1) Elgin Baylor (’71-’72 Lakers)

If you’re wondering how much Baylor cared about his 1972 championship ring, consider that he sold it at auction in 2013 for $137,000 that he probably didn’t need. It was just a 14k gold trinket to Baylor, or even worse a harsh reminder of the eight NBA Finals he played in and lost. Four of those Finals losses came down to a winner-take-all game seven, and three of those games were lost by three points or fewer. In the 1962 and 1963 losses, Baylor put on some of the best individual performances in NBA Finals history but all for naught. By ’71-’72, Baylor was struggling with numerous knee injuries and a ruptured Achilles’ and opted to retire nine games into the season. The Lakers immediately went on a 33-game win streak with Jim McMillian replacing Baylor in the starting lineup, en route to one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history, ending with a title. The ring was awarded to Baylor in recognition of his nine games played but, for all we know, was tossed into a drawer and hidden away for four decades before getting sold.

2) Fred Sheffield (’46-’47 Warriors)

As the Philadelphia Warriors celebrated winning the first title in NBA (then BAA) history in 1947, one of their key contributors during the regular season was down the road, studying for medical school. After graduating in 1946 from the University of Utah, where he won national titles in both basketball and track and field, Sheffield had a choice between medical school or a pro basketball career. Like Bo Jackson with a stethoscope, he attempted both, signing with the Warriors and enrolling at Philly-based Temple University. Sheffield averaged 7.3 points per game in his first month with the Warriors but ultimately struggled with the dual responsibilities, especially in its limitations on his availability for road games. In January 1947, the Warriors “loaned” Sheffield to the Reading Keys of the entirely East Pennsylvania based Eastern Professional Basketball League, greatly reducing his travel time. He attempted to return for the Warriors’ title defense in ’47-’48 but was cut right before the season started and returned to the EPBL, this time with the Lancaster Roses, before retiring to dedicate his life to medicine.

3) Isaiah Rider (’00-’01 Lakers)

Bold, brash, and exceedingly athletic, Rider seemed like a future star in his rookie season with the Timberwolves, memorably winning the Slam Dunk Contest and earning 1st-Team All-Rookie honors. But drug suspensions, arrests, and clashes with coaches and team management quickly followed. Troubles followed Rider from Minnesota to Portland to Atlanta, where he showed up late to practice so often that the Hawks cut him mid-season even though he was their leading scorer. The Lakers signed a supposedly recalcitrant Rider in the summer of 2000, hoping he could fill the wing scoring role vacated by the traded Glen Rice. It did work out that way for a while, with Rider leading the Lakers bench in scoring at 8.3 points per game, up until a brief suspension in March for violating the NBA substance abuse policy. In his absence, the Lakers got some strong performances from Tyronn Lue and when it soon after came time to pick the postseason roster, Lue got the nod over Rider for his defense and reliability. The normally sulky Rider seemed to take the slight well and even attempted to return to the Lakers in ’01-’02, but wound up signing with the Nuggets instead.

4) Chuck Nevitt (’91-’92 Bulls)

He played in just 171 NBA games over nine years, averaged 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game, and gathered a reputation as one of the most inconsequential players in NBA history. But Nevitt had a charmed career, in which he backed up (and befriended) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson, briefly held the record as tallest player (7’5″) in league history and soon after set the still-standing record for tallest champion. That title came with the ’84-’85 Lakers, who signed Nevitt late in the season, then played him only in garbage time blowouts, leading to the creation of the eventually ubiquitous nickname “Human Victory Cigar.” Nevitt later earned a second championship ring, this time without playing a single minute in the postseason. The Bulls signed and waived him twice during their ’91-’92 championship season, but ultimately decided they didn’t need an emergency third center behind Bill Cartwright and Will Perdue in the postseason. Just as Michael Jordan was lifting his second Finals MVP trophy, Nevitt was coming off a stint with the Raleigh Bulldogs of the Global League and hoping for one last chance in the NBA. He did get it in ’93-’94, appearing in one game for the Spurs before retiring.

5) Connie Simmons (’54-’55 Nationals)

A street baller with no previous basketball experience in college, AAU, or the various nascent pro leagues, Simmons nonetheless became one of the biggest stars of the inaugural NBA season. It all started on a whim, with the Celtics signing Simmons in 1946, supposedly when he hung around training camp after dropping off his brother Johnny and impressed in informal scrimmages. After one-and-a-half seasons in Boston, Simmons went on to win a title in 1948 with the Baltimore Bullets, and make three more NBA Finals appearances with the Knicks in the early ’50s. He was obtained by the Syracuse Nationals midway through the ’54-’55 season but made just 25 appearances before getting shut down with a dislocated disc in his back, which was expected to end his career. The Nationals went on to win the 1955 NBA title without Simmons, who did manage a brief comeback, playing one more season with the Rochester Royals before retiring for good.

