List of NBA champions

The National Basketball Association (NBA) (formerly Basketball Association of America (BAA) from 1946–49) Finals is the championship series for the NBA and the conclusion of the sport's postseason. All Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (formerly Divisions before 1970), except in 1950 in which the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions. Prior to 1949, the playoffs were instituted 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.

The home-and-away format in the NBA Finals is in a 2–2–1–1–1 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on their home court in Games 1, 2, 5 and 7). It was previously in a 2–3–2 format (the team with the better regular season record plays on their home court in Games 1, 2, 6 and 7) during 1949, 1953–1955, and 1985–2013,^{[4][5][6][7][8][9]} in a 1–1–1–1–1–1–1 format during 1956 and 1971^[10][11] and in a 1–2–2–1–1 format during 1975 and 1978.^[12][13]

The Eastern Conference/Division leads the Western Conference/Division in series won (37–29). The defunct Central Division won one championship. The Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers alone own almost half of the titles, having won a combined 33 of 68 championships. The current NBA champions are the San Antonio Spurs.

Trophies

The original Walter A. Brown Trophy displayed at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Walter A. Brown Trophy

The trophy was originally referred to as the NBA Finals trophy,^[14] but was renamed in 1964 after Walter A. Brown, the original owner of the Boston Celtics who was instrumental in merging the BAA and the National Basketball League into the NBA in 1949.^[15][16]

The originally designed trophy was awarded to the BAA/NBA champions from 1947 to 1976. The trophy was kept by the winning team for one year and given to the winning team of the following year's finals, unless the previous team won again, much like the NHL's Stanley Cup, which continues that tradition to this day.

A new trophy design was created for the 1977 NBA Finals, although it retained the Walter A. Brown title. Unlike the original championship trophy, the new trophy was given permanently to the winning team and a new one was made every year. It was renamed the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in 1984 to honor former NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien.^[17][18][19]

The inaugural winner of the trophy were the Philadelphia Warriors, who defeated the Chicago Stags.^[20] The Boston Celtics won the trophy 14 times, the most in league history. From 1957 to 1969, they won the NBA Finals 11 out of 13 times, including eight consecutive wins. The final recipient of the trophy was the Philadelphia 76ers, who defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals.

The Championship Trophy showcased at the 2008 NBA Playoffs Symposium in Taiwan

Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy

As mentioned above, the trophy was renamed to the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy in 1984 in honor of Larry O'Brien, who served as the NBA commissioner from 1975 to 1983.^[17] The trophy is made out of 14.5 pounds of sterling silver and vermeil with a 24 karat gold overlay, and stands 2 feet (0.61 m) tall. It is designed to look like a basketball about to enter a net. The year and team names are engraved on the trophies, and are often prominently displayed in the team's arena.^[18][19][21]

The Boston Celtics were the inaugural winner of the renamed trophy in 1984 defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games (4–3) in the 1984 NBA Finals.^[22] The Los Angeles Lakers have won the trophy eight times, and the Chicago Bulls have won it six times.^[23]

Champions

Legend

Bold	Winning team of the NBA Finals
	Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season

