List of NBA champions facts for kids
The National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals is the championship series for the NBA held at the conclusion of its postseason. All 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. The winning team of the series receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
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 1947–1948, 1950–1952, 1957–1970, 1972–1974, 1976–1977, 1979–1984, 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, 1953–1955, and 1985–2013, in a 1–1–1–1–1–1–1 format during 1956 and 1971, and in a 1–2–2–1–1 format during 1975 and 1978.
As of 2022[update], the Eastern Conference/Division led the Western Conference/Division 40–36 in championships won. As of 2022[update], the Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers have won a combined total of 34 NBA championships (with 17 apiece). As of 2022[update], the defending champions are the Golden State Warriors.
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.
- As of 2022, of the 76 NBA Finals series played, the Eastern champions have won 40 titles while the Western champions have won 36 titles.
| Bold | Winning team of the BAA/NBA Finals |
| Italics | Team with home-court advantage |
| Year | Western champion | Coach | Result | Eastern champion | Coach | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball Association of America (BAA) | ||||||
| 1947 | Chicago Stags (1) (1, 0–1) | Harold Olsen | 1–4 | Philadelphia Warriors (2) (1, 1–0) | Eddie Gottlieb | |
| 1948 | Baltimore Bullets (2) (1, 1–0) | Buddy Jeannette | 4–2 | Philadelphia Warriors (1) (2, 1–1) | Eddie Gottlieb | |
| 1949 | Minneapolis Lakers (2) (1, 1–0) | John Kundla | 4–2 | Washington Capitols (1) (1, 0–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| National Basketball Association (NBA) | ||||||
| 1950 | Minneapolis Lakers (1) (2, 2–0) | John Kundla | 4–2 | Syracuse Nationals (1) (1, 0–1) | Al Cervi | |
| 1951 | Rochester Royals (2) (1, 1–0) | Les Harrison | 4–3 | New York Knicks (3) (1, 0–1) | Joe Lapchick | |
| 1952 | Minneapolis Lakers (2) (3, 3–0) | John Kundla | 4–3 | New York Knicks (3) (2, 0–2) | Joe Lapchick | |
| 1953 | Minneapolis Lakers (1) (4, 4–0) | John Kundla | 4–1 | New York Knicks (1) (3, 0–3) | Joe Lapchick | |
| 1954 | Minneapolis Lakers (1) (5, 5–0) | John Kundla | 4–3 | Syracuse Nationals (1) (2, 0–2) | Al Cervi | |
| 1955 | Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (1, 0–1) | Charles Eckman | 3–4 | Syracuse Nationals (1) (3, 1–2) | Al Cervi | |
| 1956 | Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (2, 0–2) | Charles Eckman | 1–4 | Philadelphia Warriors (1) (3, 2–1) | George Senesky | |
| 1957 | St. Louis Hawks (1) (1, 0–1) | Alex Hannum | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (1, 1–0) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1958 | St. Louis Hawks (1) (2, 1–1) | Alex Hannum | 4–2 | Boston Celtics (1) (2, 1–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1959 | Minneapolis Lakers (2) (6, 5–1) | John Kundla | 0–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (3, 2–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1960 | St. Louis Hawks (1) (3, 1–2) | Ed Macauley | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (4, 3–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1961 | St. Louis Hawks (1) (4, 1–3) | Paul Seymour | 1–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (5, 4–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1962 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (7, 5–2) | Fred Schaus | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (6, 5–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1963 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (8, 5–3) | Fred Schaus | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (7, 6–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1964 | San Francisco Warriors (1) (4, 2–2) | Alex Hannum | 1–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (8, 7–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1965 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (9, 5–4) | Fred Schaus | 1–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (9, 8–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1966 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (10, 5–5) | Fred Schaus | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (2) (10, 9–1) | Red Auerbach | |