6) Lars Hansen (’78-’79 SuperSonics)
7) Andrew Gaze (’98-’99 Spurs)
8) Mengke Bateer (’02-’03 Spurs)
9) Neemias Queeta (’23-’24 Celtics)

Superstars like Pau Gasol, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Nikola Jokic have set all kinds of superlatives for international players in the NBA, but here’s three of which you may not be aware. It starts with Hansen, who was born in Denmark, raised in Canada, drafted by the Bulls in 1976, then made his NBA debut with the SuperSonics in 1978. Signed to fill in backup center minutes after a Tom LeGarde knee injury, Hansen became the first Danish born player in NBA history. Even though he was left off the playoff roster, he also subsequently became the first Danish born player and first player with Canadian citizenship to win an NBA title. Two decades later, Gaze became the first Australian with no NCAA basketball experience to win a title. He did so with the ’98-’99 Spurs, appearing in 19 regular seasons but no playoff matchups. At age 33, Gaze was already considered the greatest player in Australian basketball history at that point and returned to his native country to finish out his career. The Spurs again were again international history makers in 2003, when Bateer became the first Chinese born player with a championship. Acquired via trade during the 2002 preseason, Bateer appeared in 12 games for just 46 total minutes, racking up nine points, 12 rebounds, and 14 personal fouls. He signed with the Raptors in the subsequent offseason and received his championship ring that December, when Toronto played a road game in San Antonio. Finally, there’s Queeta, the first Portuguese player in NBA history and the first Portuguese champion in just his fifth season.

10) Scot Pollard (’07-’08 Celtics)

The ’01-’02 are one of the greatest and most tragic teams in NBA history to not reach the Finals. Only two members of the roster who battled valiantly against the Lakers (and refs) in the 2002 Conference Finals would go to win titles later in their career. One was Peja Stojakovic in 2011 with the Mavericks and the other was Pollard with the Celtics in 2008. But that latter example comes with an asterisk, as Pollard was sidelined for the 2008 postseason due to an ankle injury that required surgery. A career role player who came off the bench for most of his NBA tenure, Pollard was nonetheless a memorable fan favorite for his high energy, quirky personality, and unique hair styles. He logged minor minutes off the bench for the Cavaliers in their 2007 Finals loss, then signed with the Celtics that summer, serving as an emergency center behind Kendrick Perkins, Glenn Davis, and Leon Powe. He was on hand for the season opener in ’08-’09 to receive his championship ring and attempted numerous comebacks, but never played another NBA game.

11) Jamaal Wilkes (’84-’85 Lakers)

A steady presence as the starting small forward for the Lakers in the first half of the “Showtime” dynasty, Wilkes started to lose his grip on the position late in the ’83-’84 season. A mysterious gastrointestinal virus caused Wilkes to struggle in the 1984 playoffs, leading to rising star James Worthy replacing him in the starting lineup. The Lakers attempted playing both Wilkes and Worthy as the starting forwards in ’84-’85, but quickly shifted Wilkes back to the bench. He was just starting to thrive in that sixth man role when an on-court collision that January left Wilkes with torn ligaments in his knee. He watched the Lakers’ 1985 title run from the sideline, was waived by the team in the subsequent offseason, and then suited up briefly for the Clippers before retiring. It was a third championship for Wilkes with the Lakers, adding to his 1975 NBA championship with the Warriors and his two NCAA Tournament titles with UCLA.

12) Chris Boucher (’17-’18 Warriors)

Having signed an un-drafted, two-way free agent contract with the Warriors in 2017, Boucher spent almost his entire rookie season with their D-League Santa Cruz affiliate. He did get a call-up for one game in mid March, logging one minute of playing time in a win over the Lakers, which four Warriors starters missed due to injury or scheduled rest. His NBA stat line for ’17-’18 thus reads as one total rebound and one missed field goal but Boucher was awarded a championship ring all the same at the end, when the Warriors swept the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals as he watched from home. Boucher signed a standard free agency contract with the Raptors that summer and made all kinds of history when they won the 2019 title. Already the first Saint Lucian born player to win an NBA championship, Boucher also became the first Canadian citizen to win a title with a Canadian team (he was raised in Montreal after moving there at age five), and just the fifth player ever to win back-to-back titles with two different teams. Boucher was on the Raptors’ postseason roster in 2019 but made just two appearances in garbage time during the Conference Finals win over the Bucks.

