3 players who were on the roster of both NBA finalists in the same season
Can a player be on a losing team in the NBA Finals and still win a championship ring? It seems like an unrealistic proposition, but this kind of event has occurred in the past.
If a player signs for a new team mid-season from another Conference that makes the NBA Finals and plays against his former team, he will be eligible to be named an NBA Champion regardless of which team wins eventually.
Phoenix Suns' Torrey Craig is the latest player to find himself in that situation this season. Three players in total, including Craig, have been in a similar spot before.
Let's find out how and when these players managed to achieve this feat below.
#3 Anderson Varejao (2016 NBA Finals)
Anderson Varejao was the first player in the NBA to win a championship ring despite playing on the losing team. This happened during the historic 2016 NBA Finals when the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from being down 1-3 to beat the Golden State Warriors and land their first-ever Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Varejao started the 2015-16 NBA campaign with the Cavaliers, the only team he had played for since his NBA debut in 2004. He signed a three-year $30 million extension with the Cavs in 2014, but after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury at the end of the same year, the franchise decided to move him and get his contract off their books.
He was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers mid-way through the season, who released him within three days of signing him.
Upon being released, Varejao signed with the Golden State Warriors immediately and played for them until February 2017. Varejao was an NBA Champion even before the Warriors and Cavaliers commenced their 2016 NBA Finals series because he had featured on both rosters in the same season.
He declined to accept the ring, however, as he played on the opposing team. Varejao averaged 7.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game throughout his career. He also made his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2020-21 NBA season and played five games for the side.