| 1967 | San Francisco Warriors (1) (5, 2–3) | Bill Sharman | 2–4 | Philadelphia 76ers (1) (4, 2–2) | Alex Hannum | |
| 1968 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (11, 5–6) | Butch van Breda Kolff | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (2) (11, 10–1) | Bill Russell | |
| 1969 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (12, 5–7) | Butch van Breda Kolff | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (4) (12, 11–1) | Bill Russell | |
| 1970 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (13, 5–8) | Joe Mullaney | 3–4 | New York Knicks (1) (4, 1–3) | Red Holzman | |
| 1971 | Milwaukee Bucks (1) (1, 1–0) | Larry Costello | 4–0 | Baltimore Bullets (1) (1, 0–1) | Gene Shue | |
| 1972 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (14, 6–8) | Bill Sharman | 4–1 | New York Knicks (2) (5, 1–4) | Red Holzman | |
| 1973 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (15, 6–9) | Bill Sharman | 1–4 | New York Knicks (2) (6, 2–4) | Red Holzman | |
| 1974 | Milwaukee Bucks (1) (2, 1–1) | Larry Costello | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (13, 12–1) | Tom Heinsohn | |
| 1975 | Golden State Warriors (1) (6, 3–3) | Al Attles | 4–0 | Washington Bullets (2) (2, 0–2) | K. C. Jones | |
| 1976 | Phoenix Suns (3) (1, 0–1) | John MacLeod | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (14, 13–1) | Tom Heinsohn | |
| 1977 | Portland Trail Blazers (3) (1, 1–0) | Jack Ramsay | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers (1) (5, 2–3) | Gene Shue | |
| 1978 | Seattle SuperSonics (4) (1, 0–1) | Lenny Wilkens | 3–4 | Washington Bullets (3) (3, 1–2) | Dick Motta | |
| 1979 | Seattle SuperSonics (1) (2, 1–1) | Lenny Wilkens | 4–1 | Washington Bullets (1) (4, 1–3) | Dick Motta | |
| 1980 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (16, 7–9) | Paul Westhead | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers (3) (6, 2–4) | Billy Cunningham | |
| 1981 | Houston Rockets (6) (1, 0–1) | Del Harris | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (15, 14–1) | Bill Fitch | |
| 1982 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (17, 8–9) | Pat Riley | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers (3) (7, 2–5) | Billy Cunningham | |
| 1983 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (18, 8–10) | Pat Riley | 0–4 | Philadelphia 76ers (1) (8, 3–5) | Billy Cunningham | |
| 1984 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (19, 8–11) | Pat Riley | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (16, 15–1) | K. C. Jones | |
| 1985 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (20, 9–11) | Pat Riley | 4–2 | Boston Celtics (1) (17, 15–2) | K. C. Jones | |
| 1986 | Houston Rockets (2) (2, 0–2) | Bill Fitch | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (18, 16–2) | K. C. Jones | |
| 1987 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (21, 10–11) | Pat Riley | 4–2 | Boston Celtics (1) (19, 16–3) | K. C. Jones | |
| 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (22, 11–11) | Pat Riley | 4–3 | Detroit Pistons (2) (3, 0–3) | Chuck Daly | |
| 1989 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (23, 11–12) | Pat Riley | 0–4 | Detroit Pistons (1) (4, 1–3) | Chuck Daly | |
| 1990 | Portland Trail Blazers (3) (2, 1–1) | Rick Adelman | 1–4 | Detroit Pistons (1) (5, 2–3) | Chuck Daly | |
| 1991 | Los Angeles Lakers (3) (24, 11–13) | Mike Dunleavy | 1–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (1, 1–0) | Phil Jackson | |
| 1992 | Portland Trail Blazers (1) (3, 1–2) | Rick Adelman | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (2, 2–0) | Phil Jackson | |
| 1993 | Phoenix Suns (1) (2, 0–2) | Paul Westphal | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (2) (3, 3–0) | Phil Jackson | |
| 1994 | Houston Rockets (2) (3, 1–2) | Rudy Tomjanovich | 4–3 | New York Knicks (2) (7, 2–5) | Pat Riley | |
| 1995 | Houston Rockets (6) (4, 2–2) | Rudy Tomjanovich | 4–0 | Orlando Magic (1) (1, 0–1) | Brian Hill | |
