45) Pittsburgh Ironmen (1946-1947)

1 season; .250 W/L%; 0 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

When the analytical website Five Thirty Eight applied its Elo system to the NBA, the Ironmen franchise’s lone season, ’46-’47, was deemed the worst in league history. Yes, even worse than the 76ers going 9-73 in ’72-’73. As you would expect, that placed them in last place in the ’46-’47 NBA standings and plants the franchise in last here on our list. Owner John Harris nonetheless tried to keep the team afloat, even making the #1 selection in the 1947 draft. But when that draft pick, Clifton McNeely, opted to coach high school ball rather than sign with this team, the writing was on the wall and the Ironmen soon after folded. Only four of the 17 players on the ’46-’47 roster played any NBA basketball beyond that season (the list of one-and-done players includes Pete Maravich’s father, Press). This would turn out to the third of four major basketball teams that failed in Pittsburgh, following in the footsteps of the Raiders and Pirates in the NBL, and preceding the Condors of the ABA. Aside from their ineptitude, the Ironmen are notable as the first to feature siblings on the roster: Roger and Noble Jorgensen.

44) Providence Steam Rollers (1946-1949)

3 seasons; .274 W/L%; 0 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

An original BAA franchise in 1946, the Steam Rollers were respectable in the inaugural season. Led by star point guard Ernie Calverley (the first player to lead the NBA in assists), they finished with a 28-32 record and just missed the playoffs. But coach Robert Morris then left for a job at Brown University and the team embarked on arguably the worst two year stretch of any franchise in NBA history. Their ’47-’48 season started with 18 losses in their first 20 games, included an embarrassing brief stint by the 46-year-old Nat Hickey as a player-coach, and ended with a winning percentage of .125, a record low that stood for 35 years. The Steams Rollers only have the third-worst winning percentage amongst all franchise but they do stand alone as the only team to play in multiple seasons without a playoff appearance. In a final insult to the city of Providence (which has not had a major pro sports team since), owner Louis Pieri folded the anemic franchise in 1949 so he could buy an ownership stake in the Celtics and hire Red Auerbach as head coach, setting up the greatest dynasty in league history.

43) (Original) Denver Nuggets (1949-1950)

1 season; .177 W/L%; 0 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

One of the five NBL franchises that joined the NBA in the 1949 merger only to drop out one year later, the Nuggets had the least successful season of that quintet. They participated in the first post-merger NBA game, a lost to the Blackhawks that portended the remainder of Denver’s season. Sporting the league’s worst defense, they lost their first 15 games, won just one road game all season, and finished 11-51, dead last in the overall standings by a full eight games. They disbanded after the ’49-’50 season and for most players on the team, that was the end of their NBA career. It was an ignominious end to a storied franchise, which had started off as an AAU powerhouse in the ’30s. Though the Nuggets didn’t leave much of an impact on the NBA, they do stand out for two positive reasons: they were the first NBA team west of the Mississippi River (pre-dating the Lakers by a decade) and the first major pro sports team in Denver.

42) Indianapolis Jets (1948-1949)

1 season; .300 W/L%, 0 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

When the NBL and BAA merged in 1949 to form the NBA, there was only room for one team in Indianapolis. One would expect the Jets to be the pick, as they were already established in the BAA. But instead it was the more successful Indianapolis Olympians that were chosen to play in the NBA in ’49-’50, forcing the Jets to fold after just one season. Started by a grocery store owner in 1931 as the Indianapolis Kautskys, they played in the NBL for 16 seasons before joining the BAA in 1948. After a win in their opener against the St. Louis Bombers, the Jets were a disaster, losing 18 of their next 21 games, leading to the firing and trading of player-coach Bruce Hale (later a successful head coach with Miami University and the Oakland Oaks of the ABA, as well as Rick Barry’s father-in-law). Things didn’t improve much from there and the Jets finished 18-42, good for last in the Western Division (though not the worst record in the NBA, thank you Providence Steam Rollers). Not only did the Olympians replace them in the league in 1949, they also took over as tenants at their home court, the legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse.

