Who would be the most decorated players if the NBA gave medals instead of rings?
It’s all about the rings, as we’re reminded over and over again online every day. But what if the NBA operated like FIBA with National Team tournaments and gave medals to the squads in the Top 3 instead of just championship rings to the players on the winning team? Who would have the most medals in NBA history if that were the case?
To explore this scenario, we awarded gold medals to each player on a championship team, silver to those losing in the Finals, and bronze to members of the franchise with the best regular-season record eliminated in the Conference Finals.
With this system, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would be the all-time leader with 14 medals, followed by a host of Celtic and Laker legends, including LeBron James.
Check the full ranking below: