Newest Nugget nears top of illustrious but bittersweet list

The NBA’s 2024-25 regular season officially tipped off on Tuesday night with the defending champion Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks. The Celtics picked up right where they left off, looking like a well-oiled machine, and easily disposing of the Knicks, tying an NBA record for three-pointers made in the process.

Before the game tipped off, the Celtics held an incredible ceremony to honor their championship season. The event included the players and coaches receiving their rings and an 18th title banner being raised to the rafters of TD Garden.

The whole ceremony was very well done and full of pageantry and emotion. One of the defining moments of the night was veteran legend Al Horford receiving his first championship ring. Horford had played 17 seasons in the NBA before winning his first title and held the record for the most playoff games played without winning it all.

But mercifully for Horford’s sake, he is no longer atop that list after finally winning a title and raising a banner. That means that Al is off the list, but he has been replaced by other veteran NBA players. 

Westbrook 3rd in playoff games without a ring among active players

One of the players who now appears in the top three on the list is the newest member of the Nuggets, Russell Westbrook. Russ has appeared in 122 NBA playoff games without ever winning a title. Among active players, that trails only James Harden with 166 and Chris Paul with 149.

Being attached to this list is a bit of a bittersweet achievement. On the one hand, the players listed are NBA legends and future Hall of Famers. They’ve all played in hundreds of playoff games.

But on the other side of the coin, this list also obviously means that these players have never reached the pinnacle of the sport and won an NBA championship. Each Westbrook, Harden, and Paul have reached the FInals one time (Russ and Harden did it together on the Thunder), but they’ve never broken through.

Russ has the best chance of breaking through this year as the Nuggets are clear contenders in the Western Conference. Paul should be a great veteran leader and teammate for Victor Wembanyama, but the Spurs are still years away from serious contention. Harden was traded to the Clippers with hopes that he could be their missing piece, but now Paul George is gone, Kawhi Leonard is hurt, and the Clips may have a hard time even making the play-in tournament.