Los Angeles Lakers: 5 best players in franchise history to never win a ring

Karl Malone

Much like Nash, Karl Malone spent an insignificant amount of his career with the Lakers. In fact, he played only one year in Los Angeles — the other 18 NBA seasons were spent with the Utah Jazz.

You could even argue he deserves a spot on this list less because he signed with the Lakers as a last-ditch effort to add that elusive ring. That’s compared to Nash, who was acquired via trade. No matter what side of the argument you’re on, Malone suited up for Los Angeles at some point. Hence, he finds himself near the top of this list.

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Why? Well if you really need me to answer that, you need a serious refresher on basketball history. For those of you unaware of Malone’s feats, let me take you to school for a second.

Nicknamed the Mailman, Malone was a superstar during his day. Here’s a list of his accomplishments, which makes some of today’s brightest stars look like scrubs: two MVP awards, 14 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA First Team selections, and more milestones than most players could ever dream of.

And yet, he could never quite make it to the top of the NBA mountain. Malone did come close a few times, though. Twice with the Jazz and once with the Lakers, he found himself playing in the NBA Finals. All three times, though, he wound up on the losing end.

It’s disappointing that he never earned that ring. Still, he’ll go down as one of the all-time greats.