NBA Players With The Most NBA Finals Appearances

Bill Russell and Sam Jones are the only players in NBA history with 11 or more NBA Finals appearances in their careers; LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar each have 10.

There is no stage bigger when it comes to the NBA than the NBA Finals. The last seven-game series of the year pits the best team from each of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference against each other for the right to be called NBA champions. All 30 teams set out on a mission each season to be the ones left standing when it is all said and done. After teams have grinded out an 82-game schedule in the regular season and have then won four seven-game series in the playoffs for the right to be called a champion.

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Today is all about the NBA players who have made the most appearances in the NBA Finals. You have already seen the tiers of players with the most NBA championships and the teams with the most NBA championships. These 35 players below are the NBA players with the most championship experience of any other players in NBA history no matter the outcome. These players know what it is like to be close to a goal and have it snatched away but they also know what it feels like to have the words NBA champion in front of their name. As the all-time individual leader in championships, does Bill Russell stand alone atop this list?

These are the NBA players with the most Finals appearances ranked by tiers.

Tier 7 - 6 NBA Finals Appearances

Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Dennis Rodman, James Worthy, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Johnson, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Danny Ainge, Don Nelson, Mel Counts, Slater Martin, James Jones, Kurt Rambis

Tier 6 gets started off with just one of many NBA legends that have made six NBA Finals appearances in their careers. Michael Jordan gets things started by making all six of his Finals appearances during the 1990s. He led the Bulls to victory in all six appearances to the tune of three-peats from 1991 thru 1993 and 1996 thru 1998. He would lead all six Finals series in scoring and take home Finals MVP in all six appearances as well including a record-setting 41.0 PPG in a six-game defeat of the Suns in 1993.

Shaquille O’Neal is another all-time great who made six NBA Finals appearances in his career. He made his first appearances with the Magic in 1995 when he and Orlando were swept in four games by the Rockets. He then led the Lakers to three straight NBA championships from 2000 thru 2002 in perhaps the most dominant peak of all-time by one of the best seven-footers in NBA history. He also made another Finals appearance in 2004 with the Lakers in which they lost to the Detroit Pistons. In 2006, Shaq made his sixth Finals appearance and won his fourth NBA championship with the Heat as he and Dwyane Wade led them to victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Wilt Chamberlain, one of the best players in NBA history, is another player who made six NBA Finals appearances in his career. In his first two Finals appearances, Wilt went 1-1, losing with the Warriors in 1964 but winning with Philadelphia in 1967 over the Warriors in six games. He would then make four appearances with the Lakers from 1969 thru 1973. In those four series, Wilt and the Lakers would go 1-3 in the NBA Finals, winning their only championship in 1972 against the New York Knicks. Chamberlain would win the only Finals MVP of his career in 1972 averaging 19.4 PPG and 23.2 RPG for the series.

From one of the greatest big men to ever play the game to the greatest shooter in NBA history. Since 2015, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have made six NBA Finals appearances and have taken home four NBA championships. In 2015, Curry won the MVP award for his regular season dominance and led the Warriors to an NBA title in six games over the Cavaliers. Curry and the Warriors would have a record-setting season in 2016 but lose in the Finals in the greatest upset in NBA history. In 2022, Curry finally claimed his first Finals MVP award after winning his fourth championship in six games over the Boston Celtics.

We move on to the greatest power forward in NBA history, Tim Duncan, who also made six NBA Finals appearances in his career. Duncan played 19 seasons for the Spurs from 1998 thru 2016 and in that time, took them from a titleless franchise to a dynasty. Duncan and the Spurs went 5-1 in his six career appearances in the Finals. His first win came in 1999, his second season in the NBA, as he would also take home his first career Finals MVP award. His only loss would come in 2013 to the Miami Heat as they lost in seven games. Duncan would win three total Finals MVP awards in his career and averaged 20.8 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 2.4 BPG in 34 career Finals games.

Dennis Rodman is another NBA legend with six Finals appearances and five NBA Finals victories. Rodman went to three straight NBA Finals with the Detroit Pistons from 1988 thru 1990 winning championships in the latter two seasons. Around this time, Rodman was among the best defenders and rebounders in basketball as a member of the much-hated Bad Boys. Later in his career, Rodman brought his defensive and rebounding skills to the Chicago Bulls. He helped them three-peat as NBA champions from 1996 thru 1998. In 33 career Finals games, Rodman averaged 4.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 0.8 SPG.

Big Game James Worthy was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for the entirety of his career from 1983 thru 1994. Worthy made six NBA Finals appearances during this time and would be a part of three NBA championship teams. Worthy took home all three of his championships from 1985 thru 1988, going back-to-back in 1987 and 1988. In his last Finals victory, Worthy won the Finals MVP award with 22.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 4.4 APG, and a Game Seven performance of 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists to seal the championship.

