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 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, which has been awarded since 1977 (between 1947 and 1976 the winning team received the Walter A. Brown Trophy).

Champions

The Boston Celtics have won the most championships of any NBA team. Shown are the championship banners hanging in their home arena, TD Garden.

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. As of 2025[update], 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 MVPRef
1947Chicago Stags (1) (1, 0–1)Harold Olsen1–4Philadelphia Warriors (2) (1, 1–0)Eddie Gottliebn/a
1948Baltimore Bullets† (2) (1, 1–0)Buddy Jeannette4–2Philadelphia Warriors (1) (2, 1–1)
1949Minneapolis Lakers (2) (1, 1–0)John Kundla4–2Washington Capitols (1) (1, 0–1)Red Auerbach
1950Minneapolis Lakers (1) (2, 2–0)4–2Syracuse Nationals (1) (1, 0–1)Al Cervi
1951Rochester Royals (2) (1, 1–0)Les Harrison4–3New York Knicks (3) (1, 0–1)Joe Lapchick
1952Minneapolis Lakers (2) (3, 3–0)John Kundla4–3New York Knicks (3) (2, 0–2)
1953Minneapolis Lakers (1) (4, 4–0)4–1New York Knicks (1) (3, 0–3)
1954Minneapolis Lakers (1) (5, 5–0)4–3Syracuse Nationals (1) (2, 0–2)Al Cervi
1955Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (1, 0–1)Charles Eckman3–4Syracuse Nationals (1) (3, 1–2)
1956Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (2, 0–2)1–4Philadelphia Warriors (1) (3, 2–1)George Senesky
1957St. Louis Hawks (1) (1, 0–1)Alex Hannum3–4Boston Celtics (1) (1, 1–0)Red Auerbach
1958St. Louis Hawks (1) (2, 1–1)4–2Boston Celtics (1) (2, 1–1)
1959Minneapolis Lakers (2) (6, 5–1)John Kundla0–4Boston Celtics (1) (3, 2–1)
1960St. Louis Hawks (1) (3, 1–2)Ed Macauley3–4Boston Celtics (1) (4, 3–1)
1961St. Louis Hawks (1) (4, 1–3)Paul Seymour1–4Boston Celtics (1) (5, 4–1)
1962Los Angeles Lakers (1) (7, 5–2)Fred Schaus3–4Boston Celtics (1) (6, 5–1)
1963Los Angeles Lakers (1) (8, 5–3)2–4Boston Celtics (1) (7, 6–1)
1964San Francisco Warriors (1) (4, 2–2)Alex Hannum1–4Boston Celtics (1) (8, 7–1)
1965Los Angeles Lakers (1) (9, 5–4)Fred Schaus1–4Boston Celtics (1) (9, 8–1)
1966Los Angeles Lakers (1) (10, 5–5)3–4Boston Celtics (2) (10, 9–1)
1967San Francisco Warriors (1) (5, 2–3)Bill Sharman2–4Philadelphia 76ers (1) (4, 2–2)Alex Hannum
1968Los Angeles Lakers (2) (11, 5–6)Butch van Breda Kolff2–4Boston Celtics (2) (11, 10–1)Bill Russell
1969Los Angeles Lakers (1) (12, 5–7)3–4Boston Celtics (4) (12, 11–1)Jerry West
1970Los Angeles Lakers (2) (13, 5–8)Joe Mullaney3–4New York Knicks (1) (4, 1–3)Red HolzmanWillis Reed
1971Milwaukee Bucks (1) (1, 1–0)Larry Costello4–0Baltimore Bullets (1) (1, 0–1)Gene ShueLew Alcindor
1972Los Angeles Lakers (1) (14, 6–8)Bill Sharman4–1New York Knicks (2) (5, 1–4)Red HolzmanWilt Chamberlain
1973Los Angeles Lakers (2) (15, 6–9)1–4New York Knicks (2) (6, 2–4)Willis Reed
1974Milwaukee Bucks (1) (2, 1–1)Larry Costello3–4Boston Celtics (1) (13, 12–1)Tom HeinsohnJohn Havlicek
1975Golden State Warriors (1) (6, 3–3)Al Attles4–0Washington Bullets (2) (2, 0–2)K.C. JonesRick Barry
1976Phoenix Suns (3) (1, 0–1)John MacLeod2–4Boston Celtics (1) (14, 13–1)Tom HeinsohnJo Jo White
1977Portland Trail Blazers (3) (1, 1–0)Jack Ramsay4–2Philadelphia 76ers (1) (5, 2–3)Gene ShueBill Walton
1978Seattle SuperSonics (4) (1, 0–1)Lenny Wilkens3–4Washington Bullets (3) (3, 1–2)Dick MottaWes Unseld
1979Seattle SuperSonics (1) (2, 1–1)4–1Washington Bullets (1) (4, 1–3)Dennis Johnson
1980Los Angeles Lakers (1) (16, 7–9)Paul Westhead4–2Philadelphia 76ers (3) (6, 2–4)Billy CunninghamMagic Johnson
1981Houston Rockets (6) (1, 0–1)Del Harris2–4Boston Celtics (1) (15, 14–1)Bill FitchCedric Maxwell
1982Los Angeles Lakers (1) (17, 8–9)Pat Riley4–2Philadelphia 76ers (3) (7, 2–5)Billy CunninghamMagic Johnson
1983Los Angeles Lakers (1) (18, 8–10)0–4Philadelphia 76ers (1) (8, 3–5)Moses Malone
1984Los Angeles Lakers (1) (19, 8–11)3–4Boston Celtics (1) (16, 15–1)K.C. JonesLarry Bird
