Top 5 players who never made the NBA Finals ft. Paul George and more
The list of NBA legends who never won a championship consists of all-time greats such as Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone and John Stockton. But all of them have reached the NBA Finals at least once, and were a few wins away from finally getting over the hump.
Then there are greats, some of whom are already in the hall of fame, some who will likely end up there in the future, who never even managed to reach the NBA Finals.
Here are the top five NBA players who never made the finals:
#5. Paul George
With 2,299 points, Paul George is 47th on the list of NBA playoffs scoring leaders. Every single person ahead of him has reached the NBA Finals at least once. So "Playoff P" holds the ignominious distinction of being the leading playoff scorer among players who have never made the finals.
George's teams have had multiple deep playoff runs. In his early years in Indiana, the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back years but were unlucky to run into the Miami Heat led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. They sent them packing in both seasons.
In his post-Indiana career, George has made the conference finals only once. That was in 2021 when his LA Clippers, reeling from an injury to Kawhi Leonard, fell to the Phoenix Suns in six games. Considering that "PG13" is still relatively young, injury gods willing, he will still have opportunities to make the finals.
#4. Alex English
If someone asked you who scored the most points in the 1980s, you'd probably guess Larry Bird or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But the answer is actually Alex English, whose career was overshadowed by the other legends of his era.
Random Nuggets player Thursday:
Alex English is a former NBA player who is best known for his time with the Denver Nuggets. He played for the Nuggets from 1980 to 1990 and was one of the most prolific scorers in the league during that time. English was a small forward who was… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/cq965fJnxv
Despite scoring over 21,000 points in that decade, English only reached one conference finals. That's what happens when you play in the same conference as the "Showtime Lakers," who played spoilsport for the Nuggets on many an occasion.
#3. Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins is one of the most prolific scorers that the game has ever seen. However, like Alex English, Wilkins was unlucky that his prime coincided with some of the greatest teams in the history of the NBA.
Playing in the same conference as the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics dynasty and the Detroit Pistons meant that playoff success was hard to come by. Wilkins never even reached the conference finals during his career.
The closest he came was in 1988 when his team lost to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the second round. Wilkins averaged over 31 points in the series, including a legendary 47-point performance in Game 7. However, his heroics couldn't get the Atlanta Hawks over the finish line as they lost by two points.
#2. Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony, who recently announced his retirement, finished his career with the ninth most points scored in the regular season. Despite being one of the best pure scorers in league history, Anthony never had much success in the postseason.
Among the top 15 regular season scoring leaders, Anthony and Dominique Wilkins are the only two who never reached the NBA Finals.
Anthony spent his prime years with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, only making the conference finals once. That was in 2009 with the Nuggets, who ended up losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. He averaged 27.5 points in that series but the Nuggets were no match for Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
#1. Steve Nash
Only fifteen players in NBA history have been awarded multiple MVP titles. Of those fifteen, Steve Nash is the only one who never reached the NBA Finals. Until recently, he was in good company with Nikola Jokic, but with the Nuggets reaching the finals this year, Nash is now the lone entrant on this list.
Nash reached his first conference finals with the Dallas Mavericks in 2003 where they lost to the eventual champions, the San Antonio Spurs. He'd get back to the conference finals thrice during his stint with the Phoenix Suns, but never managed to get over the hump.
Nash's best opportunity to reach the finals might have been in 2007. However, two of their key starters, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion, received suspensions for their involvement in a brawl during Game 4 of their second-round match-up against the San Antonio Spurs.
With two of their best players missing, the Suns lost two close games and crashed out of the playoffs. Nash's quest for a finals appearance finished in heartbreaking fashion yet again.