One of the best small forwards in NBA history and a mainstay of the 1990s Bulls, Scottie Pippen, also made six NBA Finals appearances in his career. Pippen, along with Michael Jordan and the rest of the Bulls, won all six NBA Finals they were a part of. Although he didn’t take home any hardware from his Finals performances, he still played well enough to be a massive contributing factor. Pippen averaged 19.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.9 APG, and 1.9 SPG on 42.5% shooting in his 35 career NBA Finals games.

Dennis Johnson has a case to be one of the more underrated NBA players of all time. Johnson went to two Finals with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1978 and 1979. Seattle would win in 1979 with Johnson winning Finals MVP honors with 22.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.8 SPG, and 2.2 BPG. Johnson moved on to the Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics as the NBA entered the 80s. With the Celtics, Johnson made four straight Finals appearances from 1984 thru 1987 with the Celtics going 2-2 in the Finals during that time.

As a part of the Golden State Warriors dynasty since 2015, Klay Thompson also joins our list of players to make six NBA Finals appearances. Thompson has been with the Warriors since 2012 and since then, has evolved into one of the greatest three-point shooters ever and quite the clutch player as well. Thompson has been a part of four Warriors NBA titles and through 33 career Finals games has averaged 18.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG. It was Thompson's return from a major injury in 2022 that helped to spark yet another championship run.

The final member of the Golden State Warriors 2010s dynasty team is Draymond Green. For all of Golden State’s championship runs, Green was their most prominent leader on both ends of the court. He served as the Warriors’ best facilitator and orchestrator on defense, usually taking on the toughest challenge on the defensive side of the court. Despite his numbers being less than ideal, Green makes an impact on the court that cannot be simply measured by numbers. It is just part of what makes him a four-time NBA champion.

Danny Ainge was a point guard with the Celtics, Suns, Kings, and Trail Blazers during the 80s and 90s. Aigne went to four NBA Finals and won two championships during his career with the Celtics from 1982 thru 1989. In 1991, Ainge was a member of the Portland Trail Blazers team that went to the Finals and lost to Michael Jordan’s Bulls. In 1993, Ainge was also a member of the Phoenix Suns team that went to the NBA Finals and lost to the same Bulls team. Ainge’s championships came with the Celtics in 1984 and 1986.

Don Nelson is more famously known for his days as an NBA coach with the Warriors and Mavericks. Nelson is one of the most legendary coaches in the NBA’s 76-year history but he was also one of the toughest on the court in his era. Nelson won five NBA titles as a member of the Boston Celtics from 1966 thru 1976 after spending his first three seasons with the Lakers and Chicago Zephyrs. Nelson was never an All-Star but was a solid and physical presence for Boston throughout most of its early success as a franchise.

Standing at 7’0’’, Mel Counts played in the NBA for 12 seasons from 1965 thru 1976. In his first two seasons in the NBA, Counts played for the Celtics during two of their championship seasons. Counts played just under 15 minutes per game in those seasons and ended up behind Bill Russell in the rotations. Later on, Counts played for the Lakers where he would make four more Finals appearances which all came in losses at the hands of Boston. Ironic, isn’t it?

Slater Martin was a point guard with the Minneapolis Lakers, Knicks, and Hawks in his career. He won five NBA championships in six appearances total. Martin was a seven-time All-Star and All-NBA Team selection during his 11-year career as well. From 1950 thru 1956, Martin won four of his five NBA championships and added one more with the Hawks in 1958 alongside Bob Pettit and Cliff Hagan.

Phoenix Suns President of Basketball Operations James Jones had himself quite the playing career before moving up the front office ranks. Jones played 13 seasons in the NBA from 2005 thru 2017 and made six Finals appearances in doing so. With the Miami Heat, Jones went to the Finals all four years that LeBron James led them to the Finals and won two NBA championships. Jones would also be with James in Cleveland from 2015 thru 2017 and went to three straight NBA Finals from 2015 thru 2017, winning one championship in 2016.

The final member of Tier 7 with six NBA Finals appearances is Kurt Rambis. While Rambis was awkward and known for getting overly physical in the post, he contributed a ton to the Lakers during the 80s. Rambis would win five NBA championships and make all six of his Finals appearances with the Lakers from 1982 thru 1988. Rambis was also just shy of making a seventh Finals appearance in 1993 but was traded mid-season to the Kings and missed out on the opportunity.

