Money is not everything in the U.S. National Basketball Association.

At some point in an NBA player’s career, he surely will be aspiring for a championship ring.

Fair or not, it somewhat diminishes one’s greatness if he is unable to get at least one ring before he hangs up his jersey.

A number of legendary NBA greats, most of whom would later be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, failed to earn a ring.

The list includes Elgin Baylor, Bob Lanier, Pete Maravich, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller.

Near the end of their careers, Malone and Barkley even took a huge salary reduction with the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets, respectively, for an opportunity to win an NBA crown. Both were unsuccessful.

Individually, all members of an NBA championship team, including its coaching staff, are given a commemorative ring each.

Even players who were not named to the playoff roster (due to injuries or limited roster spots) are given rings so long as they have an existing contract with the club at regular season’s end.

The ring reportedly is worth around $18,000 at this time.

The concept of a memento for sports champions began in 1906 when members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team were awarded a diamond-studded watch fob each.

The first sports rings appeared in 1922 when the New York Giants took the major-league baseball World Series crown.

Since the mid-forties, the ring has become the standard of excellence in U.S. major professional team sports.