NBA Championships by Team: Celtics Lead With 18, Lakers Have 17
The Celtics have 18 NBA titles and the Lakers have 17. The Warriors, Bulls and Spurs add up to 18 as well, with 7, 6 and 5.
The Knicks joined the Pistons, Heat and 76ers on three titles in June 2026, their first since 1973. Twenty of today’s 30 teams have won at least one. Ten have not.
Which NBA team has the most championships?
Boston leads with 18 titles. Los Angeles is second with 17, and five of those came in Minneapolis.
| Rank | Team | Titles | Finals lost | Title years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 18 | 5 | 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008, 2024 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | 17 | 15 | 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020 |
| 3 | Golden State Warriors | 7 | 5 | 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 |
| 4 | Chicago Bulls | 6 | 0 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| 5 | San Antonio Spurs | 5 | 2 | 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 |
| T6 | Detroit Pistons | 3 | 4 | 1989, 1990, 2004 |
| T6 | Miami Heat | 3 | 4 | 2006, 2012, 2013 |
| T6 | New York Knicks | 3 | 6 | 1970, 1973, 2026 |
| T6 | Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | 6 | 1955, 1967, 1983 |
| T10 | Milwaukee Bucks | 2 | 1 | 1971, 2021 |
| T10 | Houston Rockets | 2 | 2 | 1994, 1995 |
| T10 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | 3 | 1979, 2025 |
| T13 | Denver Nuggets | 1 | 0 | 2023 |
| T13 | Sacramento Kings | 1 | 0 | 1951 |
| T13 | Toronto Raptors | 1 | 0 | 2019 |
| T13 | Dallas Mavericks | 1 | 2 | 2011 |
| T13 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | 2 | 1977 |
| T13 | Atlanta Hawks | 1 | 3 | 1958 |
| T13 | Washington Wizards | 1 | 3 | 1978 |
| T13 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 1 | 4 | 2016 |
| T21 | Charlotte Hornets | 0 | 0 | None |
| T21 | Los Angeles Clippers | 0 | 0 | None |
| T21 | Memphis Grizzlies | 0 | 0 | None |
| T21 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 0 | 0 | None |
| T21 | New Orleans Pelicans | 0 | 0 | None |
| T21 | Brooklyn Nets | 0 | 2 | None |
| T21 | Indiana Pacers | 0 | 2 | None |
| T21 | Orlando Magic | 0 | 2 | None |
| T21 | Utah Jazz | 0 | 2 | None |
| T21 | Phoenix Suns | 0 | 3 | None |
Teams are ranked by titles, then by fewest Finals lost, then A to Z. ABA titles are not counted. Counts run through the 2026 Finals.
Boston won 18 of its 23 Finals, Los Angeles 17 of 32
The Lakers have played in 32 of the 80 Finals, two of every five. They have lost 15, more than any other team. The Bulls are 6 for 6, and the Nuggets, Kings and Raptors are 1 for 1.
Seven teams count titles won under an older name
The Lakers count five titles won in Minneapolis. Six other teams also count titles from an older name or city.
| Team today | Titles | Won under an older name or in another city |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers | 17 | Minneapolis Lakers: 5 (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954) |
| Golden State Warriors | 7 | Philadelphia Warriors: 2 (1947, 1956) |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | Syracuse Nationals: 1 (1955) |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | Seattle SuperSonics: 1 (1979) |
| Sacramento Kings | 1 | Rochester Royals: 1 (1951) |
| Atlanta Hawks | 1 | St. Louis Hawks: 1 (1958) |
| Washington Wizards | 1 | Washington Bullets: 1 (1978) |
Each title is counted for the franchise that plays today.
One more champion is not in the table. The original Baltimore Bullets won the 1948 title and folded in 1954. They are a different team from the Wizards, who later played as the Baltimore Bullets and lost the 1971 Finals.
How many titles has your team won?
Each banner shows one team’s titles. Dashed banners mark the ten teams still waiting. Tap a banner for the team’s title years, Finals lost and biggest rival.
The rafters: one banner for every team
The number on each banner is that team's NBA titles. Tap a banner to open its team card. The dashed banners are the teams still waiting.
Which NBA teams have never won a title?
Ten of today’s 30 teams are still waiting. The Suns have waited longest, with 58 seasons and three lost Finals. Five of the ten have never reached the Finals.
| Team | Joined the NBA | Seasons played | Finals lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Suns | 1968 | 58 | 3 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 1970 | 56 | 0 |
| Utah Jazz | 1974 | 52 | 2 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 1976 | 50 | 2 |
| Indiana Pacers | 1976 | 50 | 2 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 1988 | 38 | 0 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 1989 | 37 | 0 |
| Orlando Magic | 1989 | 37 | 2 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 1995 | 31 | 0 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 2002 | 24 | 0 |
Seasons played runs from each team’s first NBA season through the season that ended with the 2026 Finals.