Tier 6 - 7 NBA Finals Appearances

Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, Bob Cousy, Andre Iguodala, Robert Horry

Tier 6, or players with seven NBA Finals appearances, kicks off with one of the greatest players in NBA history, Kobe Bryant. For 20 years, Bryant donned the Lakers' purple and yellow as he gained an obsession with winning. From 2000 thru 2002, Bryant and the Lakers won three straight NBA championships with Shaq claiming all three Finals MVP awards. In 2004 and 2008, Bryant would suffer the only two Finals losses of his career to the Pistons and Celtics. In 2009 and 2010, Bryant and the Lakers would go back-to-back as NBA champions with Kobe being named Finals MVP both times.

Elgin Baylor is probably the unluckiest player on this entire list of tiers. In his career with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers, Baylor went to seven NBA Finals and never once emerged victorious as an NBA champion. Baylor is quite easily the best player to never be crowned NBA champion in his career but it wasn’t from a lack of effort from the 27.4 PPG career scorer and 11-time NBA All-Star. Baylor was the first player to bring real style and flare to the game while playing above the rim from the small forward position. His lack of success in the NBA Finals is the only blemish on an amazing career resume.

Bob Cousy is a six-time NBA champion who appeared in seven NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics during the 50s and 60s. Cousy was known as the Houdini of the Hardwood for his innovative style of play. Cousy went 6-1 in the NBA Finals series in his career with his only loss coming in 1958 to the St. Louis Hawks. Over his career, Cousy won an MVP award, eight assists titles, and was named to the All-NBA Team 12 times.

Andre Iguodala is a peculiar name on this list because although he had a fantastic career, we do not often associate him on the same level as others we have already mentioned. Iguodala has made seven NBA Finals appearances in his career as well with an overall record of 4-3. Iguodala made his first Finals appearance in 2015 with the Warriors and would go on to earn Finals MVP honors for his defensive and clutch abilities throughout the series. He would make four more appearances in the Finals with the Warriors before making his sixth appearance with Miami in the 2020 bubble. His last Finals appearance came in 2022 when the Warriors defeated the Celtics in six games.

Robert Horry, or Big Shot Bob, as they like to call him should probably be in the Hall of Fame at this point. Horry made seven Finals appearances in his 16 years of service to the NBA and his teams went a perfect 7-0 in those series. As a starter with the Rockets, Horry won back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995. He was also with the Lakers for their three-peat from 2000 thru 2002 and had many clutch shots and moments along the way. His last two Finals appearances came with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007 as they defeated the Pistons and Cavaliers for Horry to claim his sixth and seventh NBA championships.

Tier 5 - 8 NBA Finals Appearances

John Havlicek, K.C. Jones, Michael Cooper, Frank Ramsey, Tom Sanders, Derek Fisher

Tier 5 of our list is filled with stars who helped their respective franchises win multiple championships in their careers. The first of these players is John Havlicek who went 8-0 in the NBA Finals series in his career. The Celtics were champions for the first four seasons of Havlicek’s career even as his role came into question as he was playing over 40.0 minutes every night. From 1968 thru 1976, Hondo helped the Celtics usher in the era post-Bill Russell and made it a smooth transition with four more NBA titles. Havlicek was named the Finals MVP of the 1974 NBA Finals when he averaged 26.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 4.7 APG in a seven-game series win over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks.

K.C. Jones is not only an eight-time NBA champion as a player but he also coached the Celtics to two NBA championships during the 80s. Jones played nine seasons in the NBA, all for the Celtics. Although his offensive numbers weren’t standout, his defensive impact and leadership shined through it all. That leadership translated to coaching and in the 80s, led Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish to two NBA titles. As a player, the only time Jones didn’t advance to the Finals with the Celtics was in 1967, his final season in the NBA.

Defensive stalwart Michael Cooper played 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers on his way to eight NBA Finals Appearances. The former Defensive Player of the Year won five NBA championships with the Lakers and is one of the more underrated pieces of the Showtime Lakers dynasty. Cooper suffered his only NBA Finals losses with Los Angeles in 1983 to the Sixers, 1984 to the Celtics, and 1989 to the Pistons.

Frank Ramsey is another Hall of Fame contributor to the Celtics dynasty of the 1950s and 60s. Ramsey played 10 seasons in the NBA, only really playing in nine due to military service in 1956. Despite being drafted in 1954, Ramsey didn’t win his first NBA championship until 1957, after he returned from the Army. Ramsey and the Celtics would then go on to win six straight NBA championships from 1959 thru 1964. During that stretch, Ramsey averaged 13.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG in the playoffs.

