Jun 5, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; TV analyst and former player Richard Jefferson during the NBA Finals Media Day at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Richard Jefferson Makes Viral Statement on Utah Jazz Legend

Originally posted on Utah Jazz on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Aug 5, 2025 1:30 PM ET

When sorting through the best players in NBA history to never win a title, who would land atop the list as the number one name that's gone ringless through their career?

There's several contenders of note, but for many, the top name on the board is often Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone–– viewed as the best player in the franchise's history and one of the most talented power forwards to ever suit up in the NBA.

However, through it all, he never quite reached the championship pinnacle to win the coveted Larry O'Brien.

With 19 years in the league and no ring to show for it, Malone has certainly been subject to his criticism, but still, he finds himself as one of the first names to mention for the best to never do it– a discussion Richard Jefferson recently had an interesting take on during his latest appearance on the Road Trippin' Podcast

On the podcast, Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins had the debate surrounding who the best ringless player of all-time is, where Jefferson gave Malone a slight edge over Perkins' pick, Charles Barkley, but for an interesting reason.

"The reason why I would pick Karl Malone over Charles is because of the level of professionalism that Karl Malone always approached," Jefferson said. "So when I look at Karl Malone versus Charles, when Charles was in Philly, he was in and out of shape, and then he would — some of his off-the-court partying that we knew about…I'm saying Charles was a rebel. He's not a role model. So I'm not taking shots at him. But I'm saying, when you look at a guy like Karl Malone, who trained for eight hours a day, he played for 19 years. He was second in scoring. And if his body would have held up, he probably would have been the all-time leading scorer."

Malone definitely has a resume to back Jefferson's claim. As the third-leading scorer in NBA history, having a near-20-year career, and being a part of some great Jazz teams is about as good a resume as can get without a title added on.

Barkley, while being a physical anomaly and with a strong peak himself, doesn't quite have the longevity, physicality, or as shining a list of accolades as the former Jazzman, who's a two-time league MVP and a 14-time All-NBA member.

As for the one who's a more ideal role model between Malone and Barkley, that's certainly a different conversation to be had, but on the floor, the numbers seem to point in one clear direction.

Of course, there's other great names to be had in the "best player with no titles" debate–– whether that be guys like Steve Nash or Allen Iverson, current players like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, or even Malone's Hall of Fame teammate in John Stockton. But in the mind of Jefferson, Malone's the one with that claim to fame.