13) Ed Nealy (’92-’93 Bulls)

An undersized power forward with limited athleticism, Nealy was always going to be a tough sell for NBA general managers. But the son of a high school basketball coach lasted 10 seasons in the league, averaging just 2.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, thanks largely to his high basketball IQ. In fact, the Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson, once called Nealy his “favorite player” and regularly remarked on him being essentially an extra coach on the bench. But that respect didn’t translate into much playing time for Neal in any of his three stints with the Bulls. He signed with the team for ’88-’89 as a free agent, was traded after 13 games to the Suns (for Craig Hodges), was traded back to the Bulls in October 1989 for a second round pick, left as a free agent after ’89-’90, then returned to Chicago via trade one more time at the ’92-’93 deadline, again for a second round pick. Nealy played in 11 games down the stretch but didn’t make the postseason roster, and quietly retired after the Bulls won the title. Rather than transitioning into coaching, Nealy instead became a longtime car salesman.

“A funny thing happened though, as the man who called himself ‘Chocolate Thunder’ and always seemed nonchalant about basketball developed into a team leader in Detroit, despite hardly ever playing”

14) Phil Chenier (’77-’78 Bullets)

A smooth long range shooter and elite defender, Chenier was a centerpiece of the ’70s Bullets and their leading scorer in the 1975 NBA Finals (a loss to the Warriors). Over a four year stretch starting in ’73-’74, he averaged 21.0 points per game, made three All-Star teams, and finished as high as eighth in MVP voting. But a recurring back issue intensified early in the ’77-’78 season, initially reducing Chenier’s effectiveness and eventually sidelining him indefinitely. Similar to Elgin Baylor with the ’71-’72 Lakers, the ’77-’78 Bullets put it all together once Chenier was set aside, with Kevin Grevey, Bob Dandridge, and Charles Johnson thriving in a simplified wing rotation. They ended the season with the first and only championship in franchise history, while Chenier watched from the sidelines. He made a comeback late in ’78-’79 but was never the same and played in just 79 more games before retiring.

15) Lou Tsioropoulos (’56-’57 Celtics and ’58-’59 Celtics)

Bill Russell’s 11 championships with the Celtics were won with 47 different teammates, 10 of which were never on a playoff roster. The most notable is Tsioropolous, a prep star in the Boston area who matriculated under Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, served a stint in the U.S. Air Force, then returned to his hometown with the Celtics starting in ’56-’57. Teams could only keep 10 players on the roster back then, so when Frank Ramsey and Arnie Risen returned that January (from military service and an injury, respectively), Tsioropoulos was “farmed out” and did not play the rest of the eventual championship season. In a cruel twist of fate, his breakout season as the starting small forward was ’57-’58, which ended with the only Finals loss in Russell’s career. Thanks to the emergence of Jim Loscutoff, Tsioropoulos returned to the bench in the ’58-’59 title season. He was still putting in effective minutes until a January back injury, which forced him to miss the playoff run and ultimately retire. Some solace for Tisoropoulos was still technically joining the relatively short list of players with players with NBA and NCAA titles, winning the latter with Kentucky in 1951.

16) Adam Morrison (’08-’09 Lakers)

Traded to the Lakers midway through the ’08-’09 title season, as a throw-in from the Bobcats with Shannon Brown, Morrison made only a handful of garbage time appearances down the stretch and then was left off the roster entirely for the playoffs. When the Lakers repeated as champions in 2010, Morrison did get some brief postseason play, logging about 13 minutes across two games of a first round series win over the Thunder. He thus became the first player of the post-merger era to win back-to-back titles without taking the floor during the NBA Finals. It’s a ignominious designation for a former NCAA scoring champion and #3 overall pick. Things started well enough in the NBA for Morrison with a 2nd-Team All-Rookie designation but there were immediate questions about his efficiency, his toughness, and his defensive skills, all of which were compounded when he suffered a torn ACL in 2007. While Morrison became a punchline for his bench warming during the Lakers’ title runs, his biggest defender was Kobe Bryant, who regularly defended Morrison as a great and unselfish teammate.

