NBA Championship Winners

larry obrien trophy

NBA Championship Winners List

The NBA Finals decide the winner of the NBA Championship, and is played out between the winners of the Conference Finals (Eastern and Western Conference).

NBA Champions are awarded the Larry O’Brien trophy, which was originally named the BAA/NBA Finals Trophy from 1947 to 1976. The first winners of the NBA Finals Trophy were the Philadelphia Warriors, who beat the Chicago Stags.

The team with the most NBA Championships are the Boston Celtics with 17 (11 out of 13 Finals wins from 1957-1969), the Los Angeles Lakers are close second with 16 Finals wins.

Phil Jackson (The Zen Master) is the most winning-est NBA Coach of all time, with 11 Larry O’Brien Trophies to his name.

Phil Jackson Championship Wins –

  • Chicago Bulls (1991,1992, 1993,1996, 1997,1998)
  • Los Angeles Lakers (2000,2001, 2002,2009, 2010)

The player with the most NBA Finals wins is Bill Russell, a Center with the Boston with 11 (all with Boston Celtics (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969), with Sam Jones close behind with 10 (all with Celtics), as a team mate of Bill Russell’s.

After the completion of the best of 7 games NBA Finals series, the NBA Final’s MVP is named (the best player of the NBA Finals as voted for by a panel of judges), they are also named in the table below.


NBA Finals Winners List

Below is a list of NBA Finals Champions including runners-up, Finals MVP winners and winning coaches.

Year Champion Runners-Up Series MVP Coach
2018 Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 Kevin Durant Steve Kerr
2017 Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 Kevin Durant Steve Kerr
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers Golden State Warriors 4-3 LeBron James Tyronn Lue
2015 Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 Andre Iguodala Steve Kerr
2014 San Antonio Spurs Miami Heat 4-1 Kawhi Leonard Gregg Popovich
2013 Miami Heat San Antonio Spurs 4-3 LeBron James Erik Spoelstra
2012 Miami Heat Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 LeBron James Erik Spoelstra
2011 Dallas Mavericks Miami Heat 4-2 Dirk Nowitzki Rick Carlisle
2010 Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics 4-3 Kobe Bryant Phil Jackson
2009 Los Angeles Lakers Orlando Magic 4-1 Kobe Bryant Phil Jackson
2008 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 Paul Pierce Doc Rivers
2007 San Antonio Spurs Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 Tony Parker Gregg Popovich
2006 Miami Heat Dallas Mavericks 4-2 Dwyane Wade Pat Riley
2005 San Antonio Spurs Detroit Pistons 4-3 Tim Duncan Gregg Popovich
2004 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Chauncey Billups Larry Brown
2003 San Antonio Spurs New Jersey Nets 4-2 Tim Duncan Gregg Popovich
2002 Los Angeles Lakers New Jersey Nets 4-0 Shaquille O’Neal Phil Jackson
2001 Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 Shaquille O’Neal Phil Jackson
2000 Los Angeles Lakers Indiana Pacers 4-2 Shaquille O’Neal Phil Jackson
1999 San Antonio Spurs New York Knicks 4-1 Tim Duncan Gregg Popovich
1998 Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz 4-2 Michael Jordan Phil Jackson
1997 Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz 4-2 Michael Jordan Phil Jackson
1996 Chicago Bulls Seattle SuperSonics 4-2 Michael Jordan Phil Jackson
1995 Houston Rockets Orlando Magic 4-0 Hakeem Olajuwon Rudy Tomjanovich
1994 Houston Rockets New York Knicks 4-3 Hakeem Olajuwon Rudy Tomjanovich
1993 Chicago Bulls Phoenix Suns 4-2 Michael Jordan Phil Jackson
1992 Chicago Bulls Portland Trail Blazers 4-2 Michael Jordan Phil Jackson
1991 Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Michael Jordan Phil Jackson
1990 Detroit Pistons Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 Isiah Thomas Chuck Daly
1989 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 Joe Dumars Chuck Daly
1988 Los Angeles Lakers Detroit Pistons 4-3 James Worthy Pat Riley
1987 Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics 4-2 Magic Johnson Pat Riley
1986 Boston Celtics Houston Rockets 4-2 Larry Bird K.C. Jones
1985 Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics 4-2 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Pat Riley
1984 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Larry Bird K.C. Jones
1983 Philadelphia 76ers Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 Moses Malone Billy Cunningham
1982 Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 Magic Johnson Pat Riley
1981 Boston Celtics Houston Rockets 4-2 Cedric Maxwell Bill Fitch
1980 Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 Magic Johnson Paul Westhead
1979 Seattle SuperSonics Washington Bullets 4-1 Dennis Johnson Lenny Wilkens
1978 Washington Bullets Seattle SuperSonics 4-3 Wes Unseld Dick Motta
1977 Portland Trail Blazers Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 Bill Walton Jack Ramsay
1976 Boston Celtics Phoenix Suns 4-2 Jo Jo White Tom Heinsohn
1975 Golden State Warriors Washington Bullets 4-0 Rick Barry Al Attles
1974 Boston Celtics Milwaukee Bucks 4-3 John Havlicek Tom Heinsohn
1973 New York Knicks Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Willis Reed Red Holzman
1972 Los Angeles Lakers New York Knicks 4-1 Wilt Chamberlain Bill Sharman
1971 Milwaukee Bucks Baltimore Bullets 4-0 Lew Alcindor Larry Costello
1970 New York Knicks Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Willis Reed Red Holtzman
1969 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Jerry West Bill Russell
1968 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 Bill Russell
1967 Philadelphia 76ers San Francisco Warriors 4-2 Alex Hannum
1966 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Red Auerbach
1965 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 Red Auerbach
1964 Boston Celtics San Francisco Warriors 4-1 Red Auerbach
1963 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 Red Auerbach
1962 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers 4-3 Red Auerbach
1961 Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks 4-1 Red Auerbach
1960 Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks 4-3 Red Auerbach
1959 Boston Celtics Minneapolis Lakers 4-0 Red Auerbach
1958 St. Louis Hawks Boston Celtics 4-2 Alex Hannum
1957 Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks 4-3 Red Auerbach
1956 Philadelphia Warriors Fort Wayne Pistons 4-1 George Senesky
1955 Syracuse Nationals Fort Wayne Pistons 4-3 Al Cervi
1954 Minneapolis Lakers Syracuse Nationals 4-3 John Kundla
1953 Minneapolis Lakers New York Knickerbockers 4-1 John Kundla
1952 Minneapolis Lakers New York Knickerbockers 4-3 John Kundla
1951 Rochester Royals New York Knickerbockers 4-3 Les Harrison
1950 Minneapolis Lakers Syracuse Nationals 4-2 John Kundla
1949 Minneapolis Lakers Washington Capitols 4-2 John Kundla
1948 Baltimore Bullets Philadelphia Warriors 4-2 Buddy Jeannette
1947 Philadelphia Warriors Chicago Stags 4-1 Edward Gottlieb

