1) Steve Kerr (’97-’98 Bulls and ’98-’99 Spurs)

Over the last 27 years, Kerr has earned nine championship rings. In other words, he’s averaging an NBA title every three seasons, an incredible accomplishment in the salary cap era. The latest four have come as coach of the Warriors but the first five were earned out there on the court as a sharp-shooting guard. Kerr signed as a free agent with the Bulls in 1994 and became a key piece in the second Michael Jordan era, earning a trio of championships rings. While Kerr exclusively came off the bench during those three title seasons, he was usually on the floor in crunch time and was an unlikely hero with the winning shot in the clinching game six of the 1997 NBA Finals. When the Bulls disbanded in 1998, Kerr was traded to another burgeoning dynasty in San Antonio, winning two further titles before retiring as a champion in 2003. In addition to his inclusion on this list, Kerr was also the second non-Bill Russell Celtics player ever to win four consecutive NBA titles and one of just three players (along with Robert Horry and John Salley) to win multiple titles with multiple teams.

2) Patrick McCaw (’17-’18 Warriors and ’18-’19 Raptors)
3) Chris Boucher (’17-’18 Warriors and ’18-’19 Raptors)

In his only appearance for the Warriors in ’17-’18, Boucher played one minute and logged one rebound in a win over the Lakers. But when the season ended with a second straight title, he was awarded a championship ring alongside Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and all the rest. That list also includes McCaw, who played light minutes but started a handful of games for Golden State that season, including during the playoffs when Durant was injured. Both Boucher and McCaw made their way to the Raptors in ’18-’19, the former as an occasional call up from the D-League (where he earned league MVP) and the latter as a late season signing. While Boucher didn’t make an appearance in the 2019 NBA Finals against his former Warriors team, McCaw did log some garbage time as the Raptors pulled off the upset. They became the first two players ever to win an NBA championship and then defeat their former team in the next year’s Finals. McCaw also became just the eighth player to win championships in their first three NBA seasons, and just the third to do so without Bill Russell as their teammate.

4) Pep Saul (’50-’51 Royals and ’51-’52 Lakers)

An answer to the trivia question of who was the first player to win four straight NBA championships? No, it was not Bill Russell or any of his teammates. It was Saul, a shooting guard who played just six total NBA seasons in the early ’50s. Drafted by the Rochester Royals in 1949, Saul joined a team on the precipice of title contention. In his second season, the Royals broke through, upsetting the rival Lakers in the Western Division Finals and then defeating the Knicks in the NBA Finals. But Saul was unhappy with his playing time and granted a trade request that offseason to the Baltimore Bullets. Early in the ’51-’52 season he was traded again, this time to the Lakers. It was the best of both worlds for Saul, who got to play on the league’s best team and also put up the best stats of his career. When the Lakers closed out the Division Finals against his former Royals teammates, Saul was the leading scorer with 18 points. He earned further championships with the Lakers in 1953 and 1954 but was soon after forced to retire due to a leg injury.

5) Danny Green (’18-’19 Raptors and ’19-’20 Lakers)

While the attention was rightfully focused on LeBron James’ legacy when the Lakers clinched the 2020 championship, Green also made history in his own right. He and James became the third and fourth NBA players to win a title with three different teams, joining Robert Horry and John Salley. Green also became just the fifth player to win back-to-back titles with two different teams. Improbably, three of the five were teammates on the ’18-’19 Raptors, with Green on the roster alongside Patrick McCaw and Chris Boucher. Green’s title with Toronto was the second of his career, having previously won one with the ’13-’14 Spurs. Two things that set Green apart from the other players on this list: 1) he was in the starting lineup for both titles, and 2) he came relatively close to a third consecutive title with a third team as his 76ers reached the 2021 Conference Semifinals.