The Quest for the Ring, the basketball project that is totally dedicated to explaining how and why those who win Rings win them, with about 1.4 million words toward this objective and counting, is announcing today that all NBA players who have won the annual Most Valuable Player award will be considered to have won the Quest for the Ring once. We also announce that all NBA players and all NBA head coaches admitted to the NBA Hall of Fame will be considered to have won the Quest twice.
Hall of Fame inductees who were not part of the NBA are not considered to have won a Ring. The Quest for the Ring is the Quest to win the Championship of the primary pro basketball League in the US since about 1950. That primary League is the National Basketball Association, or NBA.
In other words, being League MVP is at a minimum equal in importance and amount of accomplishment to winning the Ring. And being in the NBA Hall of Fame for basketball greatness across an entire career is at least equal in importance and amount of accomplishment to two Rings from winning Championships.
Actually, those two equivalencies are both very conservative approximations. MVP should actually be worth at least two rings and Hall of Fame should actually be worth about three Rings. But for now, we’ll leave the equivalencies very conservative as stated.
Anyone who disagrees can try to explain why being NBA MVP or winning that rare acceptance to the Basketball Hall of Fame is not AT LEAST as much of an honor and accomplishment as is winning a Championship. Good luck if you set out to do that, because I highly doubt you will succeed at showing that.
We will within the next six months be updating the Reports that came out last summer that showed the number of rings won by player.
Allen Iverson and other MVPs and Hall of Famers who never won a Championship finally have Rings at the place on the Internet that is totally dedicated to the Ring and how you win it: The Quest for the Ring.
Congratulations to Allen Iverson and to every other MVP and Hall of Fame player who somehow (due to bad coaches, for example) never won a Ring. You get what you clearly deserve at Quest for the Ring.
ONE RING FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:
NBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
| 1955–56 | Bob Pettit | | Forward |
| 1956–57 | Bob Cousy | | Guard |
| 1957–58 | Bill Russell | | Center |
| 1958–59 | Bob Pettit | | Forward |
| 1959–60 | Wilt Chamberlain | | Center |
| 1960–61 | Bill Russell | | Center |
| 1961–62 | Bill Russell | | Center |
| 1962–63 | Bill Russell | | Center |
| 1963–64 | Oscar Robertson | | Guard |
| 1964–65 | Bill Russell | | Center |
| 1965–66 | Wilt Chamberlain | | Center |
| 1966–67 | Wilt Chamberlain | | Center |
| 1967–68 | Wilt Chamberlain | | Center |
| 1968–69 | Wes Unseld | | Center/Forward |
| 1969–70 | Willis Reed | | Center/Forward |
| 1970–71 | Lew Alcindor | | Center |
| 1971–72 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | | Center |
| 1972–73 | Dave Cowens | | Center |
| 1973–74 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | | Center |
| 1974–75 | Bob McAdoo | | Forward/Center |
| 1975–76 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | | Center |
| 1976–77 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | | Center |
| 1977–78 | Bill Walton | Portland Trail Blazers | Center |
| 1978–79 | Moses Malone | | Center/Forward |
| 1979–80 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | | Center |
| 1980–81 | Julius Erving | | Forward |
| 1981–82 | Moses Malone | | Center/Forward |
| 1982–83 | Moses Malone | | Center/Forward |
| 1983–84 | Larry Bird | | Forward |
| 1984–85 | Larry Bird | | Forward |
| 1985–86 | Larry Bird | | Forward |
