List of NBA champions


The NBA Finals is the annual championship series for the National Basketball Association 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, 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, 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.

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., 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
1947Chicago Stags Harold Olsen1–4Philadelphia Warriors Eddie Gottliebn/a
1948Baltimore Bullets Buddy Jeannette4–2Philadelphia Warriors Eddie Gottliebn/a
1949Minneapolis Lakers John Kundla4–2Washington Capitols Red Auerbachn/a
Minneapolis Lakers John Kundla4–2Syracuse Nationals Al Cervin/a
Rochester Royals Les Harrison4–3New York Knicks Joe Lapchickn/a
Minneapolis Lakers John Kundla4–3New York Knicks Joe Lapchickn/a
Minneapolis Lakers John Kundla4–1New York Knicks Joe Lapchickn/a
Minneapolis Lakers John Kundla4–3Syracuse Nationals Al Cervin/a
Fort Wayne Pistons Charles Eckman3–4Syracuse Nationals Al Cervin/a
Fort Wayne Pistons Charles Eckman1–4Philadelphia Warriors George Seneskyn/a
St. Louis Hawks Alex Hannum3–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
St. Louis Hawks Alex Hannum4–2Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
Minneapolis Lakers John Kundla0–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
St. Louis Hawks Ed Macauley3–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
St. Louis Hawks Paul Seymour1–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
Los Angeles Lakers Fred Schaus3–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
Los Angeles Lakers Fred Schaus2–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
San Francisco Warriors Alex Hannum1–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
Los Angeles Lakers Fred Schaus1–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
Los Angeles Lakers Fred Schaus3–4Boston Celtics Red Auerbachn/a
San Francisco Warriors Bill Sharman2–4Philadelphia 76ers Alex Hannumn/a
Los Angeles Lakers Butch van Breda Kolff2–4Boston Celtics Bill Russelln/a
Los Angeles Lakers Butch van Breda Kolff3–4Boston Celtics Bill RussellJerry West
Los Angeles Lakers Joe Mullaney3–4New York Knicks Red HolzmanWillis Reed
Milwaukee Bucks Larry Costello4–0Baltimore Bullets Gene ShueLew Alcindor
Los Angeles Lakers Bill Sharman4–1New York Knicks Red HolzmanWilt Chamberlain
Los Angeles Lakers Bill Sharman1–4New York Knicks Red HolzmanWillis Reed
Milwaukee Bucks Larry Costello3–4Boston Celtics Tom HeinsohnJohn Havlicek
Golden State Warriors Al Attles4–0Washington Bullets K.C. JonesRick Barry
Phoenix Suns John MacLeod2–4Boston Celtics Tom HeinsohnJo Jo White
Portland Trail Blazers Jack Ramsay4–2Philadelphia 76ers Gene ShueBill Walton
Seattle SuperSonics Lenny Wilkens3–4Washington Bullets Dick MottaWes Unseld
Seattle SuperSonics Lenny Wilkens4–1Washington Bullets Dick MottaDennis Johnson
Los Angeles Lakers Paul Westhead4–2Philadelphia 76ers Billy CunninghamMagic Johnson
Houston Rockets Del Harris2–4Boston Celtics Bill FitchCedric Maxwell
Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley4–2Philadelphia 76ers Billy CunninghamMagic Johnson
Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley0–4Philadelphia 76ers Billy CunninghamMoses Malone
Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley3–4Boston Celtics K.C. JonesLarry Bird
Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley4–2Boston Celtics K.C. JonesKareem Abdul-Jabbar
Houston Rockets Bill Fitch2–4Boston Celtics K.C. JonesLarry Bird
Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley4–2Boston Celtics K.C. JonesMagic Johnson
Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley4–3Detroit Pistons Chuck DalyJames Worthy
Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley0–4Detroit Pistons Chuck DalyJoe Dumars
Portland Trail Blazers Rick Adelman1–4Detroit Pistons Chuck DalyIsiah Thomas
Los Angeles Lakers Mike Dunleavy1–4Chicago Bulls Phil JacksonMichael Jordan
Portland Trail Blazers Rick Adelman2–4Chicago Bulls Phil JacksonMichael Jordan
Phoenix Suns Paul Westphal2–4Chicago Bulls Phil JacksonMichael Jordan
Houston Rockets Rudy Tomjanovich4–3New York Knicks Pat RileyHakeem Olajuwon
Houston Rockets Rudy Tomjanovich4–0Orlando Magic Brian HillHakeem Olajuwon
Seattle SuperSonics George Karl2–4Chicago Bulls Phil JacksonMichael Jordan
Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan2–4Chicago Bulls Phil JacksonMichael Jordan
Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan2–4Chicago Bulls Phil JacksonMichael Jordan
San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich4–1New York Knicks Jeff Van GundyTim Duncan
Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson4–2Indiana Pacers Larry BirdShaquille O'Neal
Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson4–1Philadelphia 76ers Larry BrownShaquille O'Neal
Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson4–0New Jersey Nets Byron ScottShaquille O'Neal
San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich4–2New Jersey Nets Byron ScottTim Duncan
Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson1–4Detroit Pistons Larry BrownChauncey Billups
San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich4–3Detroit Pistons Larry BrownTim Duncan
Dallas Mavericks Avery Johnson2–4Miami Heat Pat RileyDwyane Wade
San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich4–0Cleveland Cavaliers Mike BrownTony Parker
Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson2–4Boston Celtics Doc RiversPaul Pierce
Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson4–1Orlando Magic Stan Van GundyKobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson4–3Boston Celtics Doc RiversKobe Bryant
Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle4–2Miami Heat Erik SpoelstraDirk Nowitzki
Oklahoma City Thunder Scott Brooks1–4Miami Heat Erik SpoelstraLeBron James
San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich3–4Miami Heat Erik SpoelstraLeBron James
San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich4–1Miami Heat Erik SpoelstraKawhi Leonard
Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr4–2Cleveland Cavaliers David BlattAndre Iguodala
Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr3–4Cleveland Cavaliers Tyronn LueLeBron James
Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr4–1Cleveland Cavaliers Tyronn LueKevin Durant
Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr4–0Cleveland Cavaliers Tyronn LueKevin Durant
Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr2–4Toronto Raptors Nick NurseKawhi Leonard
Los Angeles Lakers Frank Vogel4–2Miami Heat Erik SpoelstraLeBron James
Phoenix Suns Monty Williams2–4Milwaukee Bucks Mike BudenholzerGiannis Antetokounmpo
Golden State Warriors Steve Kerr4–2Boston Celtics Ime UdokaStephen Curry
Denver Nuggets Michael Malone4–1Miami Heat Erik SpoelstraNikola Jokić
Dallas Mavericks Jason Kidd1–4Boston Celtics Joe MazzullaJaylen Brown
Oklahoma City Thunder Mark Daigneault4–3Indiana Pacers Rick CarlisleShai Gilgeous-Alexander