Hoops Habit
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
37 of 52
Next
UNDATED: Atlanta Hawks' Dominique Wilkins #21 jumps for a layup against the Boston Celtics. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
UNDATED: Atlanta Hawks’ Dominique Wilkins #21 jumps for a layup against the Boston Celtics. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

16. Dominique Wilkins

Atlanta Hawks 1982-94, Los Angeles Clippers 1994, Boston Celtics 1994-95,  San Antonio Spurs 1996-97, Orlando Magic 1999

The Utah Jazz made Dominique Wilkins the third overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft out of Georgia, but in September 1982, swapped his rights to the Hawks.

That was a win for Atlanta. “The Human Highlight Reel” reeled off six All-NBA bids and nine All-Star appearances for the Hawks. He was also in the top 10 of the MVP balloting five times, including a runner-up finish in 1985-86, the season he won his lone scoring title.

But Atlanta didn’t get out of the first round in his first two seasons and missed the playoffs entirely in 1984-85.

In 1986, the Hawks took down the Detroit Pistons in the first round before they were pounded in five games by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in the second round. The following year, Atlanta knocked out the Indiana Pacers before losing to the Pistons in five games.

The 1988 playoffs saw Atlanta beat the Milwaukee Bucks in a first-round Game 5 before losing to the Celtics in a second-round Game 7—despite Wilkins averaging more than 31 points per game in the series and scoring 47 points in a 118-116 loss in Game 7.

The Hawks lost a Game 5 to Milwaukee in the 1989 first round and missed the playoffs in 1990.

In 1991, the two-time defending champion Pistons beat Atlanta in a first-round Game 5.

After another missed postseason in 1991-92, the Hawks were swept by the two-time defending champion Chicago Bulls in the first round in 1993.

In February 1994, Atlanta shipped Wilkins and a first-round pick to the Clippers for Danny Manning. He earned another All-NBA spot that season, his seventh, but Los Angeles missed the playoffs.

In July 1994, Wilkins signed with Boston as a free agent. The Celtics lost to the Orlando Magic in the first round.

After spending a season in Greece, Wilkins returned to the NBA in October 1996, signing with the Spurs. That happened to be the season during which David Robinson played in six games because of a back injury and San Antonio won 20 games. It was the last time to date that the Spurs have missed the playoffs.

Wilkins played a year in Italy and returned in February 1999 for one last whirl in the NBA with Orlando. The Magic were bounced in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers and Wilkins was waived in June.

Wilkins is 12th all-time with 26,668 career points. Since 2004, he has been vice president of basketball for the Hawks and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

The final tally on Wilkins’ playoff career:

NBA Finals: 0-0
Conference Finals: 0-0
Conference Semifinals: 0-3
First Round: 3-7

Next: 15. Couldn’t Even Get A Charity Ring