tour of the NBA after this but never came close to a win.

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Steve Nash

Nash’s career shares many parallels with that of John Stockton except that he played for multiple franchises. Nonetheless, Nash also enjoyed incredible longevity and overcame his athletic deficiencies. He won the NBA MVP award twice during his time with the Phoenix Suns and was also an eight-time All-Star.

But Nash never won an NBA Finals despite his best efforts. It’s fair to say that Nash wasn’t as good as Stockton, especially when it came to steals. This meant that he failed to influence the Suns’ postseasons in the same manner. While it’s less of a travesty that he didn’t win a ring, he remains one of the best without one (via New York Post).

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Reggie Miller

It’s always fantastic when a player of Miller’s quality spends their entire career with a single franchise. Miller was a phenomenal sharp-shooter whose loyalty to the Indiana Pacers deserves immense respect. He earned a fortune playing for them but he sacrificed his dream of winning an NBA Championship (via Forbes).

However, the Pacers made the Finals once in his 18-year career in 2000. This was also the first and only time in franchise history that they achieved this landmark. Unfortunately, they came up against the Lakers at the peak of their powers. Miller had a good series but couldn’t outpoint Shaq and Kobe Bryant.

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Chris Paul

It’s astounding that Paul has failed to win an NBA Finals after such a long career. However, he faces retiring without the coveted prize after he missed a golden opportunity with the Suns. The Bucks ended their long drought but inflicted pain upon Paul and his teammates. Nonetheless, he is one of the best point guards of all time and a true modern great.

Paul passes the ball brilliantly and is a conductor for his teams. The 12-time All-Star led the league in assists for five seasons. He went one better when it came to steals but has a mixed record in the postseason. If he played for the Lakers he might be a multiple-time NBA champion but that never happened (via The Sports Rush).

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Pete Maravich

Maravich enjoyed 10 seasons in the NBA and made the postseason four times. However, he only appeared in the Conference Finals once and failed to win. This means that he’s one of the greatest NBA players who never won a Championship ring. The five-time All-Star also became a Hall of Famer.

Tragically, he died at the age of 40 due to a a heart condition. He had so much more to give to basketball and could have been a brilliant coach. There’s no way to overstate his offensive capabilities because his talent was immense. Maravich was a prolific scorer and led the NBA in scoring in 1977 (via Sportscasting).

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Patrick Ewing

Nobody personifies the New York Knicks like Ewing because he is their greatest-ever player. The brilliant center never won an NBA Championship despite playing in two Finals. However, Ewing was one of several great NBA players who missed the opportunity to claim a ring (via The Spun).

That’s primarily because of the Jordan-led Bulls’ dynasty that dominated the ’90s. Ewing was an 11-time All-Star and also made the 1990 All-NBA First Team. His best opportunity to win a ring came against the Rockets in 1994. But the Knicks failed to sustain a series lead and threw the chance away.

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Dominique Wilkins

Wilkins is a classic example of a brilliant player on a garbage team. He starred for the Atlanta Hawks during an era when they had no real chance of competing against stronger rivals. This was when the Pistons’ “Bad Boys” era was at its peak and the Celtics had a good run too. Despite this, Wilkins stood out as a diamond in a bed of coal (via Sporting News).

He averaged 27 points per game across his 11-year career as one of the top NBA players of his day. Unfortunately, the Hawks failed to build a roster around the nine-time All-Star. One player can’t do everything by himself but Wilkins tried. Many people don’t immediately think of him because he played for Atlanta but he was a modern great.

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