The 39 NBA players with the most rings

The 39 NBA players with the most rings

It’s every athlete’s dream to win not one, not two, not three… (you know what we’re going for) championships. But not many people are actually able to do so. LeBron James, considered by many one of the greatest players to ever step onto an NBA court, is one of those players. As of now, LeBron has only three championship rings.


The following is a list of NBA players who have been able to win more rings than LeBron has so far won in his career, each winning at least four. There are 39 NBA players on the list, some were a part of dynasties of the past (brace yourself for the Boston Celtics of the 1950s, 1960s and into the 70s as well as the dominant Lakers teams), while others are still playing in the league today. Some were starters who played 30+ minutes in every game, others came off the bench to add that extra zing, or like Robert Horry, make the clutch, game-wining shot. Of course this list is constantly growing, and we may soon see LeBron on it, but he’ll need at least eight more successful seasons, winning a ring each year, to catch up to the guy at the top. Even if he does win eight rings in a row, a feat that is nearly impossible to accomplish in this day and age, with super teams popping up everywhere, he won’t be able to pass the man with the most rings.
Please note that we are only taking into consideration championships won as players, so you won’t find Phil Jackson or Pat Riley on this list. Also, players with the same number of rings are not ranked, but rather listed in alphabetical order. The information used for this piece comes from Basketball-Reference and landofbasketball.com.

Manu Ginobili – 4 championships

We’re still waiting to hear whether or not Manu Ginobili will be back to try and add more rings to his collection, he already has four. The shooting guard has played all 15 of his NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, winning championships in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. As the 57th overall pick in the draft, Ginobili starred from the start, putting up 12.8 PPG during only his second season. So far he’s averaging 13.6 PPG and 3.9 assists for his career, is a 2-time All Star, and was named the 2007-08 Sixth Man of the Year.
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Horace Grant – 4 championships

Horace Grant won three of his four championships alongside Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the Bulls in the early 1990s. His fourth championship came as a member of the LA Lakers in 2001. Overall, Grant played in 17 seasons in the league, with four different teams. He made the All-Defensive team four times and was an All Star once. He averaged 11.2 PPG and 8.1 rebounds, his best years were while playing for the Bulls and Magic, averaging up to 15 points a game during the 1993-94 season.
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Gene Guarilia – 4 championships

Four seasons, four rings. That’s all Gene Guarilia needed. He played for Boston for four seasons, from 1959-60 through 1962-63, winning a ring every single season. Guarilia may not have been the star of the team, not even close. He never started a game, played on average 8.4 minutes a game and averaged just 3.2 PPG and 2.3 rebounds. But those statistics don’t matter in the long run, he still has four rings and still makes this list.
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Vern Mikkelsen – 4 championships

The four-time NBA champion spent his entire ten year career with the Minneapolis Lakers, from 1949-50 through the 1958-59 season. He won his rings in 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954. He averaged double digit points his entire career, had four seasons averaging 10+ rebounds a game and retired with an average of 14.4 PPG and 9.4 rebounds. He was a 6-time All Star, 4-time All NBA player and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.
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Shaquille O’Neal – 4 championships

Legend Shaquille O’Neal won four championships during his 19 seasons in the league. He won three of his four rings with the LA Lakers, when they won back-to-back-to-back championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. His fourth championship was in 2006 with the Miami Heat. Shaq is a 15-time All Star, 14-time All NBA, 3-time All Defensive, 3-time Finals MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. He averaged 23.7 PPG, 10.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists for his career.
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Robert Parish – 4 championships

Robert Parish spent 21 seasons in the league, from 1976-77 through 1996-97, playing for four different teams. He won his four championships with two different teams: three with the Celtics, in 1981, 1984 and 1986 and one with the Bulls, during his final season in the league. Parish averaged 14.5 PPG and 9.1 rebounds throughout his career, and at his prime was averaging 19 PPG. He was a 9-time All Star and 2-time All NBA player, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
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Tony Parker – 4 championships

Tony Parker may have been drafted as the no. 28 pick in the 2001 draft, but the French point guard became a 4-time champion, 6-time All Star, 4-time All NBA player, made the All Rookie team and was Finals MVP in 2007. Parker may miss the beginning of the 2017-18 season due to a knee injury he suffered during the postseason. He’s spent all 16 seasons playing for the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 16.2 PPG, 5.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds so far for his career.
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Will Perdue – 4 championships

