The NBA Finals is the annual championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (prior to 1971 it was played between division playoff winners), except in 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.[1][2][3] The winning team of the series receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, which has been awarded since 1977 (between 1947 and 1976 the winning team received the Walter A. Brown Trophy).[4]

Champions

The most recent champions are the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won their first championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008, and their first since 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Boston Celtics have won the most championships of any team in the league at 18.[5] As of 2025, the Eastern champions have a 41–38 advantage in NBA titles over the Western champions. The 1949–50 Minneapolis Lakers, who won the NBA Finals, are counted in the Eastern versus Western champions record as they played that sole season in the Central Division before returning to the Western Division.

  • 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.
BoldWinning team of the BAA/NBA Finals
ItalicsTeam with home-court advantage
ItalicsFinals MVP was on losing team
†Only defunct team to win championship
YearWestern championCoachResultEastern championCoachFinals MVP[a]Ref
1947Chicago Stags (1) (1, 0–1)Harold Olsen1–4Philadelphia Warriors (2) (1, 1–0)Eddie Gottliebn/a[6]
1948Baltimore Bullets† (2) (1, 1–0)Buddy Jeannette4–2Philadelphia Warriors (1) (2, 1–1)[7]
1949Minneapolis Lakers (2) (1, 1–0)John Kundla4–2Washington Capitols (1) (1, 0–1)Red Auerbach[8]
Minneapolis Lakers (1) [b] (2, 2–0)4–2Syracuse Nationals (1) (1, 0–1)Al Cervi[9][10]
Rochester Royals (2) (1, 1–0)Les Harrison4–3New York Knicks (3) (1, 0–1)Joe Lapchick[11]
Minneapolis Lakers (2) (3, 3–0)John Kundla4–3New York Knicks (3) (2, 0–2)[12]
Minneapolis Lakers (1) (4, 4–0)4–1New York Knicks (1) (3, 0–3)[13]
Minneapolis Lakers (1) (5, 5–0)4–3Syracuse Nationals (1) (2, 0–2)Al Cervi[14]
Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (1, 0–1)Charles Eckman3–4Syracuse Nationals (1) (3, 1–2)[15]
Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (2, 0–2)1–4Philadelphia Warriors (1) (3, 2–1)George Senesky[16]
St. Louis Hawks (1) (1, 0–1)Alex Hannum3–4Boston Celtics (1) (1, 1–0)Red Auerbach[17]
St. Louis Hawks (1) (2, 1–1)4–2Boston Celtics (1) (2, 1–1)[18]
Minneapolis Lakers (2) (6, 5–1)John Kundla0–4Boston Celtics (1) (3, 2–1)[19]
St. Louis Hawks (1) (3, 1–2)Ed Macauley3–4Boston Celtics (1) (4, 3–1)[20]
St. Louis Hawks (1) (4, 1–3)Paul Seymour1–4Boston Celtics (1) (5, 4–1)[21]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (7, 5–2)Fred Schaus3–4Boston Celtics (1) (6, 5–1)[22]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (8, 5–3)2–4Boston Celtics (1) (7, 6–1)[23]
[c]San Francisco Warriors (1) (4, 2–2)Alex Hannum1–4Boston Celtics (1) (8, 7–1)[24]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (9, 5–4)Fred Schaus1–4Boston Celtics (1) (9, 8–1)[25]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (10, 5–5)3–4Boston Celtics (2) (10, 9–1)[26]
