NBA: Ranking the 30 best players to win NBA Finals with 2 or more teams

CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 16: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L) and Shaquille O'Neal attend the AT&T Slam Dunk during the 2019 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Spectrum Center on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 16: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L) and Shaquille O'Neal attend the AT&T Slam Dunk during the 2019 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Spectrum Center on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
23 of 30
Next
Bill Walton
Bill Walton #32 (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Best NBA players to win NBA Finals with two or more teams: 8. Bill Walton

Some may take exception with how high Bill Walton is on this list. His career was limited by injury and was never quite able to exhibit sustained greatness relative to his overall potential. Or maybe they just think of him as the old hippie who calls college games and tells long-winded stories. However, when he was able to be on the court, Walton was one of the best to ever touch a basketball.

Walton was the number one overall pick in the 1974 draft after a transcendent college career where he was a three-time consensus All-American, three-time National college player of the year, two-time NCAA champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player. He immediately made an impact with the Portland Trail Blazers.

As a rookie, Walton averaged 12.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. His first two seasons were marred by the foot issues that would eventually cut his career short but when he was on the court he was unstoppable. His apex came in his third season when he led the Blazers all the way to the championship. Walton led the league in rebounds (14.4 per game) and blocks (3.2 per game). He made the All-Star game that year and was named Finals MVP. The next season he would be named the MVP of the league.

Walton was robbed of three of the next four seasons due to foot injuries, two of which came during his tenure with the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers. This was a terrible time for Walton, and his relationship with the much-maligned owner Donald Sterling was toxic, to say the least.

Walton would join the Boston Celtics and was the Sixth Man of the Year for the 1986 NBA champions. Walton would have been one of the best players of all time had his feet not failed him but his spot on this list is secure.