The Pacers and Nets won ABA titles
The Pacers won three ABA titles, in 1970, 1972 and 1973. The Nets won two, in 1974 and 1976. Both teams joined the NBA in 1976, and the NBA does not count ABA titles.
How long has each team waited for a title?
Slide to any season, or press play. Each bar shows how many years a team had gone without a title by then. Striped bars mark teams that had never won.
The wait clock
Drag the slider to any season. Each bar shows how many years one of today's 30 teams had gone without a title by then. Press play to watch the waits grow and reset.
Years without a title
Longest waits that ended (tap one to see that team the year before it won)
Sacramento has waited 75 years, Atlanta 68
The Kings last won in 1951, as the Rochester Royals. The Hawks last won in 1958, as the St. Louis Hawks. The Trail Blazers (1977), Wizards (1978) and 76ers (1983) have each waited more than 40 years.
Waits that ended: Knicks 53 years, Bucks 50, Thunder 46
The Knicks won in 2026 after 53 years. The Bucks waited from 1971 to 2021 and the Thunder from 1979 to 2025. The Nuggets won their first title in 2023, in their 47th NBA season.
Who has won the most NBA titles in a row?
Boston won eight in a row, from 1959 to 1966. No other team has won more than three in a row.
Each tile is one of the 80 Finals, from 1947 to 2026. The large color is the champion and the small corner is the team it beat. Type your birth year to see who has won since.
The Finals ribbon and time machine
One tile for every NBA Finals since 1947. The big color is the champion. The small corner color is the team it beat. Pick a time window to see who won inside it.
Longest title runs (tap one to jump to it)
Three in a row: the Lakers twice, the Bulls twice
The Lakers won three in a row in 1952 to 1954 and again in 2000 to 2002. The Bulls did it in 1991 to 1993 and 1996 to 1998. Seven teams have won back to back titles at least once.
Eight champions in the last 10 Finals
Eight different teams won the last 10 Finals, from 2017 to 2026. They are the Bucks, Celtics, Knicks, Lakers, Nuggets, Raptors, Thunder and Warriors.
Which two teams have met most often in the Finals?
Pick any two teams to see every Finals they played. The Celtics and Lakers have met 12 times, more than any other pair, and Boston leads 9 to 3.
Head to head in the Finals
Pick any two teams. See who won when they met for the title, the score of every series and the players who won a ring with both.
Famous Finals rivalries
The Lakers and 76ers are next with 6 Finals, then the Lakers and Knicks with 5. Twenty of the 80 Finals went to a seventh game. Nine ended in a four game sweep.
Which players won rings with more than one team?
A line on the circle joins two teams when a player won a ring with both. On our NBA rings list, 45 players won with more than one franchise. Robert Horry won seven rings with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs. LeBron James won four with the Heat, Cavaliers and Lakers.
Who won rings with more than one team
Each dot is a team that has won a title, with the most titles at the top and the rest in order clockwise. A line joins two teams when a player won a ring with both. Tap a team or a line.
Biggest ring swaps (tap one)
The Bulls and Pistons share three ring winners: Dennis Rodman, John Salley and James Edwards. The Bulls and Lakers share three as well: Ron Harper, Horace Grant and John Salley.
More NBA ring lists
Quick answers on NBA titles by team
Which NBA team has the most championships?
The Boston Celtics, with 18. The Los Angeles Lakers have 17, the Warriors have 7, the Bulls have 6 and the Spurs have 5.
How many NBA teams have never won a championship?
Ten of the 30: the Nets, Hornets, Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Pelicans, Magic, Suns and Jazz. Five of them have reached the Finals and lost.
Who won the most recent NBA championship?
The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 4 to 1 in the 2026 Finals. Jalen Brunson was Finals MVP. It was the third Knicks title and the first since 1973.
Which team has lost the most NBA Finals?
The Lakers have lost 15 Finals, far more than any other team. The 76ers and Knicks have lost six each. The Bulls have never lost a Finals.
Do ABA titles count as NBA championships?
No. The Pacers won three ABA titles and the Nets won two. Both teams joined the NBA in 1976 and are still waiting for an NBA title.
For the same story one player at a time, read who has the most rings in NBA history. Individual counts are on the pages for Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Shaq and Kevin Durant. The other league has its own list on WNBA champions by year.
The next update comes when the 2027 Finals end.
Sources
Title counts line up between NBA.com and Basketball-Reference, and the list of all 80 Finals comes from Basketball-Reference.
Last verified: November 2, 2026.