17) Sly Williams (’85-’86 Celtics)

The ’85-’86 Celtics playoff roster was a well-oiled 12-man machine and a seemingly unstoppable force, ultimately going down as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. But the unlucky 13th player on that team was the polar opposite — unpredictable, erratic, and in the midst of a career flameout. Just reaching the NBA was an incredible feat for Williams, who was raised in poverty by a single mother as one of 16 children. He was a first round pick of the Knicks in 1979 and had some solid performances in New York, averaging 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in his second through fourth seasons. But he also proved unreliable, showing up late to practice, skipping team meals, and missing flights. Red Auerbach brought in Williams as a free agent in 1985 as a potential reclamation project but at that point, his personal life was spiraling. Williams’ brother had recently committed suicide, his marriage was falling apart, and his depression was being self-treated with drugs. The Celtics released him in early December after just six appearances, citing “personal reasons.” He would never play in the NBA again and continued to struggle with personal demons, eventually getting arrested and serving prison time for kidnapping and rape charges.

18) Anderson Varejao (’16-’17 Warriors)

We’ve previously run down the short list of players who won back-to-back titles with different teams, but Varejao is a rare example of experiencing the opposite. In addition, he’s considered the only player to play for both NBA Finals teams over the course of the season. A Cavaliers franchise legend and fan favorite for his hustle, defense, and unique hair style, Varejao spent 11-and-a-half seasons with Cleveland. He was a key element as sixth man on the 2007 NBA Finals losing team but sat out the 2015 Finals run due to an Achilles’ tear. The Brazilian center was then traded early in ’15-’16 to the Trail Blazers, waived, signed by the Warriors, and remained healthy enough to make the postseason roster. Varejao scored two points in game four of the 2016 NBA Finals, as the Warriors took a 3-1 series lead. And then, well, you likely know what happened next. The Cavaliers reportedly offered Varejao a championship ring but he declined. In ’16-’17, he appeared in just 17 games for Golden State before getting waived that February. When the Warriors subsequently won the 2017 title without him, Varejao was again offered a ring and this time wisely accepted.

19) Tom Riker (’72-’73 Knicks)

Nicknamed “Long Tom” for his height and wingspan, Riker was a superstar at Saint Dominic High School in Long Island and an All-American at South Carolina. The Knicks drafted him in the first round in 1972, hoping they just landed a successor to the aging Willis Reed. But Riker showed up to training camp overweight and unprepared, and failed to gain any playing time early in his rookie season. The Knicks “farmed” him to the Allentown Jets of the Eastern Basketball League in mid December and Riker did not return to the New York roster that season. Even more embarrassing, the Knicks called up un-drafted rookie Harthorne Wingo mid-season from Allentown, leaving Riker watching at home on television as they defeated the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Riker got a second chance in ’73-’74, called up from Allentown when Reed suffered a knee sprain, but didn’t make much of it, averaging 2.2 points per game in 17 appearances. One year later, Riker was out of the league, clinching his status as one of the biggest draft busts in franchise history.

20) Caron Butler (’10-’11 Mavericks)

Beyond superstar centerpiece Dirk Nowitzki, the ’10-’11 Mavericks also featured numerous NBA veterans with sentimental success stories. Jason Kidd, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, Shawn Marion, Brendan Haywood, and Jason Terry all made major contributions to the team and won their first, and ultimately only career title. You can place Butler on that list as well, but he was unfortunately watching the Finals from the bench, wearing street clothes. After five seasons with the Wizards that included two All-Star appearances and zero playoff series wins, Butler was traded to the Mavericks in 2010 and became the starting small forward on a title contender. In a January 2011 game against the Bucks, Butler suffered a nasty tendon rupture in his right knee, leaving him sidelined indefinitely. It’s a testament to Butler’s toughness and resilience that he actually came close to returning during the 2011 NBA Finals but ultimately wasn’t cleared by doctors. He did come back in ’11-’12 but was never quite the same, struggling to stay effective in short stints with the Clippers, Bucks, Thunder, Pistons, and Kings before retiring in 2016.

21) Jack Haley (’95-’96 Bulls)
22) Dickey Simpkins (’95-’96 Bulls and ’96-’97 Bulls)

Being a teammate of Michael Jordan during the ’90s came with a near guarantee of a championship ring, even for guys at the end of the bench. That was certainly the case for Haley, who spent all but seven minutes of the ’95-’96 championship season sidelined. A veteran center with a laid back demeanor, Haley had struck up a friendship with Dennis Rodman when the two played together in San Antonio, and was brought to Chicago in 1995 likely to serve as a “worm whisperer.” Dealing with knee tendonitis, Haley did not take the floor until the last game of the legendary 72-win regular season, logging five points and two rebounds in a win over the Bullets. He was unnecessary on the court in the playoffs as a fourth string center but was still crucial as a high energy practice foil and a calming presence for Rodman. The situation was vastly different for Simpkins, a first round pick of the Bulls in 1994 who received extensive playing time in the ’95-’96 regular season but was a shocking playoff roster snub in favor of veterans John Salley and James Edwards. When Simpkins showed no signs of improvement in ’96-’97, he was left aside in the playoff title run again and traded that summer to the Warriors. When the Warriors waived him, Simpkins returned to the Bulls and this time finally saw postseason action, even logging some garbage time minutes during the 1998 NBA Finals victory over the Jazz.

