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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Chris Paul
Chris Paul (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

6. Chris Paul

  • Years Active: 2005 to Present
  • Teams Played For: New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns
  • Conference Finals Appearances: 1

When Chris Paul joins a team, it instantly becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Perhaps even more significantly: When Paul joins a downtrodden franchise, it instantly becomes a factor in ways it had never previously been.

The New Orleans Hornets, now Pelicans, and Los Angeles Clippers are shining examples of this, as Paul single-handedly transformed the culture and success of those organizations.

In New Orleans, Paul inherited a team that won a mere 18 wins in 2004-05. Just three years later, he guided the Hornets to a 54-28 record and a postseason series victory over Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in 2007-08.

That set the tone for his run with the Clippers, where he ended a six-year postseason drought and delivered the first 50-win season in franchise history.

43 years after the franchise was founded.

Paul’s résumé jumps off the page with nine All-NBA nods, nine All-Defense honors, and 11 selections to the All-Star Game. He’s led the Association in steals in a record six seasons, with no other player doing so in more than three.

Paul is also a four-time NBA assists leader, a former Rookie of the Year, and a player who might have been a champion had he not been injured in 2017-18.

Lest we forget: Paul had the Houston Rockets up 3-2 on Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference Finals.

Had he not been injured, Paul may have secured that elusive championship with James Harden in Houston.