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Can a player be on a losing team in the NBA Finals and still win a championship ring? It seems like an unrealistic proposition, but this kind of event has occurred in the past.
If a player signs for a new team mid-season from another Conference that makes the NBA Finals and plays against his former team, he will be eligible to be named an NBA Champion regardless of which team wins eventually.
Phoenix Suns' Torrey Craig is the latest player to find himself in that situation this season. Three players in total, including Craig, have been in a similar spot before.
Let's find out how and when these players managed to achieve this feat below.
#3 Anderson Varejao (2016 NBA Finals)
Anderson Varejao was the first player in the NBA to win a championship ring despite playing on the losing team. This happened during the historic 2016 NBA Finals when the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from being down 1-3 to beat the Golden State Warriors and land their first-ever Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Varejao started the 2015-16 NBA campaign with the Cavaliers, the only team he had played for since his NBA debut in 2004. He signed a three-year $30 million extension with the Cavs in 2014, but after suffering a season-ending Achilles injury at the end of the same year, the franchise decided to move him and get his contract off their books.
He was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers mid-way through the season, who released him within three days of signing him.
Upon being released, Varejao signed with the Golden State Warriors immediately and played for them until February 2017. Varejao was an NBA Champion even before the Warriors and Cavaliers commenced their 2016 NBA Finals series because he had featured on both rosters in the same season.
He declined to accept the ring, however, as he played on the opposing team. Varejao averaged 7.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game throughout his career. He also made his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2020-21 NBA season and played five games for the side.
#2 Dion Waiters (2020 NBA Finals)
Dion Waiters won the 2020 NBA Championship with the LA Lakers but was also eligible to be named a champion if the Lakers' NBA Finals opponents, Miami Heat, had won the series instead.
That's because he started the 2019-2020 NBA season as part of the Miami Heat roster before eventually being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team trade deal.
The Grizzlies waived him three days after acquiring him, which saw Waiters become a free agent. The LA Lakers needed more depth in the backcourt, shooters in particular, and they decided to sign him a month later of him being waived.
Waiters played five playoff games for the LA Lakers off the bench but had to exit early with an injury and did not play after the second-round series against the Houston Rockets.
#1 Torrey Craig (2021 NBA Finals)
Phoenix Suns swingman Torrey Craig is the latest player to be eligible to be named an NBA champion regardless of which team wins the NBA Finals this year. He started his 2020-21 NBA season with the Milwaukee Bucks and was eventually traded to the Phoenix Suns for cash considerations.
Craig has struggled massively during his time in the NBA but seems to have finally found a home in Phoenix. He has played a crucial role for the team in the regular and postseason.
Craig averaged a career-best 7.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Suns in 32 regular-season games, shooting 50% from the floor, including 36% from deep on 2.6 attempts.
Craig has featured in all 16 playoff games for the Phoenix Suns and has emerged as a crucial player off the bench, playing 12 minutes per contest.
Guess the Lakers players!
