Los Angeles Lakers: Greatest players in franchise history to never win a ring
3. Steve Nash
Okay before you start throwing a fit — I am aware that Steve Nash didn’t spend much of his career with the Lakers. In fact, only two of his 18 NBA campaigns were spent in Los Angeles. However, he still deserves recognition for his tremendous career and status as a ring-less star.
When the Lakers acquired him from the Phoenix Suns in 2012, it was seen as a game-changing move. Los Angeles was desperate to make a splash after the Chris Paul trade was controversially vetoed, forcing them to mortgage their future on a future Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, the move was a train wreck.
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In fact, it’s often seen as one of the worst trades in team (and maybe league) history. In order to acquire Nash, the Lakers gave up two first-round picks and two second-round picks. And in return? Two seasons’ worth of subpar performances, at least by Nash’s standards. During that time, nagging injuries limited him to only 65 appearances in which he was a shell of his former self.
Still, Nash will go down as one of the greatest pure point guards in NBA history. He revolutionized the art of passing a basketball, finishing his career with the third-most assists (10,335) of all time. Unfortunately, that ring always eluded him. As it turns out, he never even made it to the Finals.
Sure, he only played for the Lakers for two partial seasons. He wrote his NBA legacy elsewhere. All of that aside, Nash is easily one of the greatest players to ever wear the purple and gold who never won a championship.