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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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).
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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