Hoops Habit
Fansided

50 greatest NBA players to never win a championship

By Maxwell Ogden

PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 01: Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers expresses emotion after making a basket during their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 1, 2005 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Bucks won 117-108 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA - NOVEMBER 01: Allen Iverson #3 of the Philadelphia 76ers expresses emotion after making a basket during their game against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 1, 2005 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Bucks won 117-108 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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13. Nate Thurmond

  • Years Active: 1963 to 1977
  • Teams Played For: San Francisco / Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • NBA Finals Appearances: 2

It’s difficult to envy the centers who played during the same era as Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. That was the task placed before Nate Thurmond, who spent 14 years in the NBA and 11 seasons with the once San Francisco and now Golden State Warriors.

Somehow, Thurmond managed to make quite the name for himself.

A physical marvel who could intimidate players of any era, Thurmond emerged as an elite defender and perennial All-Star with a unique statistical claim to fame: Being the first player in NBA history to record a quadruple-double.

On October 18, 1974, Thurmond recorded an unprecedented stat line of 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocks in a 120-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. That’s especially significant considering it wasn’t until Thurmond’s 11th season that the NBA began recording blocks as an official statistic.

In other words: It’s possible that he’d already done this before, but it went unrecorded.

Thurmond was, after all, a five-time All-Defense honoree—an award that didn’t exist until his until his sixth NBA season, thus calling into question how many more he would have on his résumé had it existed all along.

Averages 21.3 rebounds per game in 1966-67 and 22.0 in 1967-68 would’ve certainly helped his case.

Thurmond was also an excellent passer for his position, as evidenced by his average of 4.2 assists per game in 1967-68. The impact of his statistics is evident when one evaluates his nine postseason appearances.

That includes 1971-72, when a then 30-year-old Thurmond averaged 25.4 points, 17.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per contest against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks.

Speaking of Abdul-Jabbar, he provided the following quote about Thurmond, per The Tampa Bay Times:

"“When I score on Nate, I know I’ve done something,” Abdul-Jabbar once said. “He sweats, and he wants you to sweat, too.”"

That quote about Thurmond’s smothering defense comes from the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Furthermore, Thurmond and the Warriors reached the 1964 and 1967 NBA Finals, thus coming close to not even being on this list. He helped Chamberlain defeat all-timer Bob Pettit in the Division Finals in 1964, and aided Rick Barry in a win over Elgin Baylor in the Division Semifinals in 1967.

Thurmond may have been overshadowed by Chamberlain and Russell, but who wasn’t? He’s one of the all-time great centers, title or otherwise.