Etc.

For superstar players, team titles are not a slam-dunk

In professional sports, there are no guarantees that the best players will ever play on championship teams. Among the many famous athletes shut out in that department: Baseball Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Ernie Banks; Dan Marino and Dan Fouts in pro football; and retired greats John Stockton and Karl Malone, who led the Utah Jazz to the playoffs many times during their 19-year National Basketball Association careers, but never over that final hurdle. A number of still-active NBA superstars remain in search of their first championship rings, such as 6 ft., 11 in. forward Kevin Garnett, whose trade to the Boston Celtics this season, after 12 frustrating years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, has helped to transform the Celtics into a serious title contender in the current playoffs. Some of the top NBA players who never suited up with a championship team and the number of years each spent in the league:

• John Stockton 19

• Karl Malone 19

• Reggie Miller 18

• Patrick Ewing 17

• Charles Barkley 16

• Jason Kidd* 14

• Elgin Baylor 14

• George Gervin 14

• Kevin Garnett* 13

• Allen Iverson* 12

• Steve Nash* 12

• Dirk Nowitzki* 10

* - still active