NBA Players Who Understood the Assignment

What NBA players understood the assignment? In NBA terms, players who "understood the assignment" are NBA stars who joined a team for one year, won a championship, then left for a new team the following year. This is possible because in 1976 the NBA gave players freedom to move teams at will - or what we now know as NBA Free Agency. In the first year of free agency, a group of NBA players - Herm Gilliam, Robin Jones, and Wally Walker - joined Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers to help win the 1977 title. Thus, the players on this list came in to new teams, understood their role, and performed it well enough to help their teams win the NBA championship. So which NBA player understood the assignment most?

When it comes to NBA players who understood the assignment, you can look no further than Kawhi Leonard, who was traded to the Toronto Raptors in July 2018 and immediately led them to the NBA Finals that season, winning it all. Some NBA title teams have featured multiple one-and-done players in the same season, such as the 2011 Dallas Mavericks (Tyson Chandler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Peja Stojakovic), 2020 Los Angeles Lakers (Dwight Howard and Danny Green), and 2008 Boston Celtics (James Posey, Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown). These players bolstered NBA championship caliber rosters as hired hands to push their teams over the edge. Two players, Danny Green and John Salley, understood the assignment so well, they did it twice!

Vote up the NBA players who understood the assignment most. Then head on over and check out the best current NBA players.