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

1. Elgin Baylor

Here’s the mind-boggling thing about Elgin Baylor: during his 14 seasons (all with the Lakers), he went to eight NBA Finals. In all eight of those series, he lost — seven of which were lost against the Celtics. And yet, that’s not all!

Technically, Baylor was a part of the 1971-72 Lakers that went on to win it all. However, at 37 years of age, a persistent knee injury forced him into retirement nine games into the season. Had he just stuck it out for one more year, Baylor wouldn’t have made this list.

As it turns out, he didn’t stick it out. Instead, he called it a career and watched his teammates lead the Lakers to the mountaintop. That’s why he now finds himself among the best players in NBA history who weren’t a part of a championship squad. An argument could be made that he is the best player to never win a ring.

Now, this does come with a caveat of sorts. Technically, Baylor did receive a ring for his efforts (however minimal) that season. Still, at least in my book, it’s a ring he didn’t truly earn because he was no longer a part of the team.

Either way, Baylor will go down as one of the most dynamic shooters of all time. He was a magician with the basketball, using his otherworldly athleticism and scoring prowess to frustrate opponents while bloating the scoreboard. If it wasn’t for that knee injury, he would have been a key cog for one of the best Los Angeles Lakers teams ever assembled.