Becoming an NBA Finals winner is the goal for every team and player. Many of the game’s greatest never got to celebrate NBA Finals success. It’s a moment which can define careers and shape legacies.
Even those new to the NBA will be aware of the teams who have enjoyed the most Finals success. From the Lakers and Celtics dynasties to the Warriors and Spurs in the 21st century, teams have taken turns in ruling the Association.
In between, however, there are NBA Finals surprises like 2011. Some teams take advantage of circumstances to assert themselves like the mid-1990s Houston Rockets.
Most NBA Finals won
The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are tied with 17 NBA championships apiece. Boston was dominant through the 1950s and 1960s. While both are level on titles won, it’s the Lakers who have appeared in the NBA Finals on the most occasions.
They are far and away the two most successful franchises in NBA history. No other team has won more than six titles, a feat achieved by both the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls.
With a threepeat at the turn of the century, the Lakers are also the most successful team this millennium. The San Antonio Spurs push them close, however, winning all five of their titles since 1999.
Most common NBA Finals matchups
Unsurprisingly, it’s the Lakers and Celtics. The Lakers and Celtics have met in the NBA Finals on 12 occasions, seven of which were between 1959 and 1969.
Their most recent Finals bout was in 2010, a rematch of the 2008 clash. Boston leads the Finals contests by a 9-3 margin, though they lost to Kobe Bryant’s Lakers in 2010.
Most NBA Finals MVP awards
The NBA Finals MVP was first introduced in 1969. Michael Jordan has won the award more than any other player, receiving the honour in all six of the Bulls’ titles during the 1990s.
LeBron James is the only other player in NBA history to have won Finals MVP more than three times. James picked the trophy up for a fourth time in the Orlando bubble in 2020. Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan have all won Finals MVP thrice.
Winner of the first ever Finals MVP, Jerry West remains the only player in NBA history to win the award while losing the Finals.
Cedric Maxwell, a champion with the Celtics in 1981, is the only eligible player to not make the Hall of Fame having won Finals MVP.
Least successful NBA teams
Of active NBA teams, 11 haven’t won a title. Six of those teams have never made the NBA Finals.
Those six are: Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets.
The Suns, Jazz, Nets, Magic and Pacers have all registered NBA Finals appearances without lifting the trophy. The first four of that group have all lost the NBA Finals twice.
Utah famously lost to Michael Jordan’s Bulls twice during the second threepeat, while the Suns’ last Finals appearance came during Jordan’s first threepeat.
NBA Finals winners
1950 – Minneapolis Lakers
1951 – Rochester Royals
1952 – Minneapolis Lakers
1953 – Minneapolis Lakers
1954 – Minneapolis Lakers
1955 – Syracuse Nationals
1956 – Philadelphia Warriors
1957 – Boston Celtics
1958 – St Louis Hawks
1959 – Boston Celtics
1960 – Boston Celtics
1961 – Boston Celtics
1962 – Boston Celtics
1963 – Boston Celtics
1964 – Boston Celtics
1965 – Boston Celtics
1966 – Boston Celtics
1967 – Philadelphia 76ers
1968 – Boston Celtics
1969 – Boston Celtics
1970 – New York Knicks
1971 – Milwaukee Bucks
1972 – Los Angeles Lakers
1973 – New York Knicks
1974 – Boston Celtics
1975 – Golden State Warriors
1976 – Boston Celtics
1977 – Portland Trail Blazers
1978 – Washington Bullets
1979 – Seattle SuperSonics
1980 – Los Angeles Lakers
1981 – Boston Celtics
1982 – Los Angeles Lakers
1983 – Philadelphia 76ers
1984 – Boston Celtics
1985 – Los Angeles Lakers
1986 – Boston Celtics
1987 – Los Angeles Lakers
1988 – Los Angeles Lakers
1989 – Detroit Pistons
1990 – Detroit Pistons
1991 – Chicago Bulls
1992 – Chicago Bulls
1993 – Chicago Bulls
1994 – Houston Rockets
1995 – Houston Rockets
1996 – Chicago Bulls
1997 – Chicago Bulls
1998 – Chicago Bulls
1999 – San Antonio Spurs
2000 – Los Angeles Lakers
2001 – Los Angeles Lakers
2002 – Los Angeles Lakers
2003 – San Antonio Spurs
2004 – Detroit Pistons
2005 – San Antonio Spurs
2006 – Miami Heat
2007 – San Antonio Spurs
2008 – Boston Celtics
2009 – Los Angeles Lakers
2010 – Los Angeles Lakers
2011 – Dallas Mavericks
2012 – Miami Heat
2013 – Miami Heat
2014 – San Antonio Spurs
2015 – Golden State Warriors
2016 – Cleveland Cavaliers
2017 – Golden State Warriors
2018 – Golden State Warriors
2019 – Toronto Raptors
2020 – Los Angeles Lakers
2021 – Milwaukee Bucks