41) Waterloo Hawks (1949-1950)

1 season; .306 W/L%; 0 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

They weren’t the worst of the five teams that merged into the NBA from the NBL in 1949 and folded a year later, but the Hawks can lay claim as the second worst. With a 19-43 record, they finished ahead of only the Denver Nuggets in the ’49-’50 NBA standings. The Hawks did show some improvement down the stretch of the season, winning in six of their final nine games, thanks to some big performances from their star center Harry Boykoff. But like their counterparts in Sheboygan and Anderson, the Hawks’ far-flung locale sealed their fate. With large market teams like the Knicks and Celtics complaining about having to travel to rural Iowa to play the Hawks, the NBA kicked the team out of the league ahead of the ’50-’51 season. They played one more season in the National Professional Basketball League before folding completely. Waterloo stands as the first and only major pro sports team based in Iowa.

40) Toronto Huskies (1946-1947)

1 season; .367 W/L%; 0 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

Hosts of the first ever NBA game, at the famed Maple Leaf Gardens on November 1, 1946, the Huskies lost to the Knicks, 68-66. They had a chance to tie the game on the last play but Hank Biasatti, a Canadian baseball player that was essentially a stunt signing to pull in fans, fumbled away a turnover in a harbinger of the franchise’s fortunes. Six weeks later, the Huskies had a record of 5-12 and had somehow already cycled through four head coaches. The original coach was Ed Sadowski, who also doubled as their starting center and leading scorer, but he was arrogant and inexperienced and quickly not only fired but also traded to the Cleveland Rebels just to cleanse the locker room. They eventually settled on another stunt coaching hire in Red Rolfe, a former star third baseman for the Yankees, but did improve some late in the season. Attendance was sparse however, especially compared to their fellow tenants the Maple Leafs, who were en route to the ’46-’47 Stanley Cup title, and the Huskies were disbanded by the league after one season. 

39) Detroit Falcons (1946-1947)

1 season; .333 W/L%; 0 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

The city of Detroit is now considered a lynchpin of professional basketball but things were different in 1946. The Falcons were one-and-done after the inaugural BAA season, while the failing Detroit Gems of the NBL were sold to a businessman in Minneapolis, who renamed them the Lakers. The Falcons were somewhat competitive in their lone season, led by star forward Stan Miasek, who was named 1st-Team All-BAA and finished fourth in the league in scoring. But attendance at the famed Detroit Olympia was horrendous, sometimes drawing crowds of less than 1,000 fans to an arena that was regularly packed with thousands more for Red Wings games and boxing matches. Any hopes the Falcons had at reaching the playoffs were dashed in the stretch run of the season, when they lost 14 of their last 18 games to finish with a 20-40 record. Owners Arthur Wirtz and James D. Norris shuttered the franchise after just one season to concentrate instead on their other recent purchase, the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. It would take a decade for Detroit to get another NBA franchise, with the Pistons moving there from Fort Wayne in 1957.

38) Sheboygan Red Skins (1949-1950)

1 season; .355 W/L%, 1 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

One of the premier NBL franchises, the Red Skins played in the championship series five times, winning the title in 1943. But they were in rebuilding mode by the time they merged into the NBA in 1949 and the results reflect it. With a balanced scoring attack, the Red Skins did manage to remain competitive, especially at home, playing in front of small but raucous crowds. They even pulled off an early season upset of George Mikan and the defending champion Lakers but a shaky defense and an inability to contend on the road (they finished 5-26 in road and neutral site games) led to a 22-40 record. Thanks to a quirky, one-year-only divisional alignment, that was actually good enough to get the Red Skins into the postseason, where they almost upset the Indianapolis Olympians in a first round series, losing 2-1 in a best-of-three. Playing in a Wisconsin city that has a population still below 50,000 to this day, the Red Skins were the smallest market team in NBA history.