| 1996 | Seattle SuperSonics (1) (3, 1–2) | George Karl | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (4, 4–0) | Phil Jackson | |
| 1997 | Utah Jazz (1) (1, 0–1) | Jerry Sloan | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (5, 5–0) | Phil Jackson | |
| 1998 | Utah Jazz (1) (2, 0–2) | Jerry Sloan | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (6, 6–0) | Phil Jackson | |
| 1999 | San Antonio Spurs (1) (1, 1–0) | Gregg Popovich | 4–1 | New York Knicks (8) (8, 2–6) | Jeff Van Gundy | |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (25, 12–13) | Phil Jackson | 4–2 | Indiana Pacers (1) (1, 0–1) | Larry Bird | |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (26, 13–13) | Phil Jackson | 4–1 | Philadelphia 76ers (1) (9, 3–6) | Larry Brown | |
| 2002 | Los Angeles Lakers (3) (27, 14–13) | Phil Jackson | 4–0 | New Jersey Nets (1) (1, 0–1) | Byron Scott | |
| 2003 | San Antonio Spurs (1) (2, 2–0) | Gregg Popovich | 4–2 | New Jersey Nets (2) (2, 0–2) | Byron Scott | |
| 2004 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (28, 14–14) | Phil Jackson | 1–4 | Detroit Pistons (3) (6, 3–3) | Larry Brown | |
| 2005 | San Antonio Spurs (2) (3, 3–0) | Gregg Popovich | 4–3 | Detroit Pistons (2) (7, 3–4) | Larry Brown | |
| 2006 | Dallas Mavericks (4) (1, 0–1) | Avery Johnson | 2–4 | Miami Heat (2) (1, 1–0) | Pat Riley | |
| 2007 | San Antonio Spurs (3) (4, 4–0) | Gregg Popovich | 4–0 | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (1, 0–1) | Mike Brown | |
| 2008 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (29, 14–15) | Phil Jackson | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (20, 17–3) | Doc Rivers | |
| 2009 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (30, 15–15) | Phil Jackson | 4–1 | Orlando Magic (3) (2, 0–2) | Stan Van Gundy | |
| 2010 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (31, 16–15) | Phil Jackson | 4–3 | Boston Celtics (4) (21, 17–4) | Doc Rivers | |
| 2011 | Dallas Mavericks (3) (2, 1–1) | Rick Carlisle | 4–2 | Miami Heat (2) (2, 1–1) | Erik Spoelstra | |
| 2012 | Oklahoma City Thunder (2) (4, 1–3) | Scott Brooks | 1–4 | Miami Heat (2) (3, 2–1) | Erik Spoelstra | |
| 2013 | San Antonio Spurs (2) (5, 4–1) | Gregg Popovich | 3–4 | Miami Heat (1) (4, 3–1) | Erik Spoelstra | |
| 2014 | San Antonio Spurs (1) (6, 5–1) | Gregg Popovich | 4–1 | Miami Heat (2) (5, 3–2) | Erik Spoelstra | |
| 2015 | Golden State Warriors (1) (7, 4–3) | Steve Kerr | 4–2 | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (2, 0–2) | David Blatt | |
| 2016 | Golden State Warriors (1) (8, 4–4) | Steve Kerr | 3–4 | Cleveland Cavaliers (1) (3, 1–2) | Tyronn Lue | |
| 2017 | Golden State Warriors (1) (9, 5–4) | Steve Kerr | 4–1 | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (4, 1–3) | Tyronn Lue | |
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors (2) (10, 6–4) | Steve Kerr | 4–0 | Cleveland Cavaliers (4) (5, 1–4) | Tyronn Lue | |
| 2019 | Golden State Warriors (1) (11, 6–5) | Steve Kerr | 2–4 | Toronto Raptors (2) (1, 1–0) | Nick Nurse | |
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (32, 17–15) | Frank Vogel | 4–2 | Miami Heat (5) (6, 3–3) | Erik Spoelstra | |
| 2021 | Phoenix Suns (2) (3, 0–3) | Monty Williams | 2–4 | Milwaukee Bucks (3) (3, 2–1) | Mike Budenholzer | |
| 2022 | Golden State Warriors (3) (12, 7–5) | Steve Kerr | 4–2 | Boston Celtics (2) (22, 17–5) | Ime Udoka | |
Results by team
| Team | Win | Loss | Apps | Pct | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers | 17 | 15 | 32 | .531 | 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020 | 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2004, 2008 |
| Boston Celtics | 17 | 5 | 22 | .773 | 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008 | 1958, 1985, 1987, 2010, 2022 |
| Golden State Warriors | 7 | 5 | 12 | .583 | 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 | 1948, 1964, 1967, 2016, 2019 |
| Chicago Bulls | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1.000 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 | — |
| San Antonio Spurs | 5 | 1 | 6 | .833 | 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 | 2013 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | 6 | 9 | .333 | 1955, 1967, 1983 | 1950, 1954, 1977, 1980, 1982, 2001 |
| Detroit Pistons | 3 | 4 | 7 | .429 | 1989, 1990, 2004 | 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005 |
| Miami Heat | 3 | 3 | 6 | .500 | 2006, 2012, 2013 | 2011, 2014, 2020 |
| New York Knicks | 2 | 6 | 8 | .250 | 1970, 1973 | 1951, 1952, 1953, 1972, 1994, 1999 |
| Houston Rockets | 2 | 2 | 4 | .500 | 1994, 1995 | 1981, 1986 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 2 | 1 | 3 | .667 | 1971, 2021 | 1974 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 1 | 4 | 5 | .200 | 2016 | 2007, 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 1 | 3 | 4 | .250 | 1958 | 1957, 1960, 1961 |
| Washington Wizards | 1 | 3 | 4 | .250 | 1978 | 1971, 1975, 1979 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 1 | 3 | 4 | .250 | 1979 | 1978, 1996, 2012 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | 2 | 3 | .333 | 1977 | 1990, 1992 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 1 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 2011 | 2006 |
| Baltimore Bullets (original) (folded in 1954) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 1948 | — |
| Sacramento Kings | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 1951 | — |
| Toronto Raptors | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 2019 | — |
| Phoenix Suns | 0 | 3 | 3 | .000 | — | 1976, 1993, 2021 |
| Utah Jazz | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | — | 1997, 1998 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | — | 2002, 2003 |
| Orlando Magic | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | — | 1995, 2009 |
| Chicago Stags (folded in 1950) | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | 1947 |
| Washington Capitols (folded in 1951) | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | 1949 |
| Indiana Pacers | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | 2000 |
| Charlotte Hornets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Denver Nuggets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Los Angeles Clippers | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Memphis Grizzlies | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| New Orleans Pelicans | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Frequent matchups
| Count | Matchup | Record | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Boston Celtics vs Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers | Celtics, 9–3 | 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2008, 2010 |
| 6 | Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers | Lakers, 5–1 | 1950, 1954, 1980, 1982, 1983, 2001 |
| 5 | Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks | Lakers, 3–2 | 1952, 1953, 1970, 1972, 1973 |
| 4 | St. Louis Hawks (Atlanta Hawks) vs Boston Celtics | Celtics, 3–1 | 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961 |
| 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors | Warriors, 3–1 | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| 3 | Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Lakers | Pistons, 2–1 | 1988, 1989, 2004 |
| 2 | Seattle SuperSonics (Oklahoma City Thunder) vs Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards) | Tied, 1–1 | 1978, 1979 |
| 2 | Boston Celtics vs Houston Rockets | Celtics, 2–0 | 1981, 1986 |
| 2 | Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz | Bulls, 2–0 | 1997, 1998 |
| 2 | Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat | Tied, 1–1 | 2006, 2011 |
| 2 | Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs | Tied, 1–1 | 2013, 2014 |
| 2 | Boston Celtics vs San Francisco/Golden State Warriors | Tied, 1–1 | 1964, 2022 |
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Campeones de la NBA para niños
- List of ABA champions
- List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks
- List of National Basketball League (United States) champions
- List of NBA championship head coaches
- List of NBA franchise post-season droughts
- List of NBA franchise post-season streaks
- List of NBA G League champions
- List of NBA players with most championships
- NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
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List of NBA champions Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.