List of NBA champions

The NBA Finals is the championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (formerly Divisions before 1970), except in 1950 when the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions. From 1946 through 1949, when the league was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the playoffs were a three-stage tournament where the two semifinal winners played each other in the finals.[1][2][3] The winning team of the series receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, which is awarded since 1977 (between 1947 and 1976 the winning team received the Walter A. Brown Trophy).[4]

The current home-and-away format in the NBA Finals is 2–2–1–1–1 (the team with the better regular-season record plays on its home court in Games 1, 2, 5, and 7), which has been used in 19471948,[5] 19501952,[6][7][8] 19571970, 19721974, 19761977, 19791984, and 2014–present. It was previously in a 2–3–2 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on its home court in Games 1, 2, 6, and 7) during 1949, 19531955, and 19852013,[9][10] in a 1–1–1–1–1–1–1 format during 1956 and 1971,[11][12] and in a 1–2–2–1–1 format during 1975 and 1978.[13][14]

As of 2023, the Eastern champions have a 40–37 advantage in NBA titles over the Western champions, with their most recent being the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.[15][better source needed] The Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers have won a combined total of 34 NBA championships, with 17 apiece in their rivalry.[16] As of 2023, the defending champions are the Denver Nuggets.

List of NBA champions is located in the United States
Trail Blazers
Trail Blazers
Bullets
Bullets
Bullets*
Bullets*
Knicks
Knicks
76ers
76ers
Warriors
Warriors
Raptors
Raptors
Celtics
Celtics
Spurs
Spurs
Heat
Heat
Nats
Nats
Bulls
Bulls
Bucks
Bucks
Mavericks
Mavericks
Rockets
Rockets
Pistons
Pistons
Lakers
Lakers
Hawks
Hawks
Royals
Royals
Cavaliers
Cavaliers
SuperSonics
SuperSonics
Warriors
Warriors
Nuggets
Nuggets
Lakers
Lakers
Location of NBA champions by number of titles: 1 – white, 2 – blue, 3 – green, 4 – yellow, 5 – orange, 6 – red, 7 or more – purple, * – denotes defunct

Champions

  • The first parentheses in the Western champions and Eastern champions columns indicate the teams' playoff seed. The second parentheses indicate the number of times that teams have appeared in an NBA Finals as well as each respective team's NBA Finals record to date.
BoldWinning team of the BAA/NBA Finals
ItalicsTeam with home-court advantage
ItalicsFinals MVP was on losing team
Only defunct team to win championship

Results by team

TeamWinLossAppsPctYear(s) wonYear(s) lost
Los Angeles Lakers[i]171532.5311949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 20201959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2004, 2008
Boston Celtics17522.7731957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 20081958, 1985, 1987, 2010, 2022
Golden State Warriors[ii]7512.5831947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 20221948, 1964, 1967, 2016, 2019
Chicago Bulls6061.0001991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
San Antonio Spurs516.8331999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 20142013
Philadelphia 76ers[iii]369.3331955, 1967, 19831950, 1954, 1977, 1980, 1982, 2001
Detroit Pistons[iv]347.4291989, 1990, 20041955, 1956, 1988, 2005
Miami Heat347.4292006, 2012, 20132011, 2014, 2020, 2023
New York Knicks268.2501970, 19731951, 1952, 1953, 1972, 1994, 1999
Houston Rockets224.5001994, 19951981, 1986
Milwaukee Bucks213.6671971, 20211974
Cleveland Cavaliers145.20020162007, 2015, 2017, 2018
Atlanta Hawks[v]134.25019581957, 1960, 1961
Washington Wizards[vi]134.25019781971, 1975, 1979
Oklahoma City Thunder[vii]134.25019791978, 1996, 2012
Portland Trail Blazers123.33319771990, 1992
Dallas Mavericks112.50020112006
Baltimore Bullets (original) (folded in 1954)[viii]1011.0001948
Sacramento Kings[ix]1011.0001951
Toronto Raptors1011.0002019
Denver Nuggets1011.0002023
Phoenix Suns033.0001976, 1993, 2021
Utah Jazz022.0001997, 1998
Brooklyn Nets[x]022.0002002, 2003
Orlando Magic022.0001995, 2009
Chicago Stags (folded in 1950)011.0001947
Washington Capitols (folded in 1951)011.0001949
Indiana Pacers011.0002000
Charlotte Hornets
Los Angeles Clippers
Memphis Grizzlies
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans

Consecutive championships

Eight consecutive

Three consecutive

Two consecutive

Frequent matchups

CountMatchupRecordYears
12Boston Celtics vs Minneapolis/Los Angeles LakersCeltics, 9–31959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2008, 2010
6Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ersLakers, 5–11950, 1954, 1980, 1982, 1983, 2001
5Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs New York KnicksLakers, 3–21952, 1953, 1970, 1972, 1973
4St. Louis Hawks (Atlanta Hawks) vs Boston CelticsCeltics, 3–11957, 1958, 1960, 1961
4Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State WarriorsWarriors, 3–12015, 2016, 2017, 2018
3Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles LakersPistons, 2–11988, 1989, 2004
2Seattle SuperSonics (Oklahoma City Thunder) vs Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards)Tied, 1–11978, 1979
2Boston Celtics vs Houston RocketsCeltics, 2–01981, 1986
2Chicago Bulls vs Utah JazzBulls, 2–01997, 1998
2Dallas Mavericks vs Miami HeatTied, 1–12006, 2011
2Miami Heat vs San Antonio SpursTied, 1–12013, 2014
2Boston Celtics vs San Francisco/Golden State WarriorsTied, 1–11964, 2022

See also

Notes

References

External links