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50 Greatest NBA Players Without A Championship (Updated Through 2015-16)

By Phil Watson

May 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) shoots over Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) shoots over Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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UNITED STATES – MAY 11: Basketball: NBA playoffs, Indiana Pacers Jermaine O’Neal (7) in action, making dunk vs Detroit Pistons Richard Hamilton (32) and Tayshaun Prince (22), Auburn Hills, MI 5/11/2005 (Photo by John Biever/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X73511 TK1)
UNITED STATES – MAY 11: Basketball: NBA playoffs, Indiana Pacers Jermaine O’Neal (7) in action, making dunk vs Detroit Pistons Richard Hamilton (32) and Tayshaun Prince (22), Auburn Hills, MI 5/11/2005 (Photo by John Biever/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (SetNumber: X73511 TK1) /

37. Jermaine O’Neal

Portland Trail Blazers 1996-2000, Indiana Pacers 2000-08, Toronto Raptors 2008-09, Miami Heat 2009-10, Boston Celtics 2010-12, Phoenix Suns 2012-13, Golden State Warriors 2013-14

The Portland Trail Blazers took a shot on Columbia, S.C., prep star Jermaine O’Neal with the 17th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, but his career didn’t really start to take off until after he left Portland.

O’Neal played four years with the Trail Blazers, never really securing a regular rotation spot and played sparingly for the Portland teams that reached the conference finals in 1999 and 2000.

In August 2000, O’Neal was traded with Joe Kleine to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Dale Davis and his career blossomed in Indianapolis.

He was the Most Improved Player in 2001-02, a six-time All-Star and was named to three All-NBA teams. O’Neal was also third in the MVP voting in 2003-04.

But the Pacers reached the conference finals just once, in 2004, and he was dealt to the Toronto Raptors as along with Nathan Jawai in a draft night deal that became official in July 2008, in exchange for T.J. Ford, Maceo Baston, Rasho Nesterovic and Roy Hibbert.

He didn’t last a full season up north, traded in February 2009 with Jamario Moon, a first-round pick in 2011 and a 2010 second-rounder to the Miami Heat for Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks, cash and a trade exception.

The Heat didn’t get out of the first round while O’Neal was on South Beach and he signed a free-agent deal with the Boston Celtics in July 2010.

The Celtics reached the second round in 2011 and O’Neal was waived before the playoffs began in 2012.

In August 2012, he signed with the Phoenix Suns and in July 2013, he joined the Golden State Warriors as a free agent.

The Warriors were eliminated in the first round in 2014 and O’Neal, a free agent, opted to sit out the 2014-15 campaign and as of February had not officially given the game up.

The final tally on O’Neal’s playoff career:

NBA Finals: 0-0
Conference Finals: 0-3
Conference Semifinals: 3-2
First Round: 5-9

Next: 36. The Greyhound Stopped Short Of Finals