| 1986–87 | Magic Johnson | | Guard |
| 1987–88 | Michael Jordan | | Guard |
| 1988–89 | Magic Johnson | | Guard |
| 1989–90 | Magic Johnson | | Guard |
| 1990–91 | Michael Jordan | | Guard |
| 1991–92 | Michael Jordan | | Guard |
| 1992–93 | Charles Barkley | | Forward |
| 1993–94 | Hakeem Olajuwon | | Center |
| 1994–95 | David Robinson | | Center |
| 1995–96 | Michael Jordan | | Guard |
| 1996–97 | Karl Malone | | Forward |
| 1997–98 | Michael Jordan | | Guard |
| 1998–99 | Karl Malone | | Forward |
| 1999–00 | Shaquille O'Neal | | Center |
| 2000–01 | Allen Iverson | | Guard |
| 2001–02 | Tim Duncan | | Forward/Center |
| 2002–03 | Tim Duncan | | Forward/Center |
| 2003–04 | Kevin Garnett | | Forward |
| 2004–05 | Steve Nash | | Guard |
| 2005–06 | Steve Nash | | Guard |
| 2006–07 | Dirk Nowitzki | | Forward |
| 2007–08 | | | Guard |
| 2008–09 | LeBron James | | Forward |
TWO RINGS FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:
NBA PLAYERS AND COACHES ADMITTED
TO THE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
2009 Michael Jordan
2009 David Robinson
2009 Jerry Sloan
2009 John Stockton
2008 Adrian Dantley
2008 Patrick Ewing
2008 Hakeem Olajuwon
2008 Pat Riley
2007 Phil Jackson
2006 Charles Barkley
2006 Joe Dumars
2006 Dominique Wilkins
2004 Clyde Drexler
2004 Bill Sharman
2004 Maurice Stokes
2003 Robert Parish
2003 James Worthy
2002 Larry Brown
2002 Magic Johnson
2002 Drazen Petrovic
2001 Moses Malone
2000 Bob McAdoo
2000 Isiah Thomas
1999 Kevin McHale
1998 Larry Bird
1998 Alex Hannum
1998 Arnie Risen
1998 Lenny Wilkens
1997 Alex English
1997 Bailey Howell
1996 George Gervin
1996 Gail Goodrich
1996 David Thompson
1996 George Yardley
1995 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1995 John Kundla
1995 Vern Mikkelsen
1994 Chuck Daly
1994 Buddy Jeannette
1993 Walt Bellamy
1993 Julius Erving
1993 Dan Issel
1993 Dick McGuire
1993 Calvin Murphy
1993 Bill Walton
1992 Connie Hawkins
1992 Bob Lanier
1992 Jack Ramsay
1991 Tiny Archibald
1991 Dave Cowens
1991 Harry Gallatin
1990 Dave Bing
1990 Elvin Hayes
1990 Neil Johnston
1990 Earl Monroe
1989 K.C. Jones
1989 Lenny Wilkens
1988 Clyde Lovellette
1988 Wes Unseld
1987 Rick Barry
1987 Walt Frazier
1987 Bob Houbregs
1987 Pete Maravich
1987 Bobby Wanzer
1986 Billy Cunningham
1986 Tom Heinsohn
1986 Red Holzman
1985 Al Cervi
1985 Nate Thurmond
1984 John Havlicek
1984 Sam Jones
1983 Bill Bradley
1983 Dave DeBusschere
1983 Jack Twyman
1982 Hal Greer
1982 Slater Martin
1982 Frank Ramsey
1982 Willis Reed
1980 Jerry Lucas
1980 Oscar Robertson
1980 Jerry West
1979 Wilt Chamberlain
1978 Paul Arizin
1978 Joe Fulks
1978 Cliff Hagan
1978 Jim Pollard
1977 Elgin Baylor
1977 Frank McGuire
1976 Tom Gola
1976 Bill Sharman
1975 Bill Russell
1973 Dolph Schayes
1971 Bob Cousy
1971 Bob Pettit
1970 Bob Davies
1969 Red Auerbach
1968 Alvin Julian
1964 Kenneth Loeffler
1961 Andy Phillip
1960 Ed Macauley
1959 George Mikan
There you go Allen Iverson, you can retire in peace now, you have a Ring already with two more on the way. Even playing the wrong position, hell, even playing two positions at once, in effect with one hand behind your back, you were a Champion.
How could any player win an ordinary Championship while playing the wrong position and/or while playing two positions at once due to bad coaching? That's most likely impossible. But Allen Iverson won everything he could win with the position and the very poor coaching he was given.
You will forever be basketball, Allen Iverson, and Quest thanks you more than we can say for giving us our faith in and love of basketball.
ALLEN IVERSON: NBA 2001 MVP AND WINNER OF ONE RING
WITH TWO MORE TO COME WHEN ALLEN ENTERS THE HALL OF FAME
ALLEN IVERSON = BASKETBALL
FOREVER
