Northwest Division (NBA)


The Northwest Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association. The division consists of five teams: the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz. The Northwest Division is by far the most geographically expansive of the six divisions, and is geographically similar to the Northwest Division in the National Hockey League which predated the NBA's by six years before it was dissolved in.
The division was created at the start of the 2004–05 season, when the league expanded from 29 to 30 teams with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats. In doing so, the league realigned itself from two divisions in each conference to three divisions in each conference. The Northwest Division began with five inaugural members: the Nuggets, the Timberwolves, the Trail Blazers, the SuperSonics and the Jazz. The Trail Blazers and SuperSonics joined from the Pacific Division, while the Nuggets, the Timberwolves and Jazz joined from the now-defunct Midwest Division. The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City prior to the 2008–09 season and became the Thunder, but remained in the Northwest Division. Other than this franchise re-location, the division's membership has remained unchanged since its creation.
The most recent division champions are the Oklahoma City Thunder, having won an eighth division championship in the 2024–25 NBA season. The SuperSonics-Thunder franchise has won the most Northwest Division titles with eight, while the Nuggets have won six, the Jazz have won five, the Trail Blazers have won two, and the Timberwolves have never won the Northwest Division title. In the 2009–10 season, all four teams that qualified for the playoffs each had more than 50 wins, and in 2018–19 all four teams that qualified for the playoffs had at least 49 wins.
Since the 2021–22 season, the Northwest Division champion has received the Sam Jones Trophy, named after Hall of Famer Sam Jones, who notably spent his career playing for the Boston Celtics and did not play for a team currently in the division, though he was assistant coach for the Jazz during their first NBA season in 1974–75 when they were based in New Orleans.

2025–26 standings

Notes

Sam Jones Trophy

Beginning with the 2021–22 season, the Northwest Division champion has received the Sam Jones Trophy. As with the other division championship trophies, it is named after one of the African American pioneers from NBA history. During his playing career from 1957 to 1969, Sam Jones was an integral part of a Boston Celtics dynasty that won 10 NBA championships during that span. The Jones Trophy consists of a crystal ball.

Division champions

SeasonTeamRecordPlayoffs result
Seattle SuperSonics 52–30 Lost conference semifinals
Denver Nuggets 44–38 Lost First round
Utah Jazz 51–31 Lost conference finals
Utah Jazz 54–28 Lost conference semifinals
Denver Nuggets 54–28 Lost conference finals
Denver Nuggets 53–29 Lost First round
Oklahoma City Thunder 55–27 Lost conference finals
Oklahoma City Thunder 47–19 Lost NBA Finals
Oklahoma City Thunder 60–22 Lost conference semifinals
Oklahoma City Thunder 59–23 Lost conference finals
Portland Trail Blazers 51–31 Lost First round
Oklahoma City Thunder 55–27 Lost conference finals
Utah Jazz 51–31 Lost conference semifinals
Portland Trail Blazers 49–33 Lost First round
Denver Nuggets 54–28 Lost conference semifinals
Denver Nuggets 46–27 Lost conference finals
Utah Jazz^ 52–20 Lost conference semifinals
Utah Jazz 49–33 Lost First round
Denver Nuggets 53–29 Won NBA Finals
Oklahoma City Thunder 57–25 Lost conference semifinals
Oklahoma City Thunder^ 68–14 Won NBA Finals

Titles by team

Season results

†Denotes team that did not qualify for the 2020 NBA Bubble season restart