Besides being one of the NBA's best guards ever and an inarguable first ballot Hall of Famer, James Harden is also one of the more notorious Utah Jazz killers, having been responsible for two consecutive Jazz playoff eliminations. He's also among the NBA's most notorious playoff droppers, putting him in the same embarrassing titleless conversation as Karl Malone and John Stockton.
Harden has never won a title and has been to the NBA Finals a grand total of one time. That was all the way back in 2012, his third NBA season. Since then, he's been to the conference finals a grand total of two times. And yet, like Stockton and Malone, he is among the players with the most wins with no title to his name.
Playoff Wins Without A Title
— Jackson Lloyd (@JacksonLloyd) April 26, 2026
1. Karl Malone - 98
2. James Harden - 92
3. John Stockton - 89
4. Sam Perkins - 88
Via ESPN Broadcast pic.twitter.com/A7WdrVMVoK
There are good ways to make history, like LeBron James tying Malone for most playoff runs by a player in NBA history, and there are bad ways. It's safe to say this fits the latter for all names mentioned here.
Among everything that Malone and Stockton did for the Jazz, it unfortunately did culminate in them being considered two of the best NBA players to never win a title (FYI: Malone has more wins than Stockton because of his lone playoff run with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2004).
This is the one downside to longevity as a star
In all fairness, the fact that they didn't win titles shouldn't get in the way of the fact that all three of these players were among the best the NBA has ever seen, let alone the best of their respective eras. They will still be remembered not just for how good they were but also for how long they played at the level they did.
There is a devil's advocate here. They were imply the biggest victims of the superstars of their respective eras. Those Stockton/Malone teams simply couldn't overcome Michael Jordan, while those Harden teams couldn't overcome Stephen Curry.
But the facts are the facts. They never could capitalize on the windows they had on their hands, and unfortunately, it's a problem that neither Malone nor Stockton can ever deny and Harden may never deny. They just couldn't get over the hump.
And now, there's a solid chance Harden may pass Malone, even though he played in fewer conference finals and finals period until further notice.
Harden could usurp both Malone and Stockton as the best NBA player to never win a title when it's all said and done. With their ringless legacies being their sole blemish, they'll be happy to give that crown to him.
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