Current 76ers star joins two Philly legends on list of Top 10 Players to never win a NBA title
Allen Iverson averaged 26.7 points and 6.2 assists per game during his career and as we all know, is a member of the NBA Hall of Fame. He led the league in scoring three times and led the league in steals three times, while taking home the NBA MVP award in 2001, carrying the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA Finals.
It was the only time in his career that Iverson made it the finals, which the Sixers lost to the Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. So where does the pound-for-pound greatest basketball player of all-time rank among the greatest players to never win an NBA title?
Before the 2021-22 NBA season, the league named its 75 greatest players of all time. The list featured 56 champions and 19 additional players that have never or have yet to win a championship ring.
In a recent ranking released from Bleacher Report, they listed the top players to never win a title. They ranked Allen Iverson as the 6th best player to never win a ring, a spot behind John Stockton and a spot ahead of Patrick Ewing. Former 76ers legend Charles Barkley was ranked No. 1 and current 76ers player James Harden finished in 9th place ahead of Russell Westbrook.
Three 76ers Players on List of Top 10 Best Players in NBA History to Never Win a Title
- Charles Barkley
- Karl Malone
- Elgin Baylor
- Chris Paul
- John Stockton
- Allen Iverson
- Patrick Ewing
- Steve Nash
- James Harden
- Russell Westbrook
One of the most prolific scorers of his generation, James Harden has been among the NBA’s top-tier players for years.
His 23,477 points scored rank 28th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, with a significant chunk coming from three-point range and the free-throw line. His 7,044 made free throws rank ninth on the league’s all-time leaders list, while his 2,593 made three-pointers put him third all-time.
But the stats only tell part of the story when it comes to Harden’s impact on the game. Not only has he scored at a high clip, but he has also done so in style, utilizing a signature step-back jumper often copied—but never truly duplicated—by basketball players at all levels.
The 32-year-old has shown himself to be more than just a lethal scorer. He’s a true game-changer whose impact, with or without a championship ring, will linger long after he is done playing.
Allen Iverson was generously listed at 6’0″ and weighed in at just 165 pounds, but he was a giant on the court, primarily for the Philadelphia 76ers. While Iverson wasn’t the most efficient scorer, he powered the Sixers offense for over a decade. In an era when hand-checking was still legal, Iverson’s agility, ball-handling and fearlessness carried Philadelphia to the 2001 NBA Finals.
Iverson’s dominance in Philadelphia’s Game 1 victory in Los Angeles against prime Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers is still an epic watch. The Sixers surrounded him with big, tough, physical defenders and Iverson put his heart and soul on the line night after night (although not always in practice).
Charles Barkley is a perfect mix of multiple eras. He rebounded and played with the physicality adored by old-school basketball heads. His size (6’6″) and do-everything game would’ve made him a dream addition for any team in today’s positionless era. And though he’s expressed disdain for “analytics” on multiple occasions, they sure do love him.
Barkley’s basic numbers (22.1 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.5 steals), 11 All-NBA appearances and 1993 MVP do more than enough to secure his legacy, but the advanced numbers don’t hurt.
He’s currently 13th all-time in box plus/minus (sixth among retired players) and boasts some of the most efficient high-volume scoring seasons in league history. He has seven campaigns in which he averaged at least 20 points and posted a 60-plus true shooting percentage. Just six players have more (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Adrian Dantley were the only players ahead of him on that list at the time he retired in 2000).
Scoring at that level while playing a position where he was typically shorter than his matchup is a testament to Barkley’s unique combination of skill, athleticism and tenacity. And while that may not have yielded a ring (thanks, Michael Jordan), it was more than enough to establish him as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
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