Another member of the Celtics dynasty around this time was Tom “Satch” Sanders. Known best for what he provided on defense, Sanders played 13 seasons with Boston from 1961 thru 1973, winning eight NBA championships in total. Sanders and the Celtics dominated the 60swinning the first six championships of the decade and adding two more to finish it off in 1968 and 1969. Sanders was a consistent double-digit scorer and big-time rebounder in the NBA playoffs during this time.

The final member of Tier 5 with eight NBA Finals appearances is Derek Fisher. During the Lakers' three-peat from 2000 thru 2002, Fisher was one of the better bench players in basketball for the Lakers, usually saving his biggest games for the biggest stages. Fisher would make three more appearances in the Finals later on in his career from 2008 thru 2010 as the Lakers starter, also drilling clutch shots along his way there. His eighth and final appearance came in 2012 with the Thunder as their backup point guard. Overall, Fisher went 5-3 in his NBA Finals career with the Lakers and Thunder.

Tier 4 - 9 NBA Finals Appearances

Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Tom Heinsohn

The list of NBA players with nine NBA Finals appearances is short and as elite as it gets. Magic Johnson kicks things off with nine Finals appearances in his career and five NBA championships. The greatest point guard that ever lived ushered in a new era with the Lakers in 1980 and made a massive impact in his very first season. Magic was an NBA champion in 1980 as well as the Finals MVP. Magic would lead the Lakers to four more titles in eight more appearances losing to the Sixers in 1983, Celtics in 1984, Pistons in 1989, and Bulls in 1991. There is no doubt he could have added one or two more had he not gotten sick in the early 90s.

Jerry West is one of the most iconic NBA players and overall people in NBA history. In his NBA career, he led the Lakers to nine NBA Finals appearances with just one win and eight losses on the big stage. West had the unfortunate circumstances of running into the Bill Russell-led Celtics and a New York Knicks team that boasted a Hall of Fame starting lineup themselves. West is still the only player in NBA history to win the Finals MVP award on the losing team, winning the first one ever given out in 1969. He finally got his NBA championship in 1972 when the Lakers defeated the Knicks.

Tom Heinsohn is one of the better players from the Celtics dynasty of the 50s and 60s. Heinsohn played nine seasons in the NBA meaning that he ended up playing for an NBA championship in 100 percent of his career. Heinsohn went to nine Finals and won eight NBA championships. Boston’s only loss came to Bobe Pettit, Cliff Hagan, and the St. Louis Hawks in 1958. In his playoff career, Heinsohn averaged 19.8 PPG, 9.2 RPG, and 2.1 APG for the Celtics.

Tier 3 - 10 NBA Finals Appearances

LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

It makes sense that Tier 3 features the two players that are linked together forever in NBA history. Earlier this week, LeBron James broke the NBA’s all-time scoring record held for 38 years by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It was just another achievement for James along with his four MVPs, 10 Finals appearances, four titles, and four Finals MVP awards. James has led three different franchises to NBA championships including the biggest comeback in NBA championship history in 2016. James has faced the ultimate competition on the NBA Finals stage and has amassed a career-4-6 record in the NBA Finals.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is perhaps the most accomplished NBA player ever. Kareem went to two NBA Finals with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 and 1974, winning an NBA championship in his second season and earning Finals MVP honors. He then went on to appear in eight NBA Finals during the 80s with the Lakers during their Showtime era. Using his unblockable skyhook and defensive superstardom, Kareem would win a total of six MVP awards, six NBA championships, and two Finals MVP awards in his career with a 6-4 record on the NBA’s biggest stage.

Tier 2 - 11 NBA Finals Appearances

Sam Jones

One of the main reasons the Celtics were so dominant during their reign early on was Sam Jones. He was a great shooter and the ultimate teammate who help the Celtics win 10 NBA championships in his career. At his peak, Jones was a 20.0 to 25.0 PPG scorer for Boston and a five-time NBA All-Star. Over the course of Boston and Jones’ 10 championships in 11 seasons, Jones averaged 19.7 PPG and 4.8 RPG on 44.7% shooting. Only one man in NBA history has more championships and Finals appearances than Sam Jones.

Tier 1 - 12 NBA Finals Appearances

Bill Russell

The man who owns the NBA records for most championships, most Finals appearances, and most Finals games played is none other than Bill Russell. Considering the Celtics landed Russell in one of the most lopsided trades ever, he rewarded them with 12 Finals appearances and 11 championships in a 13-year career. Russell could have been an all-time great scorer but instead, mastered the art of defense and rebounding to help Boston become a dynasty. He became the best at both of those things en route to a career as the greatest winner in NBA history. From 1955 thru 1969, Bill Russell won 14 championships between his career as a pro, two NCAA championships, and one Olympic Gold.

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