San Francisco Warriors (1) (5, 2–3)Bill Sharman2–4Philadelphia 76ers (1) (4, 2–2)Alex Hannum[27]
Los Angeles Lakers (2) (11, 5–6)Butch van Breda Kolff2–4Boston Celtics (2) (11, 10–1)Bill Russell[28]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (12, 5–7)3–4Boston Celtics (4) (12, 11–1)Jerry West[29]
Los Angeles Lakers (2) (13, 5–8)Joe Mullaney3–4New York Knicks (1) (4, 1–3)Red HolzmanWillis Reed[30]
Milwaukee Bucks (1) (1, 1–0)Larry Costello4–0Baltimore Bullets (1) (1, 0–1)Gene ShueLew Alcindor[31]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (14, 6–8)Bill Sharman4–1New York Knicks (2) (5, 1–4)Red HolzmanWilt Chamberlain[32]
Los Angeles Lakers (2) (15, 6–9)1–4New York Knicks (2) (6, 2–4)Willis Reed[33]
Milwaukee Bucks (1) (2, 1–1)Larry Costello3–4Boston Celtics (1) (13, 12–1)Tom HeinsohnJohn Havlicek[34]
Golden State Warriors (1) (6, 3–3)Al Attles4–0Washington Bullets (2) (2, 0–2)K.C. JonesRick Barry[35]
Phoenix Suns (3) (1, 0–1)John MacLeod2–4Boston Celtics (1) (14, 13–1)Tom HeinsohnJo Jo White[36]
[d]Portland Trail Blazers (3) (1, 1–0)Jack Ramsay4–2Philadelphia 76ers (1) (5, 2–3)Gene ShueBill Walton[37]
Seattle SuperSonics (4) (1, 0–1)Lenny Wilkens3–4Washington Bullets (3) (3, 1–2)Dick MottaWes Unseld[38]
Seattle SuperSonics (1) (2, 1–1)4–1Washington Bullets (1) (4, 1–3)Dennis Johnson[39]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (16, 7–9)Paul Westhead4–2Philadelphia 76ers (3) (6, 2–4)Billy CunninghamMagic Johnson[40]
Houston Rockets (6) (1, 0–1)Del Harris2–4Boston Celtics (1) (15, 14–1)Bill FitchCedric Maxwell[41]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (17, 8–9)Pat Riley4–2Philadelphia 76ers (3) (7, 2–5)Billy CunninghamMagic Johnson[42]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (18, 8–10)0–4Philadelphia 76ers (1) (8, 3–5)Moses Malone[43]
[e]Los Angeles Lakers (1) (19, 8–11)3–4Boston Celtics (1) (16, 15–1)K.C. JonesLarry Bird[44]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (20, 9–11)4–2Boston Celtics (1) (17, 15–2)Kareem Abdul-Jabbar[45]
Houston Rockets (2) (2, 0–2)Bill Fitch2–4Boston Celtics (1) (18, 16–2)Larry Bird[46]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (21, 10–11)Pat Riley4–2Boston Celtics (1) (19, 16–3)Magic Johnson[47]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (22, 11–11)4–3Detroit Pistons (2) (3, 0–3)Chuck DalyJames Worthy[48]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (23, 11–12)0–4Detroit Pistons (1) (4, 1–3)Joe Dumars[49]
Portland Trail Blazers (3) (2, 1–1)Rick Adelman1–4Detroit Pistons (1) (5, 2–3)Isiah Thomas[50]
Los Angeles Lakers (3) (24, 11–13)Mike Dunleavy1–4Chicago Bulls (1) (1, 1–0)Phil JacksonMichael Jordan[51]
Portland Trail Blazers (1) (3, 1–2)Rick Adelman2–4Chicago Bulls (1) (2, 2–0)[52]
Phoenix Suns (1) (2, 0–2)Paul Westphal2–4Chicago Bulls (2) (3, 3–0)[53]
Houston Rockets (2) (3, 1–2)Rudy Tomjanovich4–3New York Knicks (2) (7, 2–5)Pat RileyHakeem Olajuwon[54]
Houston Rockets (6) (4, 2–2)4–0Orlando Magic (1) (1, 0–1)Brian Hill[55]