BAA champions

NBA champions

Year	Western champion	Result	Eastern champion	Reference
1950	Minneapolis Lakers[lower-alpha 1]	4–2	Syracuse Nationals	[27][28]
1951	Rochester Royals	4–3	New York Knicks	[29]
1952	Minneapolis Lakers	4–3	New York Knicks	[30]
1953	Minneapolis Lakers	4–1	New York Knicks	[31]
1954	Minneapolis Lakers	4–3	Syracuse Nationals	[32]
1955	Fort Wayne Pistons	3–4	Syracuse Nationals	[33]
1956	Fort Wayne Pistons	1–4	Philadelphia Warriors	[34]
1957	St. Louis Hawks	3–4	Boston Celtics	[35]
1958	St. Louis Hawks	4–2	Boston Celtics	[36]
1959	Minneapolis Lakers	0–4	Boston Celtics	[37]
1960	St. Louis Hawks	3–4	Boston Celtics	[38]
1961	St. Louis Hawks	1–4	Boston Celtics	[39]
1962	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	Boston Celtics	[40]
1963	Los Angeles Lakers	2–4	Boston Celtics	[41]
1964[lower-alpha 2]	San Francisco Warriors	1–4	Boston Celtics	[42]
1965	Los Angeles Lakers	1–4	Boston Celtics	[43]
1966	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	Boston Celtics	[44]
1967	San Francisco Warriors	2–4	Philadelphia 76ers	[45]
1968	Los Angeles Lakers	2–4	Boston Celtics	[46]
1969	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	Boston Celtics	[47]
1970	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	New York Knicks	[48]
1971	Milwaukee Bucks	4–0	Baltimore Bullets	[49]
1972	Los Angeles Lakers	4–1	New York Knicks	[50]
1973	Los Angeles Lakers	1–4	New York Knicks	[51]
1974	Milwaukee Bucks	3–4	Boston Celtics	[52]
1975	Golden State Warriors	4–0	Washington Bullets	[53]
1976	Phoenix Suns	2–4	Boston Celtics	[54]
1977[lower-alpha 3]	Portland Trail Blazers	4–2	Philadelphia 76ers	[55]
1978	Seattle SuperSonics	3–4	Washington Bullets	[56]
1979	Seattle SuperSonics	4–1	Washington Bullets	[57]
1980	Los Angeles Lakers	4–2	Philadelphia 76ers	[58]
1981	Houston Rockets	2–4	Boston Celtics	[59]
1982	Los Angeles Lakers	4–2	Philadelphia 76ers	[60]
1983	Los Angeles Lakers	0–4	Philadelphia 76ers	[61]
1984[lower-alpha 4]	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	Boston Celtics	[22]
1985	Los Angeles Lakers	4–2	Boston Celtics	[62]
1986	Houston Rockets	2–4	Boston Celtics	[63]
1987	Los Angeles Lakers	4–2	Boston Celtics	[64]
1988	Los Angeles Lakers	4–3	Detroit Pistons	[65]
1989	Los Angeles Lakers	0–4	Detroit Pistons	[66]
1990	Portland Trail Blazers	1–4	Detroit Pistons	[67]
1991	Los Angeles Lakers	1–4	Chicago Bulls	[68]
1992	Portland Trail Blazers	2–4	Chicago Bulls	[69]
1993	Phoenix Suns	2–4	Chicago Bulls	[70]
1994	Houston Rockets	4–3	New York Knicks	[71]
1995	Houston Rockets	4–0	Orlando Magic	[72]
1996	Seattle SuperSonics	2–4	Chicago Bulls	[73]
1997	Utah Jazz	2–4	Chicago Bulls	[74]
1998	Utah Jazz	2–4	Chicago Bulls	[75]
1999[lower-alpha 5]	San Antonio Spurs	4–1	New York Knicks	[77]
2000	Los Angeles Lakers	4–2	Indiana Pacers	[78]
2001	Los Angeles Lakers	4–1	Philadelphia 76ers	[79]
2002	Los Angeles Lakers	4–0	New Jersey Nets	[80]
2003	San Antonio Spurs	4–2	New Jersey Nets	[81]
2004	Los Angeles Lakers	1–4	Detroit Pistons	[82]
2005	San Antonio Spurs	4–3	Detroit Pistons	[83]
2006	Dallas Mavericks	2–4	Miami Heat	[84]
2007	San Antonio Spurs	4–0	Cleveland Cavaliers	[85]
2008	Los Angeles Lakers	2–4	Boston Celtics	[86]
2009	Los Angeles Lakers	4–1	Orlando Magic	[87]
2010	Los Angeles Lakers	4–3	Boston Celtics	[88]
2011	Dallas Mavericks	4–2	Miami Heat	[89]
2012[lower-alpha 6]	Oklahoma City Thunder	1–4	Miami Heat	[92]
2013	San Antonio Spurs	3–4	Miami Heat	[93]
2014	San Antonio Spurs	4–1	Miami Heat	[94]

Results by teams

Notes

See also

• NBA Playoffs
• Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
• List of NBA Development League champions
• List of NBA championship head coaches
• List of NBA players with most championships

References

External links

• NBA.com: List of champions

NBA Finals Champions O'Brien Trophy Most Valuable Player Award Brown Trophy Championship ring Greatest Game Ever Played Game 6 of 1998 Finals Broadcasters Game sevens Droughts Streaks 1940s 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014