23) Eddy Curry (’11-’12 Heat)

One of numerous poster boys for the pitfalls of the prep-to-pro era, Curry was already considered washed up at age 29 when he joined the Heat in 2011. Just as he was showing promising signs of his potential in ’04-’05, Curry was hospitalized late in the season with an irregular heartbeat, setting up a stand-off with Bulls management over his clearance to return. The Bulls traded Curry to the Knicks that summer and the young center spiraled, struggling for the rest of his career with weight issues and off-court distractions. Unable to stock their bench in ’11-’12 with traditional role players due to the contract dollars tied up in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, the Heat took a flier on Curry, who was nearly three years removed from his last NBA appearance. He made 14 regular season appearances, including one as a starter, but was stuck to the bench all playoffs, even when Chris Bosh missed three weeks with an abdominal strain. After earning his ring with Miami, Curry played two games with the Mavericks in ’12-’13 then spent the remainder of his career in China.

24) Mitch Kupchak (’81-’82 Lakers)

Recruited personally to the Lakers by Magic Johnson, Kupchak was hyped as a missing piece when he signed as a free agent in 1981, leaving the Bullets team with which he had won the 1978 title. It seemed prophetic early in the ’81-’82 season, with the steady power forward averaging 14.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, until a torn ACL and broken leg suffered in mid December that required surgery. Initially projected to miss just 8-10 weeks, Kupchak ultimately was sidelined for nearly two years, finally making a comeback in November 1983. In the meantime, the Lakers won the second championship of the “Showtime” era in 1982, returned to the Finals in 1983, and Kurt Rambis emerged as the team’s starting power forward, usurping Kupchak’s expected role. Kupchak eventually did play some minutes with the Lakers in an NBA Finals victory, logging minor minutes in the 1985 win over the Celtics. After retiring as a player in 1986, he immediately joined the team’s front office and eventually earned seven more championship rings in that role, increasing his overall tally to 10, one for each finger.

25) DeMarcus Cousins (’19-’20 Lakers)

An exceedingly talented but seemingly snake bit superstar, Cousins made four All-Star teams during the decade, was named 2nd-Team All-NBA twice, and averaged 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game five times. He was also combative, sullen, injury prone, and reportedly a major headache for coaches and general managers. This was certainly not conducive to team success and Cousins found himself without a single playoff appearance eight seasons into his career, six with the Kings and two with the Pelicans. Just as he ascended to the top of the list of greatest NBA players to never reach the postseason, Cousins took a pay cut to sign with the defending champion Warriors as a free agent. Fighting through various injuries, he finally took part in not just the playoffs but also the NBA Finals, where Golden State was upset by the Raptors. Signing with the Lakers for ’19-’20, Cousins could have added NBA champ to his resume but tore an ACL before the season started, leaving him sidelined indefinitely. Though they cut him mid season, the Lakers did present Cousins with a championship ring after clinching their title in the bubble. Cousins made brief playoff returns with the Clippers in 2021 and Nuggets in 2022 before continuing his career in Puerto Rico.

26) Darryl Dawkins (’88-’89 Pistons)

On a Pistons roster stacked with colorful characters, “Chocolate Thunder” was a natural fit. Traded from the Jazz to Detroit in 1987 for peanuts, Dawkins was in the midst of his 13th NBA season but was still only 30 years old, as he had entered the league straight from high school. He was also nursing a bad back and dealing with his estranged wife’s recent death by overdose. A funny thing happened though, as the man who called himself “Chocolate Thunder” and always seemed nonchalant about basketball developed into a team leader in Detroit, despite hardly ever playing. Perhaps it was the reunion with Chuck Daly, who had taken a shine to Dawkins when he was an assistant coach on the 76ers. Dawkins played in three NBA Finals with the Sixers, including as the second leading scorer behind Julius Erving in 1980, before getting unceremoniously traded in 1982 after Moses Malone joined the squad. Over two seasons with the Pistons, Dawkins played in just 16 games, all in the regular season, before getting waived in February 1989 to make room to sign John Long. While the Pistons went on to win the championship that spring, Dawkins was pondering his basketball future. He flirted with suiting up for his hometown expansion Magic but instead relocated to Italy, where the “Master of Disaster” became a superstar in the Lega Serie A.

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