Seattle SuperSonics (1) (3, 1–2)George Karl2–4Chicago Bulls (1) (4, 4–0)Phil JacksonMichael Jordan[56]
Utah Jazz (1) (1, 0–1)Jerry Sloan2–4Chicago Bulls (1) (5, 5–0)[57]
Utah Jazz (1) (2, 0–2)2–4Chicago Bulls (1) (6, 6–0)[58]
[f]San Antonio Spurs (1) (1, 1–0)Gregg Popovich4–1New York Knicks (8) (8, 2–6)Jeff Van GundyTim Duncan[59]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (25, 12–13)Phil Jackson4–2Indiana Pacers (1) (1, 0–1)Larry BirdShaquille O'Neal[60]
Los Angeles Lakers (2) (26, 13–13)4–1Philadelphia 76ers (1) (9, 3–6)Larry Brown[61]
Los Angeles Lakers (3) (27, 14–13)4–0New Jersey Nets (1) (1, 0–1)Byron Scott[62]
San Antonio Spurs (1) (2, 2–0)Gregg Popovich4–2New Jersey Nets (2) (2, 0–2)Tim Duncan[63]
Los Angeles Lakers (2) (28, 14–14)Phil Jackson1–4Detroit Pistons (3) (6, 3–3)Larry BrownChauncey Billups[64]
San Antonio Spurs (2) (3, 3–0)Gregg Popovich4–3Detroit Pistons (2) (7, 3–4)Tim Duncan[65]
Dallas Mavericks (4) (1, 0–1)Avery Johnson2–4Miami Heat (2) (1, 1–0)Pat RileyDwyane Wade[66]
San Antonio Spurs (3) (4, 4–0)Gregg Popovich4–0Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (1, 0–1)Mike BrownTony Parker[67]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (29, 14–15)Phil Jackson2–4Boston Celtics (1) (20, 17–3)Doc RiversPaul Pierce[68]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (30, 15–15)4–1Orlando Magic (3) (2, 0–2)Stan Van GundyKobe Bryant[69]
Los Angeles Lakers (1) (31, 16–15)4–3Boston Celtics (4) (21, 17–4)Doc Rivers[70]
Dallas Mavericks (3) (2, 1–1)Rick Carlisle4–2Miami Heat (2) (2, 1–1)Erik SpoelstraDirk Nowitzki[71]
[g]Oklahoma City Thunder (2) (4, 1–3)Scott Brooks1–4Miami Heat (2) (3, 2–1)LeBron James[72]
San Antonio Spurs (2) (5, 4–1)Gregg Popovich3–4Miami Heat (1) (4, 3–1)[73]
San Antonio Spurs (1) (6, 5–1)4–1Miami Heat (2) (5, 3–2)Kawhi Leonard[74]
Golden State Warriors (1) (7, 4–3)Steve Kerr4–2Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (2, 0–2)David BlattAndre Iguodala[75]
Golden State Warriors (1) (8, 4–4)3–4Cleveland Cavaliers (1) (3, 1–2)Tyronn LueLeBron James[76]
Golden State Warriors (1) (9, 5–4)4–1Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (4, 1–3)Kevin Durant[77]
Golden State Warriors (2) (10, 6–4)4–0Cleveland Cavaliers (4) (5, 1–4)[78]
Golden State Warriors (1) (11, 6–5)2–4Toronto Raptors (2) (1, 1–0)Nick NurseKawhi Leonard[79]
[h]Los Angeles Lakers (1) (32, 17–15)Frank Vogel4–2Miami Heat (5) (6, 3–3)Erik SpoelstraLeBron James[80]
Phoenix Suns (2) (3, 0–3)Monty Williams2–4Milwaukee Bucks (3) (3, 2–1)Mike BudenholzerGiannis Antetokounmpo[81]
Golden State Warriors (3) (12, 7–5)Steve Kerr4–2Boston Celtics (2) (22, 17–5)Ime UdokaStephen Curry[82]
Denver Nuggets (1) (1, 1–0)Michael Malone4–1Miami Heat (8) (7, 3–4)Erik SpoelstraNikola Jokić[83]
Dallas Mavericks (5) (3, 1–2)Jason Kidd1–4Boston Celtics (1) (23, 18–5)Joe MazzullaJaylen Brown[84]
Oklahoma City Thunder (1) (5, 2–3)Mark Daigneault4–3Indiana Pacers (4) (2, 0–2)Rick CarlisleShai Gilgeous-Alexander[85]
San Antonio Spurs (2) (7, 5–1)Mitch Johnson0–0New York Knicks (3) (9, 2–6)Mike Brown