37) Cleveland Rebels (1946-1947)

1 season; .500 W/L%, 1 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

A quarter century before the Cavaliers took the court for their inaugural season, the Rebels became the first major pro basketball team in Cleveland. Just like the Cavaliers, the Rebels’ all-time greatest star was a “kid from Akron,” Ed Sadowski. After starting the ’46-’47 season as a disappointing player-coach of the Toronto Huskies (see #40 above), Sadowski returned to his native Ohio via trade to the Rebels. A burly bruiser who earned the nickname “Moose,” Sadowski led the Rebels in scoring in a balanced attack that also featured another local hero in Frankie Baumholtz (an All-American at Ohio University) and jump shot innovator Kenny Sailors. Cleveland finished the season 30-30, good for third place in the Western Division and a spot in the playoffs. Their postseason opener was a blowout home win over the Knicks but they dropped the next two games to get eliminated in the best-of-three series. Perhaps things would have gone differently if they still employed the services of Baumholtz, who had left the team in late February to join the Cincinnati Reds for spring training. Despite the team’s moderate success, fans in Cleveland were indifferent and attendance numbers were scarce, once infamously drawing just 132 fans during a snowstorm. Owner Al Sutphin attempted to relocate the franchise to keep it going but ultimately gave up and folded in June of 1947. 

36) Anderson Packers (1949-1950)

1 season; .578 W/L%; 1 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

The greatest of the nine one-and-done NBA franchises, the Packers made the most of their brief opportunity, finishing second in their division and winning two playoff series. Founded in the manufacturing Indiana town of Anderson by a pair of meat packing factory-owning brothers, the Packers started play in the NBL in 1946. They won the league’s final championship in 1949 and were an easy choice to the join the NBA in the subsequent merger. Led by Frankie “Flash” Brian, a 2nd-Team All-NBA selection (and a cousin of Bob Pettit), the Packers finished 37-27 in ’49-’50, just two games out of the Western Division lead. To be fair, they played one of the NBA’s easiest schedules, racking up most of their wins against fellow former NBL franchises like the Sheboygan Red Skins and Waterloo Hawks. But the Packers also split their season series against the Lakers, Knicks, Pistons, and Warriors, then defeated the Blackhawks and Olympians in the postseason to reach the league semifinals, where they were swept in a best-of-two by George Mikan and the Lakers. Though they were successful in the standings, the Packers weren’t much of a draw in their small market and played home games in a high school gym, which drew the ire of visiting teams like the Knicks and Celtics, who forced them out following het ’49-’50 season. One interesting footnote: the Packers’ first head coach was a player-coach named Howie Schultz, who had previously played in the MLB for the Dodgers before getting cut to make room to sign Jackie Robinson.

35) St. Louis Bombers (1946-1950)

4 seasons; .515 W/L%, 3 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

Over the first two seasons of the BAA, the Bombers looked like as successful a franchise as any in the league. Led by 2nd-Team All-BAA selection John Logan, St. Louis finished 38-23 in ’46-’47 and put up a fight against the eventual champion Warriors in the postseason before succumbing. ’47-’48 found the Bombers entering the playoffs as the Western Division champions and gaining a bye to the postseason semifinals. Matching up again against the Warriors, the Bombers held a 3-2 series lead in the best-of-seven but lost the last two games, including a blowout 85-46 defeat at home in the decisive game seven. They seemed primed to continue contending in the newly merged NBA in ’49-’50, thanks to their draft acquisition of local high school and college legend Ed Macauley. But with Logan aging and the rest of the roster mostly mediocre, Macauley could only do so much and the Bombers missed the playoffs entirely in ’49-’50 for the first time. They folded soon after due to financial issues, leaving St. Louis without an NBA franchise for five years until the Hawks moved there in 1955.