Will Perdue spent 13 season in the league, playing for three different teams and winning four championships. Three of those rings were with Michael Jordan and the Bulls in 1991, 1992 and 1993, while the fourth came in 1999 with the San Antonio Spurs. For most of his career, Perdue came off the bench and played on average 15.6 minutes a game, adding 4.7 PPG and 4.9 rebounds. At the height of his career, the center was averaging 8.7 PPG and 9.8 rebounds (1996-97 while with the Spurs).
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Kurt Rambis – 4 championships

Kurt Rambis won four championships during his 14-season career. Rambis played for the Lakers, Hornets, Suns and Clippers before returning to the Lakers and retiring after two seasons in his second stint with the team. He won all four of his championships with the Lakers, in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988, and averaged 5.2 PPG and 5.6 rebounds for his career. At his best, the power forward averaged 11.1 PPG and 9.4 rebounds (1988-89 season).
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John Salley – 4 championships

John Salley played 11 seasons in the NBA, and even came back for his final season after playing one year abroad (in Greece) and retiring for two seasons. The center won rings with three different teams: the Pistons (1989, 1990), the Bulls (1996) and the last of his four championships came during that final year, when he came out of retirement and played again for the Lakers. Salley averaged 7.0 PPG and 4.5 rebounds for his career.
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Pep Saul – 4 championships

Pep Saul spent six seasons in the league, playing for three different teams and winning four championships. Saul won three of those rings in back-to-back-to-back championships with the Minneapolis Lakers (he only played there three seasons). His first championship he won with the Rochester Royals in 1951, only his second season in the league. He may be a champion, but Saul actually never broke double digit scoring for a season. Saul averaged 5.6 PPG, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists for his career.
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Bill Sharman – 4 championships

The 8-time All Star won four championships during his 11 seasons in the NBA. Sharman spent most of his career in Boston, ten seasons to be exact, and won all four of his championships with the Celtics. Aside from being an All Star, he was a 7-time All NBA player and was the All Star MVP in 1954-55. Sharman averaged 17.8 PPG, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists throughout his career, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1976 (he was also inducted as a coach in 2014).
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Jamaal Wilkes – 4 championships

Jamaal Wilkes spent 12 seasons playing in the NBA, for three different teams all in California. He began his career with the Golden State Warriors, moved on to the Lakers for eight seasons and finished his career with the Clippers, playing for them for a single season. Wilkes won one of his championships with the Warriors and the rest with the Lakers. The forward was a 3-time All Star, 2-time All Defensive player and was Rookie of the Year in 1974-75. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
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Kobe Bryant – 5 championships

The career-long LA Lakers star won five championships with the team, in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and his final one in 2010. Kobe, who spent 20 seasons in the league and retired at the end of the 2015-16 season, was an All Star 18 times, All NBA 15 times, All Defensive 12 times and made the All Rookie team his first year, 1996-97. He was also the MVP in 2007-08 and twice was Finals MVP. Bryant wrapped up his career averaging 25 PPG, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
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Michael Cooper – 5 championships

Michael Cooper spent 12 seasons in the NBA, all with the LA Lakers. The shooting guard is a 5-time champion, was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1986-87 and made the All-Defensive team eight times. He won titles in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988, while playing alongside Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Cooper averaged 8.9 PPG, 3.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 27.1 minutes a game. He played 80+ games during eight of his 12 seasons in the league.
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Tim Duncan – 5 championships

Tim Duncan stayed loyal to the San Antonio Spurs for all 19 seasons he played in the NBA, and it paid off. Duncan won five championships with the Spurs, in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014, winning some of them alongside other men on this list. Duncan himself is a 15-time All Star, 15-time All NBA Player, 15-time All Defensive player, a 2-time MVP, 3-time Finals MVP and was named Rookie of the Year in 1998. Duncan averaged 19.0 PPG and 10.8 rebounds during his career.
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Derek Fisher – 5 championships

The player-turned-coach won five championships during his playing days. Fisher spent most of his 18 seasons in the NBA playing for the LA Lakers, and he won all of his championships with the team, in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010. He was also part of the 2008 Laker team that lost to the Celtics during the NBA Finals. At the height of his career, Fisher was averaging between 10.0 to 13.0 PPG, but he wrapped up his career averaging just 8.3 PPG and 3.0 assists after two mediocre seasons at the end of his tenure in the league.
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Ron Harper – 5 championships

Ron Harper played for four different teams during his 15-season career. He won his five rings with two of them, and arguably the most dominant teams of the era: the Bulls and the Lakers. Harper won three rings with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, in 1996, 1997 and 1998, and added two more with the Lakers during his final two seasons, 2000 and 2001. He averaged 13.8 PPG and 4.3 rebounds for his career, and went out as an NBA Champion.
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Magic Johnson – 5 championships

