NBA Champions List: Complete List of NBA Champions and Runners-up

The NBA Championships are held every year and are known as the NBA Finals.  When the NBA was still known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) between 1946 and 1949, the playoffs were a three-tiered tournament that culminated in a championship matchup between the two semifinal winners.

Aug 1, 2023, 19:31 EDT
Updated NBA Champions List: Complete List of NBA Champions and Runners-up Teams
Updated NBA Champions List: Complete List of NBA Champions and Runners-up Teams

The NBA Championships are held every year and are known as the NBA Finals. The finals are held between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference except in 1950 when the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions. 

When the NBA was still known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) between 1946 and 1949, the playoffs were a three-tiered tournament that culminated in a championship matchup between the two semifinal winners. Today, the series' victorious team receives the coveted Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.

List Of NBA Champions And Runner-Ups

As of 2023, Denver Nuggets stand as the current holder of the title. This year was a fairy tale come true for them as they won their first title in their entire team history.

Here is the full list of Nba Champion(highlighted) And Runner-ups:

Year

MBA Champion

Result

Runner-up

1947

Philadelphia Warriors

4–1

Chicago Stags

1948

Baltimore Bullets

4–2

Philadelphia Warriors

1949

Minneapolis Lakers

4–2

Washington Capitols

1950

Minneapolis Lakers

4–2

Syracuse Nationals

1951

Rochester Royals

4–3

New York Knicks

1952

Minneapolis Lakers

4–3

New York Knicks

1953

Minneapolis Lakers

4–1

New York Knicks

1954

Minneapolis Lakers

4–3

Syracuse Nationals

1955

Syracuse Nationals

4–3

Fort Wayne Pistons

1956

Philadelphia Warriors

4–1

Fort Wayne Pistons

1957

Boston Celtics

4–3

St. Louis Hawks

1958

St. Louis Hawks

4–2

Boston Celtics

1959

Boston Celtics

4–0

Minneapolis Lakers

1960

Boston Celtics

4–3

St. Louis Hawks

1961

Boston Celtics

4–1

St. Louis Hawks

1962

Boston Celtics

4–3

Los Angeles Lakers

1963

Boston Celtics

4–2

Los Angeles Lakers

1964

Boston Celtics

4–1

San Francisco Warriors

1965

Boston Celtics

4–1

Los Angeles Lakers

1966

Boston Celtics

4–3

Los Angeles Lakers

1967

Philadelphia 76ers

4–2

San Francisco Warriors

1968

Boston Celtics

4–2

Los Angeles Lakers

1969

Boston Celtics

4–3

Los Angeles Lakers

1970

New York Knicks

4–3

Los Angeles Lakers

1971

Milwaukee Bucks

4–0

Baltimore Bullets

1972

Los Angeles Lakers

4–1

New York Knicks

1973

New York Knicks

4–1

Los Angeles Lakers

1974

Boston Celtics

4–3

Milwaukee Bucks

1975

Golden State Warriors

4–0

Washington Bullets

1976

Boston Celtics

4–2

Phoenix Suns

1977

Portland Trail Blazers

4–2

Philadelphia 76ers

1978

Washington Bullets

4–3

Seattle SuperSonics

1979

Seattle SuperSonics

4–1

Washington Bullets

1980

Los Angeles Lakers

4–2

Philadelphia 76ers

1981

Boston Celtics

4–2

Houston Rockets

1982

Los Angeles Lakers

4–2

Philadelphia 76ers

1983

Philadelphia 76ers

4–0

Los Angeles Lakers

1984

Boston Celtics

4–3

Los Angeles Lakers

1985

Los Angeles Lakers

4–2

Boston Celtics

1986

Boston Celtics

4–2

Houston Rockets

1987

Los Angeles Lakers

4–2

Boston Celtics

1988

Los Angeles Lakers

4–3

Detroit Pistons

1989

Detroit Pistons

4–0

Los Angeles Lakers

1990

Detroit Pistons

4–1

Portland Trail Blazers

1991

Chicago Bulls

4–1

Los Angeles Lakers

1992

Chicago Bulls

4–2

Portland Trail Blazers

1993

Chicago Bulls

4–2

Phoenix Suns

1994

Houston Rockets

4–3

New York Knicks

1995

Houston Rockets

4–0

Orlando Magic

1996

Chicago Bulls

4–2

Seattle SuperSonics

1997

Chicago Bulls

4–2

Utah Jazz

1998

Chicago Bulls

4–2

Utah Jazz

1999

San Antonio Spurs

4–1

New York Knicks

2000

Los Angeles Lakers

4–2

Indiana Pacers

2001

Los Angeles Lakers

4–1

Philadelphia 76ers

2002

Los Angeles Lakers

4–0

New Jersey Nets

2003

San Antonio Spurs

4–2

New Jersey Nets

2004

Detroit Pistons

4–1

Los Angeles Lakers

2005

San Antonio Spurs

4–3

Detroit Pistons

2006

Miami Heat

4–2

Dallas Mavericks

2007

San Antonio Spurs

4–0

Cleveland Cavaliers

2008

Boston Celtics

4–2

Los Angeles Lakers

2009

Los Angeles Lakers

4–1

Orlando Magic

2010

Los Angeles Lakers

4–3

Boston Celtics

2011

Dallas Mavericks

4–2

Miami Heat

2012

Miami Heat

4–1

Oklahoma City Thunder

2013

Miami Heat

4–3

San Antonio Spurs

2014

San Antonio Spurs

4–1

Miami Heat

2015

Golden State Warriors

4–2

Cleveland Cavaliers

2016

Cleveland Cavaliers

4–3

Golden State Warriors

2017

Golden State Warriors

4–1

Cleveland Cavaliers

2018

Golden State Warriors

4–0

Cleveland Cavaliers

2019

Toronto Raptors

4–2

Golden State Warriors

2020

Los Angeles Lakers

4–2

Miami Heat

2021

Milwaukee Bucks

4–2

Phoenix Suns

2022

Golden State Warriors

4–2

Boston Celtics

2023

Denver Nuggets

4-1

Miami Heat

Total Number of NBA Championships by team

Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have won a combined 34 championships. Each team has won a total of 17 championships individually. The Boston Celtics are the only club to have won the championships 8 time in a row from 1959 to 1966.

Team

Titles

Boston Celtics

17

Los Angeles Lakers

17

Golden State Warriors

7

Chicago Bulls

6

San Antonio Spurs

5

Detroit Pistons

3

Miami Heat

3

Philadelphia 76ers

3

Houston Rockets

2

Milwaukee Bucks

2

New York Knicks

2

Atlanta Hawks

1

Baltimore Bullets

1

Cleveland Cavaliers

1

Dallas Mavericks

1

Oklahoma City Thunder

1

Portland Trail Blazers

1

Sacramento Kings

1

Toronto Raptors

1

Washington Wizards

1

Hello, my name is Mohammad Jazib Ul Quanain. I was born and raised in the beautiful valley of Kashmir. During the initial years of my life, I chose engineering as my career. It didn't work out as I wanted it, so I pursued Journalism and haven't regretted it since. I completed my master's from Chandigarh University in Journalism and Mass Communication. Also, I have almost 2 years of experience in content writing and Journalism. If I'm not writing articles, you may find me riding my motorcycle to a remote location or relaxing on the couch watching anime.
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