The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
By Cal Durrett
Greatest NBA Player #44: Chauncey Billups-120.78
Point guard Chauncey Billups’ path to stardom is definitely one of the more usual of any player on this list. He was taken in the lottery by the Boston Celtics during the 1997 NBA draft but failed to pan out with them, the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. It took until his fourth career stop for Billups to finally stick.
As a member of the Pistons, Billups emerged as a star, making four all-star teams and leading the them to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances. They managed to make the NBA Finals twice, where they upset a Lakers team that featured four future Hall of Famers in 2004, with Billups being named Finals MVP. They later nearly upset the San Antonio Spurs, who featured a prime Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili.
Had the Pistons done so, Billups likely would have won his second straight MVP. That would have put him in rare air, but even without it, he went on to have a terrific career. He was later traded for Allen Iverson, allowing him to return to Denver, where he helped a team led by Carmelo Anthony make it to the Western Conference Finals in 2009.
Being one of the best players in seven Conference Finals is impressive, to say the least, and proves just how much of a winner Billups was. He may not have made the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team, but his winning ways are good enough for 44th in win shares.