Bill Russell has won the most NBA rings with a tally of 11 rings, Sam Jones has 10 NBA Rings, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, K.C Jones and Satch Sanders have 8 rings. The great Michael Jordan is 10th with 6 NBA Championship Rings.

Getting an NBA ring is hard, Giannis Antetkounmpo, who is both a reigning MVP and a defensive player of the year, but is on his way to a second consecutive playoff exit with his team being severely outplayed. Many stars learn from the pain of those early losses and eventually break through them, such is the case with LeBron, Jordan and Durant. On the other hand, some never quite manage to combine individual and team success, either because of a lack of talent on their rosters or pieces not fully fitting to complete a championship puzzle. Those players, no matter how great, have a stain on their resume and are, as a result, excluded from many lists and discussions when it comes to the greatest to ever play. Barkley, Malone, Nash and Harden are just some of the players on that long and unfortunate list. On the opposite side of this particular spectrum, there are many cases of role players and complementary pieces with tremendous team resumes, who never shined individually and therefore don’t get half the credit as most of them probably deserve. Dennis Johnson, Steve Kerr and Robert Horry are some of those cases. After all, wining a title is a function of many variables which are often out of players’ control, and are therefore just a part of what makes a successful NBA career. Now, after making those important points, let’s jump to a list of players with most champions to their name:

Bill Russell : 11 NBA Rings

Boasting a record amount of 11 rings, Russell was a part of a historically great Boston Celtics team of the 60s. Couched by Red Auerbach, together they led the Celtics to 11 titles in 13 years, and 8 in a row, a most dominant such streak in NBA history. Russell was a central piece of that team, a premier shotblocker and defender who impacted winning like no other at that time. His only equal at the center position was Wilt Chamberlain, a physical specimen who registered record breaking stats throughout his career. However, he did not have quite enough around him to compete with Russell, who got the better of him most of the time. Russell was never a great scorer, averaging around 14 for his career, but was a rebounding machine and averaged more than 20 each season of his 13 year career. Even though he was not flashy and his stats do not pop like those of some other superstars, the unprecedented level of team success has earned him a strong case in the greatest of all time debate. The Finals MVP award, fittingly, has his name attached to it.

Sam Jones: 10 NBA Rings

Also a member of that famous Celtics team, Jones won 10 rings in his 12 years in the league. He averaged 17.7 points a game and was one of the teams leading scorers each year. He was an insanely quick guard with precise shooting and sneaky lay ups and bank shots in his offensive toolbox. Most importantly, he was the closer for this team and is often described as a cool, clutch performer and his numbers were consistently raised in the playoffs. Wilt Chamberlain once called Jones the Celtics’ best player, after seeing him nail a game winning shot over him to win the eastern conference finals series. In 1983, he was elected to the Hall of Fame and is considered one of the 50 best players in league’s history.

Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, K.C Jones, Satch Sanders: 8 NBA Rings

Another group of accomplished Celtics, these four each earned 8 rings during their time in the league.

Heinsohn is one of the all-time Celtic legends, having in mind that he continued to be involved with team as a coach and is currently doing a terrific job commentating Celtics games with a unique style and energy. He was a high scoring forward who immediately found his place in a loaded Celtics team upon his arrival. He won rookie of the year averaging almost 17 and 10 and never looked back. He was in double figures for all of his 9 years in the league, with career averages of 18 and 9.

Celtics all time leading scorer, Havlicek was a key cog in two Celtics generations. Playing both forward and guard, Havlicek’s versatility made him perhaps the greatest all-around player in the league. During the dynasty years, Havlicek provided the spark off the bench and then emerged as a leader of the 70s team, which he lead to 2 championships in ‘74 and ‘76. His steal which clinched the series against the 76ers in the eastern conference finals is one of the greatest and most replayed moments in NBA history.

K.C Jones was the glue and energy guy for that team. His averages were never impressive, 7.4 points per game on below 40% efficiency from the floor and a dismal 637% from the line. At the beginning, he was a backup point guard and an understudy to Bob Cousy, but later took his place once he

retired. He won 8 rings in first 8 out of total 9 nine seasons, doing his job as an organizer on offense and a pit bull on defence, where he always took the task of stopping opposing star guards. A legend says the “C” in his name stands for championships.

Satch Sanders was a role player who spent 13 years with the Celtics, mainly taking the task of rebounding and defending, which he did gracefully and effectively. A perfect example of the coach’s trust in him is the fact that he guarded Willis Reed and Elgin Baylor in the most important games. He retired with modest career stats of 9 and 6, but fans in Boston recognize that those are not an indication of his importance.

Robert Horry, Frank Ramsey, Jim Loscutoff: 7 NBA Rings

Robert Horry was a perfect example of guy always being in the right place at the right time. He was a member of the 94 and 95 Houston team which capitalized on the fact that Jordan took a break from basketball and captured 2 championships on the back of their talisman in Hakeem Olajuwon. Later, Horry found himself a member of a Lakers dynasty in the early 2000s. Led by their legendary Shaq and Kobe duo, Lakers 3-peated in dominant fashion and are still the last team to accomplish that feat. That was, however, not the end for Horry who went on to perform for another 2000s dynasty in San Antonio, where he got himself 2 more rings to cap off one of the strangest and most impressive resumes. Although never a star, he did his part in each of those championships, as he was one of the deadliest shooters and playoff performers of his generation. Whenever he was on the court with game on the line, you could always count on him to deliver.

Jim Loscutoff was Boston’s top pick in the 1955 NBA Draft, a decent scorer and a terrific rebounder. In his best season for the team, he averaged a double-double– 10.6 points and 10 rebounds per game. He went on to help the Celtics to seven championship titles in his nine-year career, throughout which he was a proven role player.

Frank Ramsey was the Celtics’ fifth overall selection in the 1953 draft. He was a scorer of the bench who thrived in big playoff moments. He averaged 13 and 5 for his career, and having in mind the amount of stars he played with, that is highly impressive.

Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bob Cousy: 6 NBA Rings

Jordan and Pippen are probably the greatest duo in basketball history. Together they won 6 titles in 8 years and would have probably added 2 more if Michael didn’t take two years off. Their combination of length, size and strength coupled with diverse offensive skill set made them a force

on both ends of the floor. Michael was no doubt the best player of his era and arguably all time, while Scottie was probably good enough to win as the number one option himself. In all of their 6 titles, no finals series even went to a game 7, which shows just how dominant that Bulls team was.

Kareem retired with most points all time, most block shots, MVPs and All-Star selections. His college career is also arguably the best out of any NBA superstar. The main reason behind his insane resume was his durability. He played 20 full seasons in the league and retired at age 42, having won titles both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. One more reason why his legacy is hard to much is his perfection of the sky-hook shot, probably the most unguardable move in basketball history, which enabled him to compete at the highest in his 40s and rack up all the records he did. Having won in the early 70s with the Bucks and also being a part of the legendary showtime Lakers roster of the 80s, Kareem truly dominated two completely different eras.

Cousy was the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics roster of late 50s and 60s. He completely revolutionized basketball with his ball handling and passing. One of the greatest playmakers in NBA history, Cousy made all the other Celtics on this list tick. Besides his 6 championships, he managed to lead the league in assists in 8 consecutive seasons while being near the top in scoring and free throw percentage. After he retired, Celtics owner Walter Brown told the Boston papers: “The Celtics wouldn’t be here without him. If he had played in New York, he would have been as big as Babe Ruth. I think he is anyway.”

I have also put a list together of the NBA players who have lost the most NBA finals. Obviously, LeBron is on the list but I don’t think you could believe who is number one. Read the article here.

Who has the most championships in the NBA?

The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers are tied for the most championships in the NBA, both winning 17. The two franchises are easily two of the most popular and historic teams in the NBA, having both won their first NBA titles over 50 years ago. The Celtics were the much more successful team early on in the NBA, having won 16 titles in less than 30 years, dominating the 1960s. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce helped the Celtics to their seventeenth title in 2008, defeating the Lakers in the finals. Whereas, the Lakers have dominated some of the more recent parts of the NBA, dominating in the 1980s, before a three peat in the early 2000s. After a 10 year break, the Lakers claimed their 17th title in 2020, when Lebron James led the team past the Miami Heat. The two teams are crucial pillars of the NBA, and are easily the most successful teams. They are so far above the rest, that the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors are joined third, on only six titles each.

Who has the most rings in the NBA right now?

In the current NBA, Lebron James has the most rings. Lebron has four rings. Two from his time in Miami, one with Cleveland and one with the Lakers. Lebron has been in the NBA for 18 seasons, in which time he has gone to 11 finals. Of these 11 finals, Lebron has only been successful four times. His first finals appearance came with Cleveland in 2007, in which they were swept by the Spurs. After moving to Miami in 2010, Lebron one his first and second titles in consecutive years in 2012 and 2013.

Lebron moved back to the Cavs and came back from 3-1 down to win his third title, before adding his fourth with the Lakers last year. Lebron is the only active player to have four rings. The next closest to Lebron are the core members of Golden States dynasty in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, as well as 5 other current players. These include Udonis Haslem, who won all three of his championships with the Heat, including helping Lebron to wins in 2012 and 2013.

After the Golden State Warriors claimed their 4th title of the Steph Curry Dynasty era in 2022, they joined Lebron as active players with 4 rings. The Warriors that join Lebron are Curry, Thompson, Draymond and Iguodala. They won their titles in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.

Who has the most rings in NBA history?

Bill Russell remains the most successful NBA player in history in terms of winning. The former Celtics centre has won 11 titles in the 13 seasons he played, as incredible record. Russell won all of his championships with the Boston Celtics, as they dominated the late 1950s and all of the 1960s. These titles included winning eight championships in a row, spanning from 1959 to 1966. Russell and the Celtics were able to dominate this era, and have to be known as one of the most dominant dynasties in NBA history.

It was so dominant that 9 out of the top 10 most successful players in NBA history are from that Celtics dynasty. Russell leads the way with 11 titles, with guard Sam Jones just behind him with 10 championships. This kind of dominance is nothing like anything we would see in the current NBA. The only time that Russell lost in the finals was his second appearance in 1958, when his Celtics lost to the St Louis Hawks. It seems unlikely that we will ever see anyone finish their career with more titles than Bill Russell.

Full List of NBA Players With Most the NBA Championship Rings (minimum 3 titles)

How many championship rings does Robert Horry have?

Robert Horry is one of the rare examples of someone winning titles with three different teams. Horry has a total of seven titles, and incredible feat for a player who never even made the all star team once. Horry won his first two titles in 1994 and 1995. He was a part of the Houston Rockets team which one the title in the two season in which Michael Jordan did not compete. Horry only averaged around 10 points per game in these seasons. After a short spell with the Suns, Horry joined the Lakers in 1997.

He was a small part of the Lakers three peat at the start of the 2000s. Horry then left the Lakers to join another dynasty in the Spurs. Despite never averaging more than 10 points per game for the Spurs, Horry won two more titles with the Spurs, in 2005 and 2007. Horry was never a great player, but he is so fondly remembered by NBA fans for firstly winning seven titles, and secondly becoming known as “Big Shot Bob”. This was due to the fact that Horry seemed to always hit the most clutch shots, despite not really contributing for the rest of games.