“The Beard” is a one-time league MVP and one of the most prolific offensive forces in NBA history, with three scoring titles and the second highest single season mark of the post-merger era (36.1 per game)
FEATURED LISTS
So close and yet so far: 26 greatest players who played in an NBA Finals but never won a title
First quarter check in: 101 greatest NBA players of the 21st century (so far)
Avengers disassembled: 10 NBA “super teams” that fell short of expectations
Unrewarded exhibitionists: 12 greatest players who never earned NBA All-Star Game MVP
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- As competitor in Three-Point Contest
- As part of Nets “super team”
- As part of Rockets “super team”
- As part of 2009 NBA draft class
- Never named NBA All-Star MVP
- Not earning league MVP in controversial voting results
- One of the greatest players of the 21st century
- Playing in NBA Finals and not winning a title
FULL archive
So close and yet so far: 26 greatest players who played in an NBA Finals but never won a title
We previously ran down the list of greatest players without an NBA Finals appearance. Now we tackle the players that made it at least once to the deciding series for the Larry O’Brien trophy, but weren’t victorious.
First quarter check in: 101 greatest NBA players of the 21st century (so far)
We’re already finished with 25% of this century so let’s take stock of the best players to take part in the NBA during this time
Off the mark: Eight legendary players who struggled in the Three-Point Contest
The Three-Point Contest has easily overtaken the Slam Dunk Contest as the biggest star power draw of All-Star Saturday Night but occasionally those superstars fall flat on their face in the unique competition.
Avengers disassembled: 10 NBA “super teams” that fell short of expectations
Three or more superstars teaming up together as a “super team” has produced some of the greatest results in NBA history, but there have been some spectacular failures as well, especially in the last few years.
Us against the world: Ranking the 18 U.S. FIBA World Cup teams
First contested in 1950 and formerly called the FIBA World Championships, the quadrennial World Cup of basketball has hosted many of the greatest American players of all time, though the U.S. team has earned the gold medal just five times in 18 tries. With the latest edition coming up later this summer, we rank those previous U.S. World Cup teams, from worst to best, based on both talent level and results.
Unrewarded exhibitionists: 12 greatest players who never earned NBA All-Star Game MVP
Many of the greatest players of all time have added All-Star MVP to their list of accomplishments but these 12 legends, many of whom earned league MVP and/or Finals MVP never added the ultimate All-Star honor to their trophy case.
Class consciousness: Nine greatest NBA Draft classes of the lottery era (since 1985)
Not all draft classes are created equal and these are the nine greatest since the lottery began in 1985, based on the career output of the players drafted (un-drafted free agents were not considered).
Fraudulent voting: 20 controversial NBA league MVP decisions
As is bound to be the case whenever humans are making objective decisions based on subjective criteria, the NBA MVP winners have not always made sense in retrospect. Sometimes, they don’t even make sense as they’re being awarded. These are the 20 most notable cases.