Magic Johnson is yet another example of a player staying loyal to a single team and being rewarded for it. During his 13 seasons with the LA Lakers, Magic won five championships, in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. Magic himself was a 12-time All Star, 10-time All NBA, 3-time MVP, 3-time Finals MVP and made the All Rookie team during the 1979-80 season. He averaged 19.5 PPG and 11.2 rebounds for his career.
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Steve Kerr – 5 championships

Steve Kerr is starting to rack up the championship rings as a coach, but even before he started earning those, he already had five championships under his belt as a player. Needless to say, even though he was coming off the bench, he has Finals experience and success. He won his rings with two different teams, the Chicago Bulls in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and the San Antonio Spurs in 1999 and 2003. Kerr spent 15 seasons in the league as a player, averaging 6.0 PPG.
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Slater Martin – 5 championships

Slater Martin starred in the NBA from 1949-50 through 1959-60, playing for the Minneapolis Lakers, St. Louis Hawks and a partial season with the New York Knicks. He won four of his championships with the Lakers, in 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954 and won his final ring in 1958 with the Hawks. The point guard averaged 9.8 PPG, 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds. He was also a 7-time All Star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.
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George Mikan – 5 championships

George Mikan played in the BAA/NBA for only seven seasons, but it was long enough for him to win five championships. Mikan spent all seven seasons with the Minneapolis Lakers, even retiring for a year in 1954-55 and coming back again in 1955-56. He won his rings during the 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954 seasons, and averaged 23.1 PPG and 13.4 rebounds for his career. The center was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1959.
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Don Nelson – 5 championships

The forward spent 14 seasons in the NBA, and even started his career with the Chicago Zephyrs before heading to LA. But Don Nelson like many guys on this list, won all five of his championship rings while playing for the Boston Celtics in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 1976. Nelson averaged 10.3 PPG, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists for his career, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012 (he spent 31 years on the sideline as a coach, but never won another ring).
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Jim Pollard – 5 championships

Jim Pollard’s seven seasons in the NBA, all with the Minneapolis Lakers, were enough to win him five BAA/NBA championships. Pollard played for the Lakers from 1948-49 through 1954-55, winning back-to-back championships in 1949 and 1950, and back-to-back-to-back championships in 1952, 1953 and 1954. The small forward was also a 4-time All Star and 4-time All BAA/NBA. He averaged 13.2 PPG and 7.8 rebounds for his career and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.

Dennis Rodman – 5 championships

Dennis Rodman may have lost it a bit over the last few years, but he still has five championship rings. Rodman spent 14 seasons in the league, starring for Detroit, Chicago, San Antonio, the LA Lakers and Dallas, and won his championships with the first two teams, Chicago and Detroit. Rodman won with the Pistons in 1989 and 1990, then won back-to-back alongside Michael Jordan in 1996, 1997 and 1998. He was a 2-time All Star, 2-time All NBA, 2-time Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 13.1 rebounds for his career.
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Larry Siegfried – 5 championships

If you are an NBA fan, you know about the Celtics dynasty. This isn’t the first guy on the list to win with Boston, and he’s definitely not the last. Larry Siegfried played for the Celtics from 1963-64 through 1969-70, then spent a season and a half with the San Diego/Houston Rockets before retiring as a member of the Hawks. But during his seven seasons in Boston, Siegfried won five rings while averaging 11.6 PPG and 3.3 assists for the Celtics.
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Kareem Abdul Jabbar – 6 championships

Kareem Abdul Jabbar is a 6-time NBA Champion, winning it all with two different teams, the LA Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks. He only won a single championship with the latter, but it was also his first championship and during only his second season in the league. That season, Kareem averaged 31.7 PPG and 16.0 rebounds for the Bucks. During his 20 seasons in the NBA, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 24.6 PPG, 11.6 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.
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Bob Cousy – 6 championships

The player-turned-coach won six championships while wearing a Boston Celtics uniform. He played 13 seasons in Boston before retiring, and eventually coming back, but for only seven games and with Cincinnati. He was a 13-time All Star, 12-time All NBA and MVP in 1956-57. Cousy averaged 18.4 PPG, 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists for his career. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971, just a year after leaving the game again and turning his sights on coaching.
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Michael Jordan – 6 championships

