Who in the NBA needs this ring the most?
Legacies are at stake.
The 2025 NBA Playoffs have begun and so have the annual conversations about legacy that surround them. With every road to the championship comes implications of lasting status in the basketball world. This stage is where legacies are created, bolstered or crippled. Each game is a chapter in someone’s story, be it euphoric or tragic
Standings within their era and all-time hang in the balance for star players. Everyone wants it. But who needs to win this championship the most? For the legacy of whomst is this ring most vital?
1. Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard’s arrival to the Los Angeles Clippers was met with much fanfare. Anticipation for a climactic battle of LA against LeBron James began to swell. The battle never happened; Leonard has spent the majority of his time on the Clippers off the court due to injury. In the 2024-25 regular season Leonard played only 37 of 82 games, his second-fewest games played in a regular season.
The assets the Clippers traded to acquire Paul George at Leonard’s request were bountiful. The Clippers traded a shopping list: five first round draft picks, two first round pick swaps, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Galinari.
George is on the Philadelphia 76ers, while Gilgeous-Alexander is one of their strongest in-conference competitors at the Oklahoma City Thunder. With no championship to show for it, the trade is one of the worst trades in NBA history.
With Leonard’s fleeting availability and the expensive costar acquisition gone wrong, it is imperative he wins a championship soon. If he doesn't, his time at the Clippers and the assets they lost to get him will have been a waste. It would be a stain on Leonrd’s legacy if he failed to capture victory during the most scrutinized phase of his career.
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
For Gilgeous-Alexander, this championship would solidify him as a superstar in today’s NBA. He led the league in points per game with 32.7, and did so with a field goal percentage of 51.9. Offensively, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best players in the world. The furthest he has gotten in the playoffs however, is the second round exit.
A finals victory would confirm that these astounding individual stats lead to winning basketball when it matters most. It would cement Gilgeous-Alexander as not only an individual star, but the leader of a true powerhouse.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had the best record in the Western Conference at 68-14, with the runner-up Houston Rockets behind by 14 game difference. If the Thunder win the championship after this dominant season, Gilgeous-Alexander will be the captain of the NBA’s newest juggernaut.
3. Jimmy Butler
For Jimmy Butler, the championship window is beginning to close. Butler is 35 and in a stacked western conference. With Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander in his conference, the path to the finals is arduous. The level of competition in the western conference makes it certain that if Butler does get a shot at a championship it could be his last.
Butler’s move to the Golden State Warriors placed him on the most well-structured team he’s ever been on. This also raises the pressure to win. He has the greatest shooter and one of the greatest defenders ever in Steph Curry and Draymond Green respectively as teammates. The three of them are nearing 40 years old however, so it is imperative that they win now, if at all.
With two finals losses on his resume and a ticking clock, this playoff run holds much urgency for Butler.
4. Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards has been impressive in the playoffs just short of making it to the finals. Victories over the likes of Jokić and Kevin Durant prove Edwards to be a big time performer in the postseason. He just hasn’t gotten over the hump. Although Edwards isn’t expected to win this year’s championship – it would be a defining feather in his cap.
Suppose the Minnesota Timberwolves win the finals this year, it would be their first championship in franchise history. Edwards being the focal point of the first championship team for the Timberwolves would iconize him in the city of Minnesota. Similarly to Jokić’s championship win in 2023, with a finals win Edwards could become the greatest player in his franchise’s history.
However, at 23 years old if he remains healthy Edwards has plenty of time to win it all.
These four players are most in need of a ring this year. For Leonard, the validation of his lofty trade request and years of his career are on the line. For Butler, this could be his last shot at beating a ticking clock to stamp his name into history. Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards are both fighting to establish supremacy in a new era of basketball.
The possibilities for this year’s NBA playoffs are plentiful and tantalizing. A single shot or possession could irrevocably change history. Fans could witness a new star be cemented in time, a career of resilience validated or an unexpected world-beater.
No matter the outcome, this year’s race to the Larry O’Brien trophy is set to be an intriguing one.
Micheal Jacobs III is the managing writer for The Palmetto. He thinks Jordan versus LeBron is the most overrated debate ever. His main focuses are music, basketball and combat sports. If you have a comment or tip for Micheal, feel free to contact him on social media or through email.