The most NBA Championships – Team

Team W L Last appeared Most recent title
Boston Celtics 17 4 2010 2008
Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers 16 15 2010 2010
Chicago Bulls 6 0 1998 1998
Philadelphia/San Francisco/Golden State Warriors 7 4 2018 2018
San Antonio Spurs 5 1 2014 2014
Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers 3 6 2001 1983
Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons 3 4 2005 2004
Miami Heat 3 2 2014 2013
New York Knicks 2 6 1999 1973
Houston Rockets 2 2 1995 1995
St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks 1 3 1961 1958
Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder 1 3 2012 1979
Baltimore/Washington Bullets/Washington Wizards 1 3 1979 1978
Cleveland Cavaliers 1 3 2017 2016
Portland Trail Blazers 1 2 1992 1977
Dallas Mavericks 1 1 2011 2011
Milwaukee Bucks 1 1 1974 1971
Rochester/Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City-Omaha Kings/Kansas City Kings/Sacramento Kings 1 0 1951 1951
Baltimore Bullets 1 0 1948 1948
New York/New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets 0 2 2003 Nil
Orlando Magic 0 2 2009 Nil
Phoenix Suns 0 2 1993 Nil
New Orleans/Utah Jazz 0 2 1998 Nil
Indiana Pacers 0 1 2000 Nil
Chicago Stags 0 1 1947 Nil
Washington Capitols 0 1 1949 Nil

This list of NBA Finals winners will be updated at the conclusion of each NBA Finals series.

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