All-Time Sports Greats To Never Win A Title: Is Damian Lillard Next?

Damian Lillard could be on his way to joining the list of all-time sports greats who did not win a championship (AP Images)

By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME

There are a lot of all time great players that never won a championship.

Karl Malone. John Stockton. Charles Barkley. Patrick Ewing. Reggie Miller. And that’s just in the NBA.

Is Damian Lillard a threat to join that list?

John Canzano asked that question Tuesday on 750 The Game, adding a pair of notable cross-sport examples.

“It’s interesting that we look at players historically that don’t win,” Canzano said. “You look at Barry Sanders. You say he’s the greatest player in Detroit Lions history or maybe the best player in the NFL who never won big. You look at Tony Gwynn and you go ‘Hall of Fame ballplayer – never won.’ Is Lillard in danger of becoming the Blazers version of those guys?

“It kind of feels now the ring mentality, ring culture – whatever you want to call it – that it becomes a focal point now maybe more than it did in the career of Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, and John Stockton.”

At least in the case of Stockton, Malone, Barkley and Ewing, they appeared in an NBA Finals. Even Gwynn got to a World Series with San Diego.

Sanders reached an NFC Championship Game.

Lillard made a Western Conference Finals.

Great players. Great moments. No titles.

At least not yet.

Listen to the segment at the 28:00 mark of the podcast below and catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano weekdays 3-6 p.m. exclusively in the Portland area on 750 The Game.