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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Ralph Sampson
Ralph Sampson (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/ Getty Images) /

48. Ralph Sampson

  • Years Active: 1983 to 1992
  • Teams Played For: Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Washington Bullets
  • NBA Finals Appearances: 1

Ralph Sampson may be the single most difficult player to rank on this list. For as renowned a big man as he was, fans only witnessed three healthy seasons from the 7’4” anomaly before injuries took their toll and the questions of, “What could have been?” began to dominate the discussions.

Sampson, who went No. 1 overall in the 1983 NBA Draft, offered quite a few answers during those three seasons, however, including the obliteration of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Playoffs.

It’s a shame we’ll never know what he could have become.

Sampson won Rookie of the Year in 1984 and quickly followed that success with All-NBA Second Team honors in 1985. This followed his run of three consecutive National Player of the Year awards that etched his name into the record books as one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time.

Although Sampson was not named All-NBA in 1985-86, when there were only two teams instead of the current three, he made the All-Star team and helped Houston achieve one of its best seasons to date.

Houston swept Eddie Johnson and the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the 1986 NBA Playoffs. In the next round, against Alex English and the Denver Nuggets, Sampson averaged 24.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.8 steals per game in a blatant example of his superstar potential.

One round later, Sampson put up 20.4 points on 55.3 percent shooting as the Rockets defeated the Showtime Lakers in dominant fashion: 4-1, including four consecutive victories.

The Rockets would ultimately lose to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals, but Sampson would pull down 22 rebounds in Game 3, and score 25 points in Game 5 for one last display of his superstar upside.

And he did all of this at just 25 years of age. Seriously, what could have been?