1985Los Angeles Lakers (1) (20, 9–11)4–2Boston Celtics (1) (17, 15–2)Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1986Houston Rockets (2) (2, 0–2)Bill Fitch2–4Boston Celtics (1) (18, 16–2)Larry Bird
1987Los Angeles Lakers (1) (21, 10–11)Pat Riley4–2Boston Celtics (1) (19, 16–3)Magic Johnson
1988Los Angeles Lakers (1) (22, 11–11)4–3Detroit Pistons (2) (3, 0–3)Chuck DalyJames Worthy
1989Los Angeles Lakers (1) (23, 11–12)0–4Detroit Pistons (1) (4, 1–3)Joe Dumars
1990Portland Trail Blazers (3) (2, 1–1)Rick Adelman1–4Detroit Pistons (1) (5, 2–3)Isiah Thomas
1991Los Angeles Lakers (3) (24, 11–13)Mike Dunleavy1–4Chicago Bulls (1) (1, 1–0)Phil JacksonMichael Jordan
1992Portland Trail Blazers (1) (3, 1–2)Rick Adelman2–4Chicago Bulls (1) (2, 2–0)
1993Phoenix Suns (1) (2, 0–2)Paul Westphal2–4Chicago Bulls (2) (3, 3–0)
1994Houston Rockets (2) (3, 1–2)Rudy Tomjanovich4–3New York Knicks (2) (7, 2–5)Pat RileyHakeem Olajuwon
1995Houston Rockets (6) (4, 2–2)4–0Orlando Magic (1) (1, 0–1)Brian Hill
1996Seattle SuperSonics (1) (3, 1–2)George Karl2–4Chicago Bulls (1) (4, 4–0)Phil JacksonMichael Jordan
1997Utah Jazz (1) (1, 0–1)Jerry Sloan2–4Chicago Bulls (1) (5, 5–0)
1998Utah Jazz (1) (2, 0–2)2–4Chicago Bulls (1) (6, 6–0)
1999San Antonio Spurs (1) (1, 1–0)Gregg Popovich4–1New York Knicks (8) (8, 2–6)Jeff Van GundyTim Duncan
2000Los Angeles Lakers (1) (25, 12–13)Phil Jackson4–2Indiana Pacers (1) (1, 0–1)Larry BirdShaquille O'Neal
2001Los Angeles Lakers (2) (26, 13–13)4–1Philadelphia 76ers (1) (9, 3–6)Larry Brown
2002Los Angeles Lakers (3) (27, 14–13)4–0New Jersey Nets (1) (1, 0–1)Byron Scott
2003San Antonio Spurs (1) (2, 2–0)Gregg Popovich4–2New Jersey Nets (2) (2, 0–2)Tim Duncan
2004Los Angeles Lakers (2) (28, 14–14)Phil Jackson1–4Detroit Pistons (3) (6, 3–3)Larry BrownChauncey Billups
2005San Antonio Spurs (2) (3, 3–0)Gregg Popovich4–3Detroit Pistons (2) (7, 3–4)Tim Duncan
2006Dallas Mavericks (4) (1, 0–1)Avery Johnson2–4Miami Heat (2) (1, 1–0)Pat RileyDwyane Wade
2007San Antonio Spurs (3) (4, 4–0)Gregg Popovich4–0Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (1, 0–1)Mike BrownTony Parker
2008Los Angeles Lakers (1) (29, 14–15)Phil Jackson2–4Boston Celtics (1) (20, 17–3)Doc RiversPaul Pierce
2009Los Angeles Lakers (1) (30, 15–15)4–1Orlando Magic (3) (2, 0–2)Stan Van GundyKobe Bryant
2010Los Angeles Lakers (1) (31, 16–15)4–3Boston Celtics (4) (21, 17–4)Doc Rivers
2011Dallas Mavericks (3) (2, 1–1)Rick Carlisle4–2Miami Heat (2) (2, 1–1)Erik SpoelstraDirk Nowitzki
2012Oklahoma City Thunder (2) (4, 1–3)Scott Brooks1–4Miami Heat (2) (3, 2–1)LeBron James
2013San Antonio Spurs (2) (5, 4–1)Gregg Popovich3–4Miami Heat (1) (4, 3–1)
2014San Antonio Spurs (1) (6, 5–1)4–1Miami Heat (2) (5, 3–2)Kawhi Leonard
2015Golden State Warriors (1) (7, 4–3)Steve Kerr4–2Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (2, 0–2)David BlattAndre Iguodala
2016Golden State Warriors (1) (8, 4–4)3–4Cleveland Cavaliers (1) (3, 1–2)Tyronn LueLeBron James
2017Golden State Warriors (1) (9, 5–4)4–1Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (4, 1–3)Kevin Durant
2018Golden State Warriors (2) (10, 6–4)4–0Cleveland Cavaliers (4) (5, 1–4)
2019Golden State Warriors (1) (11, 6–5)2–4Toronto Raptors (2) (1, 1–0)Nick NurseKawhi Leonard
2020Los Angeles Lakers (1) (32, 17–15)Frank Vogel4–2Miami Heat (5) (6, 3–3)Erik SpoelstraLeBron James
2021Phoenix Suns (2) (3, 0–3)Monty Williams2–4Milwaukee Bucks (3) (3, 2–1)Mike BudenholzerGiannis Antetokounmpo
2022Golden State Warriors (3) (12, 7–5)Steve Kerr4–2Boston Celtics (2) (22, 17–5)Ime UdokaStephen Curry
2023Denver Nuggets (1) (1, 1–0)Michael Malone4–1Miami Heat (8) (7, 3–4)Erik SpoelstraNikola Jokić
2024Dallas Mavericks (5) (3, 1–2)Jason Kidd1–4Boston Celtics (1) (23, 18–5)Joe MazzullaJaylen Brown
2025Oklahoma City Thunder (1) (5, 2–3)Mark Daigneault4–3Indiana Pacers (4) (2, 0–2)Rick CarlisleShai Gilgeous-Alexander