For many, Michael Jordan is the greatest ever, the GOAT. But even he couldn’t reach the top of the top of this list, which is heavily dominated by members of a certain team. Jordan won three back-to-back-to-back championships before retiring the first time. When he came back a few years later, he again won three consecutive championships. He also had 14 All Star appearances, is an 11-time All NBA, 5-time MVP, and 6-time Finals MVP. He was Rookie of the Year and was inducted into the Hall of fame in 2009.
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Scottie Pippen – 6 championships

Scottie Pippen was right alongside Michael Jordan for the six championships in Chicago. Pippen himself was a 7-time All Star, 7-time All NBA, All Star MVP and 10-time All Defensive player. Pippen spent 11 seasons in a Bulls uniform, before heading to Houston, then Portland and wrapping up his career back in Chicago, playing just 23 games that season. He averaged 16.1 PPG, 6.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists for his career and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, a year after Jordan was.
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Robert Horry – 7 championships

Robert Horry may have never been the star of the show, but he was always one of the most clutch players on the court. Horry won seven championships during his 16 seasons and with three different teams. Horry won rings with the Rockets in 1994 and 1995, the Lakers in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and his final two with the Spurs, in 2005 and 2006. He is the only player near the top of this list who wasn’t a member of a certain dynasty.
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Jim Loscutoff – 7 championships

Jim Loscutoff spent nine seasons with the Boston Celtics, his entire career. During that time the Celtics won seven championships, six of them back-to-back-to-back, and etc. Loscutoff himself didn’t star for the team, but added on average 18 minutes per game, 6.2 PPG and 5.6 rebounds and averaged a double-double during his second season in the league. Unlike many others, Loscutoff’s number was never retired by the Celtics, but it was because he requested that they don’t have it retired so that another Celtics player can wear it.
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Frank Ramsey – 7 championships

The Boston Celtics lost in the Eastern conference finals and semi finals during Frank Ramsey’s first two seasons respectively (though he did not play that second year due to military service). But starting with the 1956-57 season and through his final NBA season, Ramsey and the Celtics won seven championships. In 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964. The Celtics continued to win after that season, but Ramsey retired with his seven rings. He averaged 13.4 PPG and 5.5 rebounds for his career.
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John Havlicek – 8 championships

Yet another Celtics player, because let’s be serious, Boston dominated the NBA for such a long time, that so many members of their teams have found their way to these spots. John Havlicek, who played his entire career, 16 seasons, in Boston, won eight rings with the team. His championship runs were throughout the 1960s and through to the 1970s (he won in 1974 and 1975). Havlicek was a 13-time All Star, 11-time All NBa Player and 8-time All Defensive player.
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Tom Heinsohn – 8 championships

Tom Heinsohn played only nine seasons in the NBA, but it was enough time for the forward to win eight championships, also with the Boston Celtics. Heinsohn played in Boston from 1956-57 through 1964-65, averaging 18.6 PPG and 8.8 rebounds. Aside from being an 8-time champion, he was a 6-time All Star, 4-time All NBA and Rookie of the Year. Heinsohn was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1986 and as a coach in 2015.
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KC Jones – 8 championships

If you haven’t noticed the theme yet, you surely will through the rest of this list. The Boston Celtics were good, really good. K.C. Jones was also a member of the Celtics during the late 1950s and through the 60s, but unlike others on this list, he wasn’t the star of the team. Jones averaged just 7.4 PPG and 4.3 assists during an average of 25.9 minutes on the court. He was also inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player.
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Tom Sanders – 8 championships

Yes, you guessed it, Tom Sanders won all eight of his championships with the Boston Celtics during their golden age of the 1960s and 1970s. Sanders averaged 9.6 PPG, 6.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists during his 13 seasons in the league, all in Boston. During the 1966-67 season, Sanders played in 81 games, and he played in at least 80 games during seven seasons of his career. In 1968-69 and 1971-72 he didn’t miss a single game.
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Sam Jones – 10 championships

Almost all the guys at the top of this list were once members of the Boston Celtics, and most likely were part of their dynasty. Sam Jones played for Boston during his entire career, from 1957-58 through 1968-69, winning ten championships with the team. Jones averaged 17.7 PPG, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists, is a 5-time All Star and 3-time All NBA Player. At his prime he was averaging 25 PPG with 5.1 rebounds (this was in 1964-65). No. 24 was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.
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Bill Russell – 11 championships

Bill Russell has more rings than fingers to put them on. Russell played in the league for 13 seasons, meaning he won a ring during almost every single season in which he played. He was part of the Boston Celtics dynasty of the late 1950s and well into the 1960s. The center averaged 15.1 PPG, 22.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists for his career, was a 12-time All Star, 11-time All NBA, 5-time MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975.
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