The NBA championship is the most coveted prize in basketball. It cements legacies and allows players to join an elusive club. However, throughout the years, basketball fans have witnessed some of the greatest players end their basketball careers without a championship ring.
As a result, it isn't surprising that some basketball players engaged in a ring-chasing affair to stack their resume. Let's take a look at the 10 most successful ring chasers in NBA history.
10. Gary Payton
After failing to lead the Seattle Supersonics to an NBA championship, thanks to the Chicago Bulls, Gary Payton joined a star-studded Los Angeles Lakers squad led by Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Karl Malone. However, they were dispatched by the Detroit Pistons.
Nevertheless, Payton's ring-chasing journey eventually found success when he joined the Miami Heat. The Heat went on to become 2006 NBA champions. In the Finals, Payton averaged 2.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
9. Robert Parish
Having played with the Boston Celtics dynasty led by Larry Bird, Robert Parish was an instrumental player in the 80s that saw Boston win three NBA championships. While those championships weren't signs of ring chasing, joining Michael Jordan and the Bulls for the 1996-97 season was.
Parish was part of the Bulls squad that hoisted the NBA championship in 1997, giving Parish his fourth NBA title. He only saw action in the 1997 Eastern Conference Semifinals and averaged 1.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
8. Dwight Howard
There's no question that Dwight Howard was a certified star in the NBA after leading the Orlando Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals. He also was a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, eight-time All-Star, and an eight-time All-NBA Team player. But after playoff failures with the Magic, Howard joined a couple of playoff contenders with the hopes of winning a championship.
This included the loaded 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers and the James Harden-led Houston Rockets. However, it wouldn't be until his second stint with the Lakers when he won an NBA championship as the backup center. Howard averaged 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game to secure his first and only NBA title.
7. Ray Allen
After failing to win a championship as the franchise player for the Seattle Supersonics and the Milwaukee Bucks, Ray Allen attempted to capture the elusive NBA title in the final chapters of his career.
He joined Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Rajon Rondo to form a super team in Boston to win his first NBA championship in 2008. Years later, Allen left Boston to join the Big Three in South Beach, which resulted in his second NBA championship.
6. Quinn Cook
After Quinn Cook bounced around from the Dallas Mavericks to the New Orleans Pelicans, signing with the Golden State Warriors in his sophom*ore year turned out to be a great decision.
He needed only to average 1.0 points per game at the 2018 NBA Finals to win his first NBA title with the Warriors. Two seasons later, Cook averaged 1.5 points per game for the Lakers at the 2020 NBA Finals in the NBA Bubble to secure his second title.
5. James Jones
It certainly reaps benefits when LeBron James loves to play with you. Jones won all three NBA championships with James from his two NBA titles in Miami to his lone championship in Cleveland.
Although Jones is a reputable knockdown shooter, his presence was hardly felt in the postseason. He only averaged fewer than three points per game in all of his championship moments.
4. Patrick McCaw
Securing a three-peat is rare in the NBA. In fact, it has only happened a handful of times, including Bill Russell's Celtics, Michael Jordan's Bulls, and Kobe and Shaq's Lakers. But in the modern era, we got Patrick McCaw.
McCaw won his first two championships in the NBA with the Warriors during his rookie and sophom*ore seasons. In his third year, McCaw joined the Cleveland Cavaliers before they traded him to the Toronto Raptors, which went on to win the 2019 NBA championship.
3. John Salley
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Winning four championships isn't an easy feat. However, a bench warmer like John Salley was able to get it done. In fact, Salley was able to win four championship rings with three different teams.
He initially won two with the Detroit Pistons before winning another with the Bulls in 1996. Salley's final championship came in 2000 as part of the Kobe and Shaq Lakers three-peat. He was the first NBA player in history to win a championship with three different teams.
2. Steve Kerr
It certainly helps to play for dynasties. That seemed to be the case for Steve Kerr. Known as a knockdown shooter, Kerr helped the Bulls secure their second three-peat. Afterwards, he also helped the San Antonio Spurs win a pair of NBA championships.
Despite averaging only 3.6 points on a measly 26% on 3-pointers, Kerr did accumulate a total of five championships as a player. He further added his ring collection as a coach, leading Stephen Curry and the Warriors to four championships.
1. Kevin Durant
After failing to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a championship, Kevin Durant infamously left the team to form a super team in Golden State.
At his prime, Durant joined forces with All-Stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson to capture consecutive NBA championships in three-straight Finals appearances. Until this day, Durant continues to draw criticism for his ring-chasing pursuits.
