The goal for any basketball player who wants to turn professional is to make it to the NBA. The few who are good enough to achieve their dream of making it to the NBA, then shift their goals and pursue ‘greatness’, like that of LeBron James who will enter Year 23 in the league when he takes to the hardwood in the 2025-26 regular season. Four-time NBA champion LeBron James has personified greatness and is about to enter Year 23GettyBut how exactly is greatness quantified? Well, that depends on the individual player. The most obvious is chasing an NBA championship, and then another – if they’re fortunate enough to be in that position – and so on. Others may define greatness by their individual play on the court – and sometimes off it – such as the late Bill Russell, who despite winning 11 NBA titles in his 13-year career, also used his platform to take a stand against social injustices, and walked alongside Martin Luther King.His service to the game of basketball and to standing up to wider societal issues saw his iconic No. 6 jersey retired league-wide following his passing in 2022. But imagine you have finally reached the NBA after years playing in both South America and Europe and are on a team that reached the Finals in the season before – and look well on their way to reaching them again – only to be traded elsewhere mid-season. Then watching your new team face up against your old team in the NBA Finals, and being on the losing side in back-to-back seasons.Well, that ‘imaginary’ scenario was Cleveland Cavaliers legend Anderson Varejão’s reality, which saw him denied a championship ring, one the Brazilian star was later offered but ultimately declined.Reaching the NBA via detours to South America and EuropeVarejão was a player from humble beginnings. A standout player in his home country Brazil, the 6-foot-11 power forward/center was dominating the Campeonato Nacional de Basquete – now known as Novo Basquete Brasil – as a teenager for Sesi/Franca BC from 1998.Varejão was a star in Brazil, and forged an alternative path to the NBA than what most do todayGettyHaving been named the recipient of the Brazilian League MVP in his second season, Varejão sought a move to Europe, signing with FC Barcelona Bàsquet in 2002. After featuring 82 times in both the Liga ACB and Euroleague, Varejão was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the second round (30th overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft, which also included Dwight Howard, and future teammates Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.But, the 22-year-old rookie had to face the brutal business of the NBA early on, being included in a trade to the Cavaliers who saw him as the natural replacement for their aging All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, before Magic training camp even took place.Being gradually eased into the league, a far cry from that of his young and rising superstar teammate LeBron James who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders in high school, the Brazilian quickly became a fan favorite due to his relentless hustle and energy on the court.Fairytale for the Cavs, nightmare for VarejãoOver the next 10 seasons in Cleveland, Varejão established himself as a prominent figure at center, making 560 appearances – 208 starts – and averaged 7.9 points shooting 51.4 percent from the field, and 7.8 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game.His best season, though, was during the 2013-14 campaign where he amassed a 14.1 points and 14.4 rebound double-double in 36 minutes played per contest – all career-highs. Varejão spent 13 of his 14 NBA seasons with the Cavaliers, and was teammates with LeBron James for many of themGettyAlthough James had departed Cleveland for South Beach where he formed a super team alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat long before then, Varejão remained a mainstay and manned the Cavs’ fort with emerging superstar point guard Kyrie Irving coming of age.When generational talent James stunned the NBA by announcing that he would be returning back to his hometown Cavaliers from the 2014-15 season, with a 22-year-old Irving, it quickly became apparent that Cleveland were entering a window in which to contend for a championship. After a 53-29 record that season, the NBA’s newest big 3 swept the Boston Celtics, defeated the Chicago Bulls in six games, and then swept the Atlanta Hawks on their way to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2007.There awaited the Golden State Warriors, who were bidding to win their first NBA title since 1975.Despite James, Irving and Varejão on the roster, the Warriors had a big three of their own in budding superstar Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, who rallied back from a 2-1 deficit and simultaneously handed heartbreak to the Brazilian and the Cavaliers. Looking ahead to the 2015-16 campaign, the Cavs looked all but ready to run it back with a second attempt at bring the city of Cleveland its first ever championship. Varejão had hoped to be part of that, but the Cavs front office had other ideas, and midway through the 2015-16 campaign, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he was waived, before joining the team who had beaten him in the Finals the previous season – the Warriors.The Warriors would go on to make NBA history that season when they broke Michael Jordan and the Bulls’ season-win record, finishing the campaign 73-9.Varejão found himself on the opposing team when, as a member of the Warriors, they fell to the Cavaliers in a historic Finals comeback from 3-1 downGettyAs the Cavs and the Warriors each returned to the Finals for a second consecutive year, Varejão became the first player in NBA history to have played for both Finals teams in the same season.It seemed inevitable that Golden State would win back-to-back titles for the first time since the Kobe Bryant–Pau Gasol-led Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010, which would see the then-33-year-old finally get a coveted ring, despite playing a very limited role since his trade.However, unprecedented history was made. Leading 3-1 in the series in a Finals rematch against his former team, James, Irving and Kevin Love, who joined the team via trade in Varejão’s final full year in Cleveland, pulled off something no team has ever achieved in an NBA Finals before.The Cavs won three straight games to turn the series around – and subsequently lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy in a seven-game thriller.Fate struck twice – declining and then later accepting a ringIt appeared to be heartbreak again for Varejão, who averaged 1.2 points, 1.3 rebounds and one assist in just 6.8 minutes per game in the Finals as the wait for a championship ring continued. But having participated in 31 regular season games that year for the Cavaliers, he was technically eligible to receive one. However he would decline the team’s gesture, stating that it was because he had played for the opposition in the Finals, per Sam Amico, formerly of Fox Sports.Some may argue that’s fair enough, but with his career winding down, he was running out of chances to be able to compete for a chip.Playing 14 games in the 2016-17 regular season alongside Kevin Durant (C) and Steph Curry (R) before being waived, the Warriors gave Varejão (L) a championship ring for his role that yearGettyThe following season, Varejão – who re-signed with the Warriors on a one-year deal that summer – would up playing just 14 games.Just seven months on from his contract signing, then aged 34, Varejão was waived, which ultimately brought his NBA career to its conclusion. But, the Warriors – who had just added Kevin Durant to the mix to form the league’s latest super team – would go on to reclaim their title, and their second in three seasons.Having played a role – albeit a small one – to start the 2016-17 campaign, Golden State extended an invitation for him to receive a championship ring.On this occasion, though, Varejão accepted, which made him only the second ever Brazilian to win an NBA title – even though he is not officially credited by the league themselves – joining Tiago Splitter who won the 2014 championship with the San Antonio Spurs.“Two weeks ago I got a call from the Golden State,” Varejão said in October 2017. “They told me that there was a vote between the players and the coaching staff, and they decided that it would be well deserved that I receive a ring for the time I spent with them.“This recognition, this affection from them, makes me proud and honored. I will accept this ring, which represents much more than a title to me; it represents our history together, all the moments I spent with them.”A fitting end for the long-standing NBA servant, who is still considered today as one of Brazil’s greatest ever basketball stars.Stay up to date with the latest from the NBA across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.