LeBron James has an uphill battle ahead of him, but he’s one more championship away from winning as many titles as any active player. The NBA’s No.1 star entered the 2017 NBA Finals with three rings, and he’ll earn his fourth if the Cleveland Cavaliers can make an improbable comeback against the Golden State Warriors.

James is well ahead of the top players on either team when it comes to championships. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all won their only title in 2015, while Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving got their first rings last year. Kevin Durant is still in search of his first ring, and his quest for an NBA championship was the biggest reason why he signed with the Warriors in the summer.

READ: Kyrie Irving Holds The Key To Cleveland's 2017 NBA Finals Chances

Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker currently lead the way with four rings among active players. Having spent their entire careers with the San Antonio Spurs, the two players are always in the mix to reach the NBA Finals. They won’t hold that distinction for long, however, since Ginobili could call it quits this summer and Parker’s retirement might not be far down the line.

James has given himself more opportunities to win a title than anyone else currently in the league. His Cavs were swept in the 2007 NBA Finals by the Spurs, and his teams have made it to the finals in every year since 2011.

LeBron James Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry and LeBron James, pictured in Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 4, 2017 in Oakland, California, have won a combined four championship rings. Getty Images

James reached the finals in his first year with the Miami Heat, though the team was upset by the Dallas Mavericks in the biggest upset of James’ career. He beat Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 finals to capture his first championship, and Miami won their second straight title with a seven-game series against San Antonio in 2013. The Spurs needed just five games to beat the Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals in James’ final series before returning to Cleveland.

Michael Jordan won six rings during his time with the Chicago Bulls, though James has already made two more finals appearances than the player that most consider to be the GOAT.

The 2017 NBA Finals are the rubber match between the Cavaliers and Golden State, though it’s Durant’s first year as part of the rivalry. His Thunder blew a 3-1 series lead over the Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference Finals, and he’s in the finals for just the second time in his career.

If the Warriors beat the Cavs, Durant will come off the list of greatest NBA players to never win a title. Elgin Baylor, Charles Barkley and Karl Malone are probably the best players of all time that never won a title, though Durant has a good chance to have a better career than all of those Hall of Famers.

LeBron James isn’t the only player with three rings that’s reached the NBA Finals in seven straight seasons. James Jones, who’s barely seen the court in the playoffs, has been LeBron’s teammate in each of the past seven years.

Bill Russell has the most rings of any player in NBA history with 11. Sam Jones won 10 titles during his career, and four other members of the Boston Celtics have eight rings.

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