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NBA Championship History: A List Of NBA Champions
Each year around June, the NBA Season and NBA Playoffs come to a close, and basketball fans everywhere tune in to watch the leagues two best teams battle it out to call themselves the NBA Champions. The NBA Championship has a rich tradition and its seven game series amost always promises excitement, high quality basketball and plenty of big name players and celebrities. Read on to find out more about the history of this prestigious trophy and find a full list of the leagues former NBA Champions.
7-Game Format
The format of the NBA Championship 7-Game Series has changed multiple times, in terms of the order of which games are played on each teams home court. In each format, the team who had the better record over the regular season gets 4 games on their home court, while the other gets 3.
- Current Format: 2-3-2 (This format has been used multiple times throughout NBA History).
- Previous Format: 2-2-1-1-1 (This was a popular format for quite a long time)
- Other Formats Used: 1-2-2-1-1 and 1-1-1-1-1-1-1
The History Of The NBA Championship
In 1950, the league formerly known as the BAA (Basketball Association of America) had its name changed to the National Basketball Association, or as we affectionately know it, the NBA. Therefore, in 1950 the NBA Championship as we know it was born. The trophy up for grabs is currently the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, named after the former NBA commissioner. Prior to that it was named the Walter A. Brown after the original owner of the Boston Celtics, a team who have been NBA Champions numerous times.
Over the years, a variety of teams have been NBA Champions, but a combined 33 of the 67 total titles have been collected by the Celtics and Lakers, making their rivalry the most heated and legendary in the history of the NBA.
NBA Champions Since 1947
Year
| NBA Champion
| Runner Up
| Score
|
|---|---|---|---|
1947
| Philadelphia Warriors
| Chicago Stars
| 4-1
|
1948
| Baltimore Bullets
| Philadelphia Warriors
| 4-2
|
1949
| Minneapolis Lakers
| Washington Capitols
| 4-2
|
1950
| Minneapolis Lakers
| Syracuse Nationals
| 4-2
|
1951
| Rochester Royals
| New York Knicks
| 4-3
|
1952
| Minneapolis Lakers
| New York Knicks
| 4-3
|
1953
| Minneapolis Lakers
| New York Knicks
| 4-1
|
1954
| Minneapolis Lakers
| Syracuse Nationals
| 4-3
|
1955
| Syracuse Nationals
| Fort Wayne Pistons
| 4-3
|
1956
| Philadelphia Warriors
| Fort Wayne Pistons
| 4-1
|
1957
| Boston Celtics
| St. Louis Hawks
| 4-3
|
1958
| St. Louis Hawks
| Boston Celtics
| 4-2
|
1959
| Boston Celtics
| Minneapolis Lakers
| 4-0
|
1960
| Boston Celtics
| St. Louis Hawks
| 4-3
|
1961
| Boston Celtics
| St. Louis Hawks
| 4-1
|
1962
| Boston Celtics
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-3
|
1963
| Boston Celtics
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-2
|
1964
| Boston Celtics
| San Francisco Warriors
| 4-1
|
1965
| Boston Celtics
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-1
|
1966
| Boston Celtics
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-3
|
1967
| Philadelphia 76ers
| San Francisco Warriors
| 4-2
|
1968
| Boston Celtics
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-2
|
1969
| Boston Celtics
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-3
|
1970
| New York Knicks
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-3
|
1971
| Milwaukee Bucks
| Baltimore Bullets
| 4-0
|
1972
| Los Angeles Lakers
| New York Knicks
| 4-1
|
1973
| New York Knicks
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-1
|
1974
| Boston Celtics
| Milwaukee Bucks
| 4-3
|
1975
| Golden State Warriors
| Washington Bullets
| 4-0
|
1976
| Boston Celtics
| Phoenix Suns
| 4-2
|
1977
| Portland Trail Blazers
| Philadelphia 76ers
| 4-2
|
1978
| Washington Bullets
| Seattle Supersonics
| 4-3
|
1979
| Seattle Supersonics
| Washington Bullets
| 4-1
|
1980
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Philadelphia 76ers
| 4-2
|
1981
| Boston Celtics
| Houston Rockets
| 4-2
|
1982
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Philadelphia 76ers
| 4-2
|
1983
| Philadelphia 76ers
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-0
|
1984
| Boston Celtics
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-3
|
1985
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Boston Celtics
| 4-2
|
1986
| Boston Celtics
| Houston Rockets
| 4-2
|
1987
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Boston Celtics
| 4-2
|
1988
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Detroit Pistons
| 4-3
|
1989
| Detroit Pistons
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-0
|
1990
| Detroit Pistons
| Portland Trail Blazers
| 4-1
|
1991
| Chicago Bulls
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-1
|
1992
| Chicago Bulls
| Portland Trail Blazers
| 4-2
|
1993
| Chicago Bulls
| Phoenix Suns
| 4-2
|
1994
| Houston Rockets
| New York Knicks
| 4-3
|
1995
| Houston Rockets
| Orlando Magic
| 4-0
|
1996
| Chicago Bulls
| Seattle Supersonics
| 4-2
|
1997
| Chicago Bulls
| Utah Jazz
| 4-2
|
1998
| Chicago Bulls
| Utah Jazz
| 4-2
|
1999
| San Antonio Spurs
| New York Knicks
| 4-1
|
2000
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Indiana Pacers
| 4-2
|
2001
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Philadelphia 76ers
| 4-1
|
2002
| Los Angeles Lakers
| New Jersey Nets
| 4-0
|
2003
| San Antonio Spurs
| New Jersey Nets
| 4-2
|
2004
| Detroit Pistons
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-1
|
2005
| San Antonio Spurs
| Detroit Pistons
| 4-3
|
2006
| Miami Heat
| Dallas Mavericks
| 4-2
|
2007
| San Antonio Spurs
| Cleveland Cavaliers
| 4-0
|
2008
| Boston Celtics
| Los Angeles Lakers
| 4-2
|
2009
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Orlando Magic
| 4-1
|
2010
| Los Angeles Lakers
| Boston Celtics
| 4-3
|
2011
| Dallas Mavericks
| Miami Heat
| 4-2
|
2012
| Miami Heat
| Oklahoma City Thunder
| 4-1
|
2013
| Miami Heat
| San Antonio Spurs
| 4-3
|
A list of NBA (And BAA) Champions since the league started in 1946-47.
Most Successful NBA Teams: Teams With The Most NBA Championships
- Boston Celtics - 17 NBA Championships
- Los Angeles Lakers (Minneapolis) - 16 NBA Championships
- Chicago Bulls - 6 NBA Championships
- San Antonio Spurs - 5 NBA Championships
- Miami Heat - 3 NBA Championships
- Detroit Pistons (Fort Wayne) - 3 NBA Championships
- Philadephia 76ers (Syracuse Nationals) - 3 NBA Championships
- Golden State Warriors (Philadelphia, San Francisco) - 3 NBA Championships
The "Three-Peat"
The term 'Three-Peat' refers to the difficult task of winning three consecutive NBA Championships, and only three teams have ever done it:
- Los Angeles Lakers - Twice (1952-1954, 2000-2002)
- Boston Celtics - Eight straight titles (1959-1966)
- Chicago Bulls - Twice (1991-1993, 1996-1998)
Other Facts About the NBA Championship
- The record for the most NBA Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player) Awards is held by Michael Jordan with 6.
- Bill Russell has 11 NBA Championships - More than any other player in NBA History.
- The NBA Championship has been won by the team with the best regular season record 32 times.
