How do you evaluate if a player is good enough and worthy to be called a legend or a great player? You simply check the statistics, awards won, trophies won, and individual performance. But when it comes to the players playing in the NBA championship, the best way to sort out their abilities and record is to check how many rings they have won. But definitely, it is not the only way to conclude if the player is good enough or not as there are some other things too which can help you determine the actual skills of a player. You cannot pick a single thing and see if a player has won it and how many times he has won it to conclude your results. But NBA rings have a great impact on the basketball world, and it has become a way to judge a player. So who is the one with the most NBA rings and how many are there following him in the line?
There are several players who have won a great number of NBA rings and Bill Russell is the one who tops the list of the most NBA rings. There are many other players like Sam Jones and Tom Heinsohn who follow him on the list.
The list of players is pretty vast and that is why we are going to feast our eyes on the top 10 players who have won the most NBA championships. But do you know who gets the rings and what players have to do to win an NBA ring? Let’s find out!
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How do players get the NBA ring?
It is really simple, win an NBA championship, and boom, you will win an NBA ring too. So the thing is, NBA championships are directly proportional to NBA rings and the number will increase if you keep winning the NBA titles.
One thing to note here is that NBA rings are offered to the whole team including the managers, coaches, and the other players when a team wins an NBA championship. So do not forget this important aspect.
Top 10 NBA players with the Most Rings
These are the 10 players who have won the most NBA Rings in the history of basketball. Let’s check how many they have won, which teams they played for, and were they really good individually or not.
1– Bill Russell
Yes, you read that right. Bill Russell is the player who has won the most NBA rings in the entire basketball history. He has a record of whooping 11 NBA rings which is massive and hard to beat. Bill Russell started his career almost 80 years ago and he started winning the rings from the season 1956-57. Yes, he is pretty much very old and he used to be a great player. Not only that, but he also had a pretty great winning streak and he won multiple rings every year which made him even more confident. He played for the team Boston Celtics which is still considered one of the best teams out there.
If we take a look at the average points scored per game, then he had an average of 15.1. It is surely not that much great for this era, but it surely was back then.
2– Sam Jones
Sam Jones is the one who holds second place in winning the most NBA championships. He has won 10 NBA rings in his entire career. He is just 1 ring shy from the number-one spot, but it is what it is! An amazing this is, Sam Jones also played for Boston Celtics and he also played for Bill Russell for several seasons. You will see a lot of players in this list who played for the Boston Celtics because this team was just too good in the 90s era. His points scoring average is pretty higher than Bill Russell’s as he had an average of 17.7 points scored in every game.
3- John Havlicek
Yes, you certainly guessed it right, John Havlicek also played for Boston Celtics in almost the same era in which the other two top scorers played. Havlicek has won 8 NBA rings which is still a great achievement and should be considered as a great thing even if he comes in the third spot. As we are going below the list, the average of the players is increasing and it is pretty much remarkable. John Havlicek had an average of 20.8 which is undoubtedly great, and more than the above two. The last ring that Havlicek won was in the 1975-76 season, which was way after the other two greats of the team played.
4- Tom Heinsohn
John Havlicek and Tom Heinsohn ties when it comes to the most rings won in the NBA. Tom has also won eight rings in his entire career with Boston Celtics. Just know that Boston Celtics own the list of the all-time most NBA ring winners and there is no stopping them. Tom started winning the rings along with Russell, but he retired from the team easily and could only get his hands on 4 NBA rings. But still, it is a great achievement and a remarkable thing to do.
5- K.C Jones
If you think that the players from Boston Celtic will vanish from this list, then you are wrong. There are many more to come as I have stated earlier that his team has dominated this list. K.C Jones has also won 8 NBA rings, which makes him equal to Tom and John. And yes, there will be more players who have won the same number of rings in their career. So hold tight and we will see. If we talk about the stats, he had pretty good stats. He is not even with us anymore as he passed away back in 2020.
6- Tom Sanders
Tom Sanders might be in the sixth position, but he has won the same number of NBA rings as K.C Jones, Tom, and few others. Yes, Sanders had also won 8 NBA rings, that too with Boston Celtics. You might now be frustrated to see the number eight and the team name Boston Celtics, but we cannot do anything about that. The average points scored by Tom Sanders in his entire career was 9.7, which is considerably low, but he still managed to win massive 8 NBA rings, which is not an easy thing to do so. It depends on the luck too and Tom Sanders was really lucky here.
7- Robert Horry
Finally, here is a player who did not play for Boston Celtics. Robert Horry played for different teams throughout his career and the teams were Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs. And yes, he had also had a different number of NBA rings, and not 8 like the others. Robert Horry has 7 NBA rings on his name along with an average of 6.9. Again, he was very lucky to get that many NBA rings with this much average, but it depends on your teammates too that can help you win the matches.
8- Jim Loscutoff
Jim Loscutoff and Frank Ramsey have both won 7 NBA rings in their entire careers. Both of the players played for Boston Celtics and that is why I have put them together in this list. One crucial thing to note here is that both of the players won the rings almost in the same years and they also played together in the tournaments. Their duo has certainly won many trophies and awards to earn a great name in the basketball world.
9- Micheal Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
These three are considered some of the best basketball players of all time. So why not put the entire three in one place as it will also increase their respect. All these have won 6 NBA rings in their entire and remarkable careers. Michael Jordan played for Chicago Bulls, whereas Kareem Abdul Jabbar played for LA Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks. These two have also inspired millions of basketball players from all over the world. And Kobe Bryant broke thousands of hearts too when he died in a helicopter crash in recent times. Bob Cousy and Scottie Pippen are also the ones who follow all these two legends in winning 6 NBA rings, so it is not a good idea to exclude him for such an achievement.
10- Kobe Bryant
Is there anyone who does not know who Kobe Bryant is? There might be no one. He was one of the best players. But he broke thousands of hearts too when he died in a helicopter crash in recent times. He won five NBA rings and made basketball fun to watch with his actions and skills on the pitch. There are many other players who have also won five NBA rings and some of them are Tim Duncan, Michael Cooper, Steve Kerr, and many others.
The Verdict
So these were some of the best basketball players you can find in the history of basketball. The rings do not make them the absolute best in their area, but these do have a great impact when it comes to checking the players’ team awards and abilities as NBA is considered the biggest Basketball tournament. If your favorite player is not on the list, you can wait for few years and who knows he might be able to top the list.
I have been playing basketball for more than a decade now, and my passion and enthusiasm for it drove me to write about it. I am Ahmed, a professional basketball player and a fan who has now become a writer to help fellow basketball players and enthusiasts to opt for the best possible basketball accessories and essentials. Stay tuned to feast yourself with the content you might not have seen anywhere else.