34) Indianapolis Olympians (1949-1953)

4 seasons; .491 W/L%; 4 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
5 All-Stars; no MVPs

Technically the first NBA expansion franchise, the Olympians were also the only team ever owned by its players. That would be the “Fabulous Five,” a core group that led Kentucky to the 1948 and 1949 NCAA championships and the U.S. to gold at the 1948 Olympics (the latter accomplishment lending them their name). Their center, literally and figuratively, was Alex Groza, a superstar who arguably joined the NBA as ist second best player behind only George Mikan. Groza finished second in the league in scoring in ’49-’50 and ’50-’51, was 1st-Team All-NBA both times, and part of the inaugural All-Star team in 1951, as a starter alongside teammate Ralph Beard. Unfortunately, both Groza and Beard also had a dark secret: they had been paid $2,000 each to keep a final score close in a 1949 Kentucky win. This came to light as part of the 1951 CCNY point shaving scandal and commissioner Maurice Podoloff banned Groza and Beard for life. The team managed to rally, making further playoff appearances in 1952 and 1953 but couldn’t sustain local interest and folded after just four seasons.

33) Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954)

8 seasons; .351 W/L%; 3 playoffs; 1 NBA Finals; 1 title (1948)
5 All-Stars; no MVPs

How did the Bullets, a team that a year earlier was playing in the American Basketball League (ABL), basically a minor league, come to the BAA and win a championship in their first season? It’s still a mystery almost 75 years later and arguably remains the most shocking upset in NBA Finals history. Led by player-coach Buddy Jeannette and young center Connie Simmons, the Bullets stunned the defending champion Warriors in the championship, clinching the series with a blowout game six win at home. That home was the cramped Baltimore Coliseum, a former roller skating rink with a limited capacity and accommodations that hampered Baltimore’s ability to reach financial success despite their title. They made it back to the playoffs in 1949 and 1953 but were quickly eliminated each time and otherwise languished at the bottom of the standings. On Thanksgiving Day of 1954, their capricious owner (and then coach) Clair Bee folded the team 16 games into the ’54-’55 season. They finished their run as a franchise with 32 consecutive road losses, a record that stood until 1990 (in a possibly apocryphal story, the franchise appropriately ended with a road loss to the Fort Wayne Pistons, followed by the players and coaches skipping out on a hotel bill that were unable to pay). As of now, they are the last major U.S. pro sports franchise to fold after winning a championship.

32) Washington Capitols (1946-1951)

5 seasons; .579 W/L%; 4 playoffs; 1 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

In the three BAA seasons before the merger that re-christened it as the NBA, the Warriors were undoubtedly the best overall franchise but the Capitols were second and had arguably the brightest future. Under their wunderkind head coach and general manager Red Auerbach, the Capitols had the best record in the BAA’s inaugural season, at 49-11, but were upset by the Chicago Stags in the league semifinals. They were in contention again in ’47-’48 and then in ’48-’49 broke through with a BAA Finals appearance, where they put up a fight against George Mikan and the Lakers despite being their best player, Bob Feerick, missing the series with an injury. Looking to strike while the iron was hot, Auerbach demanded that management improve the roster that offseason by signing Black players. When they declined, Auerbach absconded to Duke, eventually resurfacing as coach of the Celtics a year later. In the wake of his departure, the Capitols slumped and folded midway through the ’50-’51 season, despite the presence of star rookie Bill Sharman. In spite of their impasse with Auerbach, Capitols management actually did break the color barrier soon after, when Earl Lloyd first took the court in 1950. They are also still notable as the last of the eight original BAA franchises to fold (following the Rebels, Huskies, Ironnmen, Falcons, Steam Rollers, Bombers, and Stags) and their 15-game win streak to open the ’48-’49 season, setting a record that would stand until 2015.

31) Chicago Stags (1946-1950)

4 seasons; .615 W/L%; 4 playoffs, 1 NBA Finals; 0 titles
0 All-Stars; no MVPs

They may have lasted only four seasons in the NBA but we honor the Stags here as the greatest of the 15 franchises that have folded. Things may have been different if they had won the 1947 BAA Finals as expected. The Stags entered that series as the favorite but couldn’t contain Joe Fulks and were knocked out by the Warriors in five games. Led by a trio of superstars in Max Zaslofsky, Andy Phillip, and Stan Miasek, the Stags remained competitive in the next three seasons but fell just short of a return trip to the NBA Finals each time. They were upset in the league semifinals by the Bullets in 1948, then lost playoff series to George Mikan’s Lakers in 1949 and 1950. Despite being a contending team, playing in the second biggest city inn America, staging home games in a state-of-the-art stadium, the Stags struggled financially and were supposedly kept afloat by the league itself in ’49-’50. Harlem Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein attempted to purchase the franchise in the summer of 1950 but was rebuffed, forcing the Stags to close up shop. Their final transaction as a franchise was to trade for the draft rights to Bob Cousy, who was then re-distributed to the Celtics as part of the dispersal draft just a few weeks later.

