- Here’s a list of NBA players with the most NBA Finals games.
- Bill Russell leads the list with 70.
- Only LeBron James is the active player on the list.
Winning a title is the ultimate dream of every NBA player in the league, but the pathway to this goal is not easy because of the high-level competition. One of the main foundations in realizing this dream is to make it to the NBA Finals. Reaching the finals bolsters a team and player’s NBA championship odds to lift the Larry O’Brien basketball trophy.
In the history of the NBA, only a few players have reached the NBA Finals multiple times, but who among them holds the most games played on the ultimate basketball stage?
11-time NBA champion Bill Russell played the most games in the NBA Finals by a player with 70. In his 13-year career, he helped the Boston Celtics 12 times in the 1950s and 60s. His defensive prowess and incredible rebounding skills helped revolutionize the game and made him one of the greatest players in the sport’s history.
Bill Russell once had a 30/40 game in Game 7 of the Finals.
Yes, that’s a 30-point, 40-rebound game.
And yes, he won. pic.twitter.com/deZxzYn9PP
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 31, 2022
His Celtic teammate Sam Jones is following Russell on the list, who played in 64 NBA Finals games. Jones averaged 17.9 points and 4.9 rebounds to collect 10 championships in his 12-year campaign in the NBA. If Russell was Boston’s defensive anchor, Jones was their offensive firepower as they dominated the league during their era.
Another dominant center is third in the rankings as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar competed in 56 NBA Finals games. Abdul-Jabbar suited up for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers to win six NBA titles throughout his 21 seasons of play. The “Tower of Power” popularized and mastered the sky hook, which allowed him to score over 38,000 career points.
Wrapping up the top five players with the most NBA Finals games are LeBron James (10 NBA Finals appearances) and Jerry West (nine NBA Finals appearances), who are ranked fourth with 55 games each, and Tom Heinsohn (nine NBA Finals appearances) with 52 NBA Finals games which are enough to position himself at number five.
LeBron James clinched his 10th #NBAFinals appearance tonight, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (10), Sam Jones (11) and Bill Russell (12) as the only players in NBA history to appear in at least 10 NBA Finals! pic.twitter.com/uKz92qgu0u
— NBA (@NBA) September 27, 2020
NBA Players With Most NBA Finals Games
| Rank | Player | NBA Finals Games Played |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bill Russell | 70 |
| 2 | Sam Jones | 64 |
| 3 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 56 |
| T4 | LeBron James | 55 |
| T4 | Jerry West | 55 |
| 5 | Tom Heinsohn | 52 |
| 6 | Magic Johnson | 50 |
| T7 | John Havlicek | 47 |
| T7 | Frank Ramsey | 47 |
| 8 | Michael Cooper | 46 |
| T9 | Elgin Baylor | 44 |
| T9 | K.C. Jones | 44 |
| T10 | Derek Fisher | 43 |
| T10 | Tom Sanders | 43 |
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