Records by franchise

TeamWin(s)Loss(es)AppsPctYear(s) wonYear(s) lost
Boston Celtics18523.7831957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008, 20241958, 1985, 1987, 2010, 2022
Los Angeles Lakers171532.5311949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 20201959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2004, 2008
Golden State Warriors7512.5831947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 20221948, 1964, 1967, 2016, 2019
Chicago Bulls6061.0001991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998—
San Antonio Spurs516.8331999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 20142013
Philadelphia 76ers369.3331955, 1967, 19831950, 1954, 1977, 1980, 1982, 2001
Detroit Pistons347.4291989, 1990, 20041955, 1956, 1988, 2005
Miami Heat347.4292006, 2012, 20132011, 2014, 2020, 2023
New York Knicks268.2501970, 19731951, 1952, 1953, 1972, 1994, 1999
Oklahoma City Thunder235.4001979, 20251978, 1996, 2012
Houston Rockets224.5001994, 19951981, 1986
Milwaukee Bucks213.6671971, 20211974
Cleveland Cavaliers145.20020162007, 2015, 2017, 2018
Atlanta Hawks134.25019581957, 1960, 1961
Washington Wizards134.25019781971, 1975, 1979
Portland Trail Blazers123.33319771990, 1992
Dallas Mavericks123.33320112006, 2024
Baltimore Bullets (original) (folded in 1954)1011.0001948—
Sacramento Kings1011.0001951—
Toronto Raptors1011.0002019—
Denver Nuggets1011.0002023—
Phoenix Suns033.000—1976, 1993, 2021
Utah Jazz022.000—1997, 1998
Brooklyn Nets022.000—2002, 2003
Orlando Magic022.000—1995, 2009
Indiana Pacers022.000—2000, 2025
Chicago Stags (folded in 1950)011.000—1947
Washington Capitols (folded in 1951)011.000—1949
Charlotte Hornets——————
Los Angeles Clippers——————
Memphis Grizzlies——————
Minnesota Timberwolves——————
New Orleans Pelicans——————

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

See also

Notes

External links

  • . NBA. August 12, 2024. Archived from on August 15, 2024.