30) Memphis Grizzlies (Vancouver Grizzlies) (1995-current)

26 seasons; .426 W/L%; 11 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
7 All-Stars; no MVPs

Despite their 11 playoff appearances, including a run to the Conference Finals in 2013, the Grizzlies come in as our lowest rated active franchise. This is thanks in part to their dreadful early years, with a winning percentage below .300 in each of their first six seasons. Things started to turn around right after they relocated from Vancouver to Memphis in 2001 but when they get bad, they still get really bad, including 60 loss seasons in ’06-’07, ’07-’08, and ’17-’18. Despite numerous star players that have passed through over the years, including each Gasol brother, Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and now Ja Morant, the Grizzlies have had only seven All-Star representatives in 26 years (Marc Gasol three times, Randolph twice, Pau once, and Morant once). The “grit and grind” Grizzlies were a memorable team that reached the postseason seven straight years but could only make the Conference Finals just that once, getting swept by the Spurs in 2013. No Grizzlies player has ever finished higher than eighth in MVP voting (Pau Gasol in ’14-’15) but Morant seems poised to break that drought in the near future.

29) New Orleans Pelicans (New Orleans Hornets) (2002-current)

19 seasons; .461 W/L%; 7 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
18 All-Stars; no MVPs

Technically the newest NBA franchise, the Pelicans managed to avoid last place amongst active ones on our list thanks to two superstars: Chris Paul and Anthony Davis. When the franchise changed its name from the Hornets to the Pelicans in 2013, the NBA officially established their history as starting in 2002, when the Hornets moved from Charlotte to New Orleans (their history previously dated back to the Hornets starting as an expansion franchise in 1988). As such, the Pelicans are not quite yet drinking age and they haven’t accomplished much in their 20 years of existence. Their most successful times mostly came with Paul at point guard, as he led them to a franchise record 56 wins in ’07-’08 and their deepest playoff run, making it to game seven of the Conference Semifinals. They haven’t won 50 games in a season since and have won just one additional playoff series, with Davis leading the way in 2018. Things seemed to be trending up with the drafting of Zion Williamson, who soon after became just the ninth All-Star in franchise history (Davis has the most appearances, with six), but his injury issues have kept the Pelicans out of further playoff contention.

28) Charlotte Hornets (Charlotte Bobcats) (1988-2002, 2004-current)

31 seasons; .440 W/L%; 10 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
14 All-Stars; no MVPs

With their signature teal jerseys and memorable stars like Larry Johnson, Glen Rice, Muggsy Bogues, and Alonzo Mourning, the Hornets were a popular team in their early years. They were also a relatively successful one, reaching the playoffs in just their fifth season and winning 50+ games for the first time in their seventh. But once they’ve reached the playoffs, the Hornets have traditionally lacked sting, getting eliminated in the first round six times and in the Conference Semifinals in their other four appearances. The closest they came to the Conference Finals was 2001, when a Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis led team took the Bucks to seven games in the Conference Semifinals before losing. Similar to the Grizzlies, the Hornets have possessed some star power but never a legitimate MVP contender, though Rice did finish in fifth in voting in ’96-’97. It doesn’t help that the franchise essentially had to start from scratch twice, first as the Hornets in ’88-’89 and again as the Bobcats in ’04-’05. Those 10 seasons as the Bobcats were the true nadir, compiling just a .376 winning percentage and reaching the postseason only twice, both times getting swept in the first round. In fact, the Hornets are now in a stretch of 20 years and counting without a playoff series victory.