Records by franchise

TeamWinsLossesAppsPctYear(s) wonYear(s) lost
Boston Celtics18523, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,, , , ,
Los Angeles Lakers[i]1715321949, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Golden State Warriors[ii]75121947, , , , , ,1948, , , ,
Chicago Bulls606, , , , ,—
San Antonio Spurs517, , , ,
Philadelphia 76ers[iii]369, ,, , , , ,
Detroit Pistons[iv]347, ,, , ,
Miami Heat347, ,, , ,
New York Knicks269,, , , , ,
Oklahoma City Thunder[v]235,, ,
Houston Rockets224,,
Milwaukee Bucks213,
Cleveland Cavaliers145style="text-align:left"style="text-align:left"|, , ,
Atlanta Hawks[vi]134style="text-align:left"style="text-align:left"|, ,
Washington Wizards[vii]134style="text-align:left"style="text-align:left"|, ,
Portland Trail Blazers123style="text-align:left"style="text-align:left"|,
Dallas Mavericks123style="text-align:left"style="text-align:left" |,
Baltimore Bullets (original) (folded in 1954)1011948—
Sacramento Kings[viii]101style="text-align:left"—
Toronto Raptors101style="text-align:left"—
Denver Nuggets101style="text-align:left"—
Phoenix Suns033—, ,
Utah Jazz022—,
Brooklyn Nets[ix]022—,
Orlando Magic022—,
Indiana Pacers022—,
Chicago Stags (folded in 1950)011—1947
Washington Capitols (folded in 1951)011—1949
Charlotte Hornets——————
Los Angeles Clippers——————
Memphis Grizzlies——————
Minnesota Timberwolves——————
New Orleans Pelicans——————
  1. ^ Includes record as Minneapolis Lakers
  2. ^ Includes record as Philadelphia and San Francisco Warriors
  3. ^ Includes record as Syracuse Nationals
  4. ^ Includes record as Fort Wayne Pistons
  5. ^ Includes record as Seattle SuperSonics
  6. ^ Includes record as St. Louis Hawks
  7. ^ Includes record as Baltimore and Washington Bullets
  8. ^ Includes record as Rochester Royals
  9. ^ Includes record as New York and New Jersey Nets

Consecutive championships

Eight consecutive

Three consecutive

Two consecutive

Frequent matchups

CountMatchupRecordYears
12Boston Celtics vs Minneapolis/Los Angeles LakersCeltics, 9–31959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2008, 2010
6Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ersLakers, 5–11950, 1954, 1980, 1982, 1983, 2001
5Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs New York KnicksLakers, 3–21952, 1953, 1970, 1972, 1973
4Boston Celtics vs St. Louis Hawks (Atlanta Hawks)Celtics, 3–11957, 1958, 1960, 1961
4Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland CavaliersWarriors, 3–12015, 2016, 2017, 2018
3Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles LakersPistons, 2–11988, 1989, 2004
2Seattle SuperSonics (Oklahoma City Thunder) vs Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards)Tied, 1–11978, 1979
2Boston Celtics vs Houston RocketsCeltics, 2–01981, 1986
2Chicago Bulls vs Utah JazzBulls, 2–01997, 1998
2Dallas Mavericks vs Miami HeatTied, 1–12006, 2011
2Miami Heat vs San Antonio SpursTied, 1–12013, 2014
2Boston Celtics vs San Francisco/Golden State WarriorsTied, 1–11964, 2022
2San Antonio Spurs vs New York KnicksSpurs, 1–01999, 2026

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Finals MVP Award was first awarded in 1969.
  2. ^ Minneapolis was the Central Division (now defunct, no relation to the current Central Division) playoff champion, while the Anderson Packers were the Western Division playoff champion.[86] Due to the NBA's realignment into three divisions,[87][88] the team with the best regular season record after the divisional finals advanced automatically to the NBA Finals, while the other two teams faced off in the NBA semifinals to determine the other finalist. Eastern Division playoff champion Syracuse had the best regular season record among the division playoff champions, causing Minneapolis to face Anderson in the NBA semifinals.[86][9]
  3. ^ The trophy was renamed for Walter A. Brown.
  4. ^ The trophy was replaced by a new design.[89][90]
  5. ^ The trophy was renamed for Larry O'Brien.
  6. ^ After a lockout, the season started on February 5, 1999, and all 29 teams played a shortened 50-game regular season schedule.[91]
  7. ^ After a lockout, the season started on December 25, 2011, and all 30 teams played a shortened 66-game regular season schedule.[92][93]
  8. ^ The conclusion of the 2019–20 NBA season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and finished in October 2020 during the bubble tournament.[94]

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