Top 5 NBA Players With The Most NBA Finals Appearances

Within the NBA, attending to the Finals is the last word prize. After each season, one of the best basketball gamers on this planet conflict on the court docket for the yr’s grandest prize. If you wish to discover one of the best of one of the best, you’ll want to have a look at what number of occasions a participant has discovered themselves in a Finals lineup.

Right this moment we’re doing simply that, testing the 5 NBA gamers who’ve made it to the Finals essentially the most. In the event you’re within the subsequent yr of basketball motion, it’s best to take into account testing NBA betting odds.

1. Invoice Russell – 12 NBA Finals

It’s no shock that the person who led the Boston Celtics throughout their ‘60s glory days is on the prime of our checklist. He’s the one participant with 12 appearances on the Tremendous Bowl, with 8 consecutive title wins from 1959 to 1966. General, he received 11 of the 12 Finals video games, getting beat simply as soon as by the St. Louis Hawks in 1958 earlier than the Celtics discovered their stride. With 29.5 rebounds per sport, his document nonetheless hasn’t been damaged but.
What different information he had had been handed by Wilt Chamberlain, so he’s in nice firm. Russell additionally has the one greatest Recreation 7 within the historical past of the Finals. That may be his 1960 sport, the place he made 35 rebounds and 22 factors. It could be not possible to make so many Finals appearances within the fashionable NBA, the place competitors is far stiffer.

2. Sam Jones – 11 NBA Finals

Subsequent, we’ve Sam Jones, although his teammates most well-liked to name him Mr. Clutch as a substitute. He’s one of many oldest basketball gamers right here and he handed on the finish of 2021. Like Russell, he fashioned the Celtics dynasty dream workforce in the course of the ‘50s and ‘60s, which is why he has so many Finals appearances beneath his belt. He was current for 10 of their championship wins throughout 12 years.

He averaged 17.7 factors per sport and made 5 All-Star nominations. One in all Jones’ iconic moments additionally got here in the course of the 1960 Finals, the place he had his namesake clutch second towards Wilt Chamberlain. He made the game-winning shot over Chamberlain with simply two seconds left, for which Chamberlain sang his praises. He additionally made 5 of 10 time beyond regulation factors in Recreation 7, too.

3. LeBron James – 10 NBA Finals

It surprises many who LeBron James hasn’t seen extra championships. He’s, in spite of everything, one of the crucial enduring names in fashionable basketball. Nonetheless, LeBron followers can accept him being one among 4 gamers to see the NBA Finals 10+ occasions. Of these, he received 4. His newest look was in 2017, the place he additionally grew to become the primary participant to make a triple-double common in a Finals sport at 33.6 factors.

LeBron averaged 28.4 factors with 10.2 rebounds and seven.8 assists. That help stat places him third for All-Time information alongside Bob Cousy and Magic Johnson, who you may even see extra of later on this checklist. He has spectacular stats for someone who isn’t even a degree guard.

4. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 10 NBA Finals

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one other of these names which can be related to NBA greats and all the time can be. So, it’s no shock that he’s right here, with 10 NBA Finals appearances and 6 wins out of them. The primary got here earlier in his profession, in 1971 with the Milwaukee Bucks. The remainder got here from his time with the L.A. Lakers in the course of the ‘80s.

Of his achievements, the 1985 Collection stands out. That is the place a 38-year-old Kareem, “washed up” as some mentioned, recording 30 factors in Recreation 2 to beat the Celtics. This led the Lakers to beat the Celtics on their very own turf at Boston Backyard.

5. Magic Johnson – 9 NBA Finals

With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar main the Lakers by the ‘80s, we noticed the rise of Magic Johnson. Having appeared in 9 NBA Finals, he received 5 of them and secured his legacy as one of many NBA’s best level guards within the meantime. He additionally has quite a lot of star energy, turning into a family identify everywhere in the world.

Johnson first shined within the Eighties Finals after Abdul-Jabbar suffered a sprained ankle. Regardless of it being his rookie season, he captivated the world at Recreation 6 by getting into Kareem’s place and scoring an eye-watering 42 factors, alongside 15 rebounds and seven assists. He would proceed to hone his expertise additional into the ‘80s and ‘90s till he grew to become among the best NBA gamers ever.

Honorable mentions to Jerry West and Tom Heinsohn, who each additionally made the NBA Finals 9 occasions. They simply didn’t match the caliber of Magic Johnson when penning this.

Conclusion

These are the 5 NBA gamers who’ve witnessed essentially the most Finals. Simply getting there’s an accomplishment however, as you’d anticipate, these nice gamers additionally received many championships alongside their groups.
The checklist is a who’s who of essentially the most influential NBA gamers within the sport, from the Sixties to the modern-day. With out their Finals performances, these guys have set information as a number of the greatest gamers ever.