All players in the NBA have one goal every season: winning a championship. That Larry O’Brien trophy remains ever-elusive and many greats never get to wear a ring. From Charles Barkley, to John Stockton and Karl Malone, many stars have failed to capture a ring and the illustrious fanfare that comes with it. As certain stars age and decline, their role on a team changes.
It becomes less about their talent and more about their experience. Usually that decline in talent includes a decline in playing time, production, etc. Some might call this process of moving on to a new team “chasing a ring” or they might call it a smart move to add to a career. Call it what you want, but count the rings. From “The Chief” Robert Parish to Juwan Howard, here is A History of Aging NBA Stars Piggybacking Their Way to Rings.
Andy Phillip
Carl Braun
Clyde Lovellette
Age: 33-34
Championship season: 1963-64 Boston Celtics
Career statistics: 704 G, 17.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.6 APG
Championship season statistics: 106 G, 6.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.5 APG
Age happens. Players can't control it, so while a player is on the decline they fill a role that fits a team and it can be really helpful. Clyde Lovellette was a four-time All-Star and an NBA and NCAA champion, but at the twilight of his career he took on the role of backup big man to Bill Russell. He did his job well, helping the Celtics win two championships in a row.
Clyde Lovellette explained his role and playing behind Bill Russell in an interview last year:
"It was great to sit there and watch him, because at that time my career was in the twilight. I wasn't a starter at that time, so to sit and watch him play and then go in and relieve him every once in a while was great."