Larry Bird, Dwyane Wade, and Kevin McHale are the best NBA players who won three championship rings.
In recent weeks, we have begun to count down the greatest players to win a certain number of NBA championship rings. We began by naming Oscar Robertson the best NBA player to win just one championship ring. Then, we continued our countdown by naming Wilt Chamberlain the greatest NBA player to win two championship rings in his career. Now, the plot thickens and the field gets a bit smaller as we count down the 10 greatest NBA players to win three championship rings.
In NBA history, there have been exactly 40 NBA players who have gone on to win exactly three NBA championships. Today, we have narrowed down that field by 75.0% to bring you the 10 greatest from that list.
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10. Bruce Bowen
Credit: Fadeaway World
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-0
Career Stats: 6.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 8x All-Defensive Team Selection
At first glance, Bruce Bowen is not an NBA legend that many people remember being as impactful as he was. His numbers do not jump off the stat sheet as an offensive player but where he earned his paycheck was on the defensive end of the floor. Bowen was a 13-year NBA veteran from 1997 through 2009 with the Heat, Celtics, 76ers, and Spurs.
Bowen began his career with the Miami Heat as an undrafted small forward who had been playing overseas in France in the early 1990s. Bowen remained relatively unknown for the first several seasons of his career with the Heat and Celtics, never averaging over 10.0 points per game with limited knowledge about his defensive game. That all changed in 2000-01.
That was the season Bowen earned his first All-Defensive Team selection with the Heat before joining the Spurs in 2001-02. Bowen would go on to make seven more consecutive All-Defensive teams including five straight First Team selections from 2004 through 2008 with the Spurs. Bowen would help lead the Spurs’ perimeter defensive unit to three championship runs in 2003, 2005, and 2007 while writing his legacy as one of the greatest perimeter defenders in NBA history.
9. Sam Cassell
Credit: Fadeaway World
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-0
Career Stats: 15.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 1x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
Sam Cassell was a 15-year veteran in the NBA, playing for eight different teams throughout his career. For the most part, Cassell was a solid starting point guard in the NBA, able to deliver excellent leadership along with 15.0 points and 6.0 assists per game every night. Cassell was an excellent distributor, a decent scorer, and an all-around leader that every locker room was dying to have.
Cassell lucked out after being drafted by the Houston Rockets 24th overall in 1993. Despite starting just six games in those two seasons, Cassell played his role to perfection off the bench in Houston, aiding in back-to-back championships in his rookie and sophomore seasons. He averaged just 8.3 points and 4.0 assists in those two seasons that Houston ended up NBA champions.
Over the next few seasons, Cassell bounced around from team to team without a solid foundation to form a real home. In 2004, he would become an All-Star and All-NBA Team selection with the Timberwolves, averaging 19.8 points and 7.3 assists per game. In 2008 with the Celtics, Cassell would add his third NBA championship by coming off the bench for just 12.0 minutes per game in the playoffs that season. He averaged 4.5 points and 1.2 assists per game on that final championship run before retirement.
8. Byron Scott
Credit: Fadeaway World
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-2
Career Stats: 14.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion
Of the 14 seasons Byron Scott spent in the NBA as a player, 11 of them came with the Los Angeles Lakers. Scott was not the most recognizable name of the Showtime era but his importance to that team can never be understated. Scott and Magic Johnson combined as one of the best backcourts of their time with Magic running point and Scott playing a more hybrid guard role.
Although his numbers and individual accolades do not stand out too much, his spot in Lakers history is cemented forever. Scott is a top 10 scorer in Lakers history at this moment and helped them capture three NBA titles in his first five seasons in the NBA from 1984 through 1988. During that time, Scott averaged 16.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game on 51.2% shooting from the floor. Scott would go on to have a decent remaining nine seasons in the NBA before becoming a coach for the Nets, Hornets, Cavaliers, and Lakers from 2003 through 2016.
7. Clyde Lovellette
Credit: Fadeaway World
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-2
Career Stats: 17.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.6 APG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 4x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection
During the 1950s and 1960s, there were very few centers in the NBA with the resume of Clyde Lovellette. From 1954 through 1964, Lovellette played 11 seasons with the Lakers, Hawks, and Celtics winning three NBA championships in five appearances in the NBA Finals.
Lovellette wasted no time becoming an NBA champion, capturing his first ring with the Lakers as a rookie in 1954. Although not yet the dominant center he would later become, Lovellette averaged 10.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game to help Minneapolis capture the title. Lovellette would earn two All-Star selections in 1956 and 1957 with the Lakers, averaging 21.1 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. He earned two more All-Star selections with the Hawks in 1960 and 1961 averaging 21.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as well.
After losses in the 1960 and 1961 Finals with the Hawks, Lovellette moved on to the Celtics for the final two seasons of his career in 1963 and 1964. He was no longer the elite center he once was just a few seasons prior but he captured two more NBA championships as a part of the dynasty Celtics that won eight straight NBA titles in the 1960s.
6. Toni Kukoc
Credit: MPS-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-0
Career Stats: 11.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 1x Sixth Man Of The Year
Toni Kukoc is one of the greatest international players in NBA history. After growing up in Croatia and playing overseas ball in Yugoslavia and Italy, Kukoc was heavily recruited by Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause. In 1990, Kukoc became a second-round draft pick of the Bulls but did not make his NBA debut until the 1993-94 season.
After arriving, Kukoc fit in right away with the Bulls, becoming one of the best bench players in the NBA at the time. In 1996, his third season in the NBA, Kukoc helped the Bulls win 72 games by winning Sixth Man of the Year honors with 13.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Kukoc would go on to serve in the same role for the next two seasons and the Bulls would three-peat as NBA champions for the second time during the decade.
Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-3
Career Stats: 14.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection, 9x All-Defensive Team Selection
To this day, Dennis Johnson remains one of the most underrated point guards in NBA history. Johnson played 14 seasons in the NBA from 1977 through 1990 for the Celtics, SuperSonics, and Suns. Johnson would advance to six different NBA Finals in his career, winning three and finding himself smack in the middle of our list here today.
Johnson began his career with the Seattle SuperSonics from 1977 through 1980. With Seattle, Johnson would earn two All-Star selections and advance to back-to-back NBA Finals in 1978 and 1979. After a loss to the Bullets in 1978, Johnson led Seattle back for a rematch in 1979. Johnson would lead the SuperSonics to victory in five games. He would be named Finals MVP with 22.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game on 45.9% shooting.
Following his time in Seattle, Johnson would spend three seasons in Phoenix where he earned two more All-Star selections averaging 17.5 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. In 1983, he moved on to the Celtics where he spent the final seven seasons of his career. Johnson would help Boston capture NBA championships in 1984 and 1986. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game during those two playoff runs as the Celtics starting point guard. Johnson retired as a three-time NBA champion and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010.
4. James Worthy
Credit: Fadeaway World
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-3
Career Stats: 17.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 7x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team Selection
Big Game James Worthy is one of the more recognizable players from the era of the Showtime Lakers. After becoming the Lakers’ No. 1 overall selection in the 1982 NBA Draft, Worthy would spend his entire 12-year career with the Lakers through 1994, advancing to a total of six NBA Finals in that time, winning three of them.
James Worthy took just three seasons to become an NBA champion, winning his first title with the Lakers in 1985. During the playoffs, Worthy broke out with 21.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on 62.2% shooting from the field to help lead Los Angeles to the promised land. Worthy would help the Lakers win back-to-back NBA championships in 1987 and 1988 as well.
In 1987, Worthy would average 23.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game on 59.1% shooting to help the Lakers win another NBA championship. In 1988, Worthy put on his best Finals performance in a seven-game series win over the Pistons. In Game 7, Worthy would record a series-clinching triple-double with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists to help seal the series. Worthy and the Lakers would advance to two more Finals series in 1989 and 1991, both losses to the Pistons and Bulls.
3. Kevin McHale
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NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-2
Career Stats: 17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.7 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 2x Sixth Man Of The Year, 7x All-Star, 1x All-NBA Team Selection, 6x All-Defensive Team Selection
In one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history, Kevin McHale landed with the Boston Celtics before his selection in the 1980 NBA Draft. McHale would go on to play his entire 13-year career in Boston, becoming one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history in the process. With a toughness that couldn’t be taught and footwork that many still try to mimic today, McHale helped the Celtics become one of the most unstoppable forces in the NBA during the 1980s.
As one of the NBA’s best bench players early on in his career, McHale would help the Celtics capture NBA championships in 1981 and 1984. In 1984 and 1985, McHale won back-to-back Sixth Man of the Year awards averaging 19.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game on 56.3% shooting. This started a string of six straight All-Star selections from 1986 through 1991.
McHale earned the starting job at power forward for the Celtics for the 1985-86 season. The Celtics became one of the greatest teams in NBA history that season, going 67-15 before winning their third NBA title of the 1980s. McHale would help Boston win the 1986 NBA Finals with 25.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game in the six-game series while seriously challenging for Finals MVP honors.
2. Dwyane Wade
Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-2
Career Stats: 22.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 1x Finals MVP, 13x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 8x All-NBA Team Selection, 3x All-Defensive Team Selection
As one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history, Dwyane Wade comes in second on our list of the best NBA players with three championship rings. Wade played with a fearlessness and physical style that everyone around the NBA had no other choice than to respect. It was this leadership and relentless style that allowed him to become an NBA champion and Finals MVP in just his third season in the NBA.
In 2006, Wade led the Miami Heat to their first NBA title in franchise history in a comeback over the Dallas Mavericks. He earned Finals MVP honors with 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Over the next four seasons, Wade challenged Kobe Bryant as the best shooting guard in basketball with near-MVP seasons and a scoring title in 2009. In 2010-11, things changed when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined him in South Beach.
Over the next four seasons, Wade willingly took a backseat to James as the Heat advanced to four straight NBA Finals from 2011 through 2014. Wade helped the Heat win back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 despite James getting Finals MVP honors both times. Wade is the Miami Heat’s franchise leader in most major statistical categories. That and his 15 seasons of service to the Heat make him their franchise GOAT fairly easily.
1. Larry Bird
Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Championships: 3
NBA Finals Record: 3-2
Career Stats: 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Career Achievements: 3x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 3x MVP, 1x Rookie Of The Year, 12x All-Star, 1x All-Star Game MVP, 10x All-NBA Team Selection, 3x All-Defensive Team Selection
The greatest player in NBA history with exactly three NBA championships is none other than Larry Bird. Despite injuries cutting his career short, Bird dominated with the Boston Celtics from 1980 through 1992, advancing to five total NBA Finals and winning three. Using a slick all-around game on both sides of the ball, Bird became an NBA icon and helped save the league with his rivalry with Lakers point guard Magic Johnson.
Bird would earn his first NBA championship as a sophomore in 1981 averaging 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.3 steals per game in a six-game series win over the Rockets. The three-year stretch from 1984 through 1986 would be where Bird earned the nickname “Larry Legend” though. During this time, Bird would be the last player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP awards averaging 26.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 50/39/89 shooting splits in those three seasons.
More importantly, Bird would lead the Celtics to two NBA titles in those three years. In 1984, Bird led Boston to a seven-game series win over the Lakers. He won Finals MVP with 27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on 48.4% shooting. Two years later, Bird would lead Boston past Houston in a six-game series win. He won Finals MVP once again averaging 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.
