NBA History: 5 Greatest players who deserved to win an NBA title but didn't
Throughout NBA history, there have been several great players. Most of those players have accomplished great things and are Hall-of-Famers or future Hall-of-Famers. Some of these players have won several championships during their career. These players led their teams and brought a championship to their respective cities.
For example, Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan won six championships during his time with the Bulls. Jordan is commonly referred to as one of the greatest players in NBA history, and he accomplished several things as a player. On top of being a six-time champion, Jordan is a five-time MVP, a 10-time scoring champion, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. Jordan's accomplishments are what make him an NBA legend.
Other examples include Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin "Magic" Johnson and even current players such as LeBron James or Kevin Durant. These players accomplished great things individually but also for their team.
While there are several other players with such accolades, some did not win championships.
In this case, players such as George Gervin, Dominique Wilkins, Allen Iverson, and Steve Nash are excellent players, but they did not win championships. Some of these players tried to join contending teams as they hoped to win a championship. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and these players never won the championships they desired. They are not only ones, as many others did not accomplish that task. Here are the five greatest players who should have won an NBA championship but didn't.
#5 John Stockton
John Stockton was an exceptional point guard that played for the Utah Jazz. He was the 16th pick of the 1984 draft. Stockton played 19 seasons in the NBA, each of them with the Jazz.
Stockton is one of the greatest point guards to play the game. He had a high basketball IQ and a knack for finding his teammates. He and his teammate Karl Malone made up one of the league's best duos as they mastered the pick and roll.
Stockton is the all-time assists leader with a total of 15,806 assists. The only player to come close is Jason Kidd, who is in second place with 12,091. Stockton's passing skills were top-notch, and his assists record will be tough to beat.
He is also the all-time leader in steals. Stockton had 3,265 steals in his career, and like assists, only Kidd is close to him.
With the Jazz, Stockton made the NBA Finals twice. They made it to the NBA Finals in back-to-back seasons, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls. Despite losing, Stockton made a name for himself and had an amazing, legendary career.
He was a 10-time All-Star, two-time steals leader, nine-time assists leader, and made different All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams. Stockton never won a championship (and deserved to) but still managed to have a noteworthy career. If he can accomplish great things, other players who did not win championships can do the same.