Top Five Players We Want to See Win Their First NBA Championship
The NBA has had a unique champion in each of the last seven seasons. That stretch of parity has slipped the first ring onto the hand of many of the league's brightest stars.
Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, Jayson Tatum and, most recently, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got their first titles, removing the aggravating "he doesn't have a ring, though" discourse as their careers progress. So many unique faces reaching the NBA's mountaintop begs the question whether the trend can continue.
With the continued dominance of Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, the streak of unique champions is in more danger this season than any in recent memory. If Oklahoma City's NBA best 64-win season told us anything, it's that the Thunder aren't here to share the wealth.
Still, though, the league's youngest stars will grind over the postseason to prove they are ready to make a title leap. In the Western Conference, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs have found a recipe to defeat the Thunder, we'll just have to see if that can carry into the postseason.
Tatum, who returned late in the regular season from an Achilles injury, and the Celtics remain a force in the East, although Cade Cunningham and the Pistons won 60 games to claim the No. 1 seed. Detroit wants to prove any national discourse that it isn't a true title contender wrong. The Eastern Conference is still fairly open as Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks hope to get over the hump after Tom Thibodeau's departure and a disappointing exit against the Pacers last season. Plus, the Cavaliers went all in to pair James Harden with Donovan Mitchell at the trade deadline as the star guard pairing hopes the marriage can result in their first championship.
The league's past three champions-the Thunder, Celtics and Nuggets-have the best chance to snap the streak of unique winners. But what if they don't? Plenty of superstars hope to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy for the first time once all is said and done: Some are youngsters, and some are veterans that hope to finally find a ring before all is said and done.
Without further ado, here are the top five players we'd most like to see win their first NBA title, whether that comes this year or down the road:
5. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Cunningham and the Pistons are the top seed in the East after a 60-win regular season, but Detroit still feels like an underdog heading into the playoffs. There are the Celtics who have been there, done that. There are the Knicks who made a run to the Eastern Conference finals last year and the Cavaliers, led by Donovan Mitchell and James Harden.
Detroit is no team to look past, however, with a staunch defense and a true superstar leading the way. Cunningham missed time toward the end of the regular season with a collapsed lung, but he returned with three games left and looked like his usual self. He earned his second All-Star nod this year and was an MVP candidate after Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander before he became one game short of eligibility for postseason honors. He didn't have a realistic shot at MVP honors, but All-NBA first team was all but a lock following his best season yet.
He was second in the NBA in assists per game with 9.9, only behind Jokić's 10.7 dimes per night. Cunningham and the Pistons are on the rise and he could find his first title sooner than expected.
4. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
Wembanyama may have the best shot of any player on this list to win his first title this year.
The second-seeded Spurs will play the Trail Blazers in the first round, then either the Nuggets or Timberwolves await next should San Antonio take care of business. All eyes would then turn to debatably the most anticipated playoffs matchup: Wemby and the Spurs against Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion Thunder.
San Antonio has had Oklahoma City's number all season, winning four of the five matchups between the two Western Conference powerhouses. Wembanyama's ascension has continued steadily over his three NBA seasons. This year, he averaged career-high numbers in points (25.0) and rebounds per game (11.5) all while leading the NBA in blocks for the third straight season.
As a unit, the Spurs are tied with the Pistons for the second best net rating across the league, behind only Oklahoma City. What's interesting is San Antonio has the best offensive rating of the three top-tier squads at 118.7. At only 22 years old, Wembanyama will get a title-likely many-at some point. The only question is how soon the Larry O'Brien trophy will get into the hands of the NBA's biggest outlier.
3. James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers
Harden is still searching for his first title in year 17.
A midseason trade from the Clippers to the Cavaliers gave Harden's hunt for a title more juice, but Cleveland still has work to do as the fourth seed in the East. He has one NBA Finals appearance in his career, which came all the way back in 2012 with the Thunder following a Sixth Man of the Year campaign. The Cavs have to get through the Raptors in the first round, then presumably the top-seeded Pistons in round two.
The offensive firepower brought by Harden and Donovan Mitchell can get past any team if all breaks correctly. Since his arrival in Cleveland, Harden has averaged 20.5 points and 7.7 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from three. As the twilight of Harden's illustrious career continues, we'll see if his latest stop around the NBA trail can result in that elusive title.
2. Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota has made a run to the Western Conference finals in each of the past two seasons. The Timberwolves lost in five games in both tries, leaving Edwards still in search of his maiden trip to the NBA Finals.
As one of the league's brightest and most lovable stars, Edwards on the NBA Finals stage would be fun if nothing else. He famously told Charles Barkley to "bring ya a–" after the Wolves beat the Nuggets in 2024 to welcome the broadcaster to Minnesota for the first time in two decades.
Aside from the viral moments that would come from Edwards in the Finals, he's consistently one of the NBA's best scorers and also possesses the high-flying ability that's always must-see TV. This season, he finished third in scoring with 28.8 points per game, which was behind only Luka Dončić and Gilgeous-Alexander. The Wolves finished as the sixth seed in the West with a 49–33 record. That brings a tough path to a third straight trip to the Western Conference finals with another series against Jokić and the Nuggets in the first round. You have to hope Minnesota's window isn't already closed with the emergence of Wemby and the Spurs plus the continued dominance of the Thunder. But, with Edwards on the roster, the Wolves' championship window will never truly shut.
1. Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers
Unfortunately, there's a real chance we may not even see Dončić compete this postseason. JJ Redick said earlier this week that there isn't an update on Dončić as he recovers from a left hamstring strain and that he's out indefinitely, along with fellow star guard Austin Reaves.
On Thursday, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported the Lakers have no expectation that either Dončić or Reaves will be available at any point during L.A.'s first-round series against the Rockets. Should the series go the distance or the Reaves-less, Dončić-less Lakers prevail over Kevin Durant and Houston, the star backcourt could return and take the large workload off 41-year-old LeBron James's shoulders. Steering the ship without the team's two leading scorers is an incredibly tall task, but if anyone can do it, leave it to the NBA's all-time leading scorer, age concerns aside.
A season before Dončić was shockingly traded to the Lakers, he dragged the Mavericks to the NBA Finals and Dallas fell to the Celtics in five games. He inked a deal to stay in L.A. long term as the face of the franchise in the twilight of James's career. He's the NBA's most creative offensive player and rises to the moment when it matters most-anyone remember that game winner in Rudy Gobert's face?
This may not be the Lakers' year, but Dončić's quest for his first title will be incredibly fun to watch, whenever it may come to fruition. When it does, just look away, Mavs fans.
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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM.