All-Time NBA Champions List: Celtics, Lakers Lead Title Count
A year-by-year look at every NBA champion since 1947. See which teams have won the most Larry O’Brien Trophies, why the Boston Celtics lead with 18 titles, and how the Lakers hold the record for Finals appearances.
Chasing the Larry O’Brien every nba champion from 1947 to present...
No prize in basketball is bigger than the NBA championship. For 79 years, the National Basketball Association has crowned a champion each season to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Which teams have won the most titles in the league’s history? We break it down.
American basketball has crowned a National Basketball Association champion every season since 1946-47. The NBA Finals, called the BAA Finals before 1950, have always been a best-of-seven series. The first came in 1947 between the Western Division’s Chicago Stags and the Eastern Division’s Philadelphia Warriors.
No team has won more NBA championships than the Boston Celtics, with 18 titles. Nine came during their dominant run in the 1960s, when they took nine of 10 championships. Still, the Celtics don’t lead in Finals appearances - the Los Angeles Lakers do, with 32.
So which team has the most NBA titles overall? Has any team ever won without losing a single Finals game? Here’s the full year-by-year list of NBA champions.
Complete List of NBA Champions
1946-47: Philadelphia Warriors (def. Chicago Stags 4-1)
1947-48: Baltimore Bullets (def. Philadelphia Warriors 4-2)
1948-49: Minneapolis Lakers (def. Washington Capitols 4-2)
1949-50: Minneapolis Lakers (def. Syracuse Nationals 4-2)
1950-51: Rochester Royals (def. New York Knicks 4-3)
1951-52: Minneapolis Lakers (def. New York Knicks 4-3)
1952-53: Minneapolis Lakers (def. New York Knicks 4-1)
1953-54: Minneapolis Lakers (def. Syracuse Nationals 4-3)
1954-55: Syracuse Nationals (def. Fort Wayne Pistons 4-3)
1955-56: Philadelphia Warriors (def. Fort Wayne Pistons 4-1)
1956-57: Boston Celtics (def. St. Louis Hawks 4-3)
1957-58: St. Louis Hawks (def. Boston Celtics 4-2)
1958-59: Boston Celtics (def. Minneapolis Lakers 4-0)
1959-60: Boston Celtics (def. St. Louis Hawks 4-3)
1960-61: Boston Celtics (def. St. Louis Hawks 4-1)
1961-62: Boston Celtics (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3)
1962-63: Boston Celtics (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-2)
1963-64: Boston Celtics (def. San Francisco Warriors 4-1)
1964-65: Boston Celtics (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-1)
1965-66: Boston Celtics (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-2)
1966-67: Philadelphia 76ers (def. San Francisco Warriors 4-2)
1967-68: Boston Celtics (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-2)
1968-69: Boston Celtics (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3)
1969-70: New York Knicks (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3)
1970-71: Milwaukee Bucks (def. Baltimore Bullets 4-0)
1971-72: Los Angeles Lakers (def. New York Knicks 4-1)
1972-73: New York Knicks (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-1)
1973-74: Boston Celtics (def. Milwaukee Bucks 4-3)
1974-75: Golden State Warriors (def. Washington Bullets 4-0)
1975-76: Boston Celtics (def. Phoenix Suns 4-2)
1976-77: Portland Trail Blazers (def. Philadelphia 76ers 4-2)
1977-78: Washington Bullets (def. Seattle SuperSonics 4-3)
1978-79: Seattle SuperSonics (def. Washington Bullets 4-1)
1979-80: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Philadelphia 76ers 4-2)
1980-81: Boston Celtics (def. Houston Rockets 4-2)
1981-82: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Philadelphia 76ers 4-2)
1982-83: Philadelphia 76ers (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-0)
1983-84: Boston Celtics (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3)
1984-85: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Boston Celtics 4-2)
1985-86: Boston Celtics (def. Houston Rockets 4-2)
1986-87: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Boston Celtics 4-2)
1987-88: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Detroit Pistons 4-3)
1988-89: Detroit Pistons (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-0)
1989-90: Detroit Pistons (def. Portland Trail Blazers 4-1)
1990-91: Chicago Bulls (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-1)
1991-92: Chicago Bulls (def. Portland Trail Blazers 4-2)
1992-93: Chicago Bulls (def. Phoenix Suns 4-2)
1993-94: Houston Rockets (def. New York Knicks 4-3)
1994-95: Houston Rockets (def. Orlando Magic 4-0)
1995-96: Chicago Bulls (def. Seattle SuperSonics 4-2)
Bill Russell, 11 anillos
— NBA - Jordi de Mas (@demas6Basket) March 29, 2026
Hay algún récord NBA más difícil de superar que este? pic.twitter.com/FEJSvYz34J
1996-97: Chicago Bulls (def. Utah Jazz 4-2)
1997-98: Chicago Bulls (def. Utah Jazz 4-2)
1998-99: San Antonio Spurs (def. New York Knicks 4-1)
1999-00: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Indiana Pacers 4-2)
2000-01: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Philadelphia 76ers 4-1)
2001-02: Los Angeles Lakers (def. New Jersey Nets 4-0)
2002-03: San Antonio Spurs (def. New Jersey Nets 4-2)
2003-04: Detroit Pistons (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-1)
2004-05: San Antonio Spurs (def. Detroit Pistons 4-3)
2005-06: Miami Heat (def. Dallas Mavericks 4-2)
2006-07: San Antonio Spurs (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0)
2007-08: Boston Celtics (def. Los Angeles Lakers 4-2)
2008-09: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Orlando Magic 4-1)
2009-10: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Boston Celtics 4-3)
2010-11: Dallas Mavericks (def. Miami Heat 4-2)
2011-12: Miami Heat (def. Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1)
2012-13: Miami Heat (def. San Antonio Spurs 4-3)
2013-14: San Antonio Spurs (def. Miami Heat 4-1)
2014-15: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2)
2015-16: Cleveland Cavaliers (def. Golden State Warriors 4-3)
2016-17: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1)
2017-18: Golden State Warriors (def. Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0)
2018-19: Toronto Raptors (def. Golden State Warriors 4-2)
2019-20: Los Angeles Lakers (def. Miami Heat 4-2)
2020-21: Milwaukee Bucks (def. Phoenix Suns 4-2)
2021-22: Golden State Warriors (def. Boston Celtics 4-2)
2022-23: Denver Nuggets (def. Miami Heat 4-1)
2023-24: Boston Celtics (def. Dallas Mavericks 4-1)
2024-25: Oklahoma City Thunder (def. Indiana Pacers 4-3)
Lifting the Larry O'Brien in OKC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/gmvQPelQtn
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 23, 2025
FAQ
Which NBA franchise has the most championships?
The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships, with 18.
Which NBA team won the most recent NBA Championship in 2025?
The Oklahoma City Thunder, who beat the Indiana Pacers 4-3.
Has any NBA team won 4 championships in a row?
The Boston Celtics won 8 championships in a row between 1959 and 1966.
Which NBA teams have met in the NBA Finals the most?
The Boston Celtics and Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers have met 12 times in the NBA Finals.
Has any NBA team won a championship with a clean sweep in the Finals?
The 1959 Boston Celtics, 1971 Milwaukee Bucks, 1975 Golden State Warriors, 1983 Philadelphia 76ers, 1989 Detroit Pistons, 1995 Houston Rockets, 2002 Los Angeles Lakers, 2007 San Antonio Spurs, and 2018 Golden State Warriors have all won a Finals series 4-0.
Which player has the most NBA championship rings?
Boston Celtics Bill Russell leads all NBA players with 11 championships.
How many current NBA teams have never won a title?
The Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, and Indiana Pacers have all appeared in the NBA Finals but never won a championship. The Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New Orleans Pelicans have never appeared in the NBA Finals.
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