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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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6 Jun 2001: Tyronn Lue #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers guards Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers during Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. DIGITAL IMAGE Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/ALLSPORT
6 Jun 2001: Tyronn Lue #10 of the Los Angeles Lakers guards Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers during Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. DIGITAL IMAGE Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn/ALLSPORT /

9. Allen Iverson

Philadelphia 76ers 1996-2006, 2009-10; Denver Nuggets 2006-2008; Detroit Pistons 2008-09; Memphis Grizzlies 2009

Taken first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 draft out of Georgetown, Allen Iverson was The Answer in Philly for many years.

Often misunderstood by the media but revered by his peers, Iverson was the 1996-97 Rookie of the Year and the 2000-01 Most Valuable Player while with the Sixers and was a seven-time All-NBA performer and an eight-time All-Star.

He was also a four-time scoring champion who led the NBA in steals three times and an ironman who led the league in minutes per game five times as a 76er.

He also finished in the top 10 in the MVP voting six times for Philadelphia—fourth in 1998-99, seventh in 1999-2000, ninth in 2001-02, sixth in 2002-03, fifth in 2004-05 and 10th in 2005-06.

The 76ers missed the playoffs in his first two seasons before reaching the second round in 1999, where they were swept by the Indiana Pacers. Another second-round exit to Indiana followed in 2000.

In his MVP campaign, the 76ers beat Indiana and survived Game 7s against both the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks to reach the NBA Finals, where they fell to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in five games.

A first-round exit in 2002 was followed by a second-round ouster by the Detroit Pistons in 2003. Philadelphia missed the playoffs in 2004 and 2006 and exited in the first round in 2005.

In December 2006, Iverson was traded to the Nuggets, where he was an All-Star twice more and led the NBA in minutes per game two more times.

Denver was a first-round casualty in 2007 and 2008 and in November 2008, Iverson was swapped to the Pistons.

While Detroit was swept in the first round in 2009, Iverson was sent home by the club late in the season and did not play in the postseason.

He signed as a free agent with the Grizzlies in September 2009, but was waived in November. He returned to the 76ers in December and was released in March 2010.

Out of the NBA, Iverson signed with Turkish club Besiktas in October 2010, but injured his calf in January 2011 and returned to the U.S.

He officially retired in October 2013, 22nd on the NBA career scoring list with 24,368 points. His 26.7 points per game average is seventh-best all-time and his 2.2 steals per game average is eighth.

Iverson was the subject of a 2015 documentary on his life, Iverson, which aired on Showtime in May 2015 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016.

The final tally on Iverson’s playoff career:

NBA Finals: 0-1
Conference Finals: 1-0
Conference Semifinals: 1-3
First Round: 4-4

Next: 8. Launched A Bill Simmons Theory