27) Minnesota Timberwolves (1989-current)

32 seasons; .398 W/L%; 7 playoffs, 0 NBA Finals, 0 titles
20 All-Stars; MVPs: Kevin Garnett (’03-’04)

Take away Garnett and the Timberwolves are likely the worst current franchise in NBA history. In fact, they may even fall behind some of the defunct ones like the Chicago Stags. That’s how bad the team has been aside from Garnett, who was MVP of the ’03-’04 season and was responsible for literally half of Minnesota’s All-Star representation (10 out of 20 total appearances for the franchise). The team has an overall 2-9 record in playoff series, with both those wins coming in Garnett’s MVP season, when the T-Wolves, also featuring Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, reached the Conference Finals for the first and only time. In the 17 seasons since then, the Timberwolves have just two winning seasons and just one playoff appearance, another first round loss in 2018. There’s a lot of blame to spread around here but it has to be specifically mentioned for about two decades, the Timberwolves had all personnel decisions being made by two of the worst general managers in NBA history, Kevin McHale and David Kahn.

26) Orlando Magic (1989-current)

32 seasons; .468 W/L%; 16 playoffs; 2 NBA Finals; 0 titles
24 All-Stars; no MVPs

Magic history is one of a franchise cultivating young superstars who ultimately fall short in the postseason, then antagonize the fan base on the way out of town. It started with Shaquille O’Neal, whose liaison with Orlando is one of the most polarizing player-fan relationships in NBA history, followed by Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, and, most recently, Dwight Howard. O’Neal and Howard were the real bookends, leading the Magic the NBA Finals in 1995 and 2009 respectively, while finished second in MVP voting. Just right there on the precipice each time, but unable to break through. If you take away those two NBA Finals appearances, and the Conference Finals appearances that immediately followed them (in 1996 and 2010), the Magic have just one playoff series victory (in 2008) and finished .500 or below in 18 of those other 26 seasons. If we made this list 10 seasons ago, the Magic would be higher, but over the past decade they’ve compiled a winning percentage of just .355 and have had just two All-Star appearances, both from Nikola Vucevic.

25) Toronto Raptors (1995-current)

26 seasons; .477 W/L%; 12 playoffs; 1 NBA Finals; 1 title
24 All-Stars; no MVPs

It’s fitting that the Raptors winning the championship was both controversial and fleeting, not that Toronto fans will ever complain. In a 2019 postseason marred by major injuries, the Raptors emerged victorious, led by their mercenary Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who then immediately fled in free agency. The Raptors recovered admirably, reaching the Conference Semifinals in 2020 but slipped out of the playoffs altogether in ’20-’21 as another rebuilding effort got underway. That ended an impressive five year run, with the Raptors winning at least 50 games and at least one playoff series each time. Compare that to their first 18 seasons, with 47 wins as their all-time high and just one total playoff series win. Leonard’s Finals MVP trophy is the franchise’s ultimate award but fans will always place Kyle Lowry on the ultimate pedestal, as the team’s heart-and-soul for 10 years. Raptors history is largely defined by star players passing through town before fleeing Canada acrimoniously, from Vince Carter to Chris Bosh to Leonard.

24) Los Angeles Clippers (Buffalo Braves, San Diego Clippers) (1970-current)

51 seasons; .416 W/L%; 16 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
31 All-Stars; MVPs: Bob McAdoo (’74-’75)

One of just five NBA franchises without a Finals appearance, the Clippers are by far the oldest, with a history now dating back over half a century. Some of their best years came before their late ’70s migration to Southern California, with the Buffalo Braves reaching the Conference Semifinals three straight seasons, led by ’74-’75 league MVP McAdoo. In the ensuing 35 year period, from ’76-’77, their penultimate season as the Braves, through ’10-’11, Blake Griffin’s rookie year, the Clippers had a winning percentage of .354, made just four playoff appearances, won only one playoff series, lost 50+ games 24 times (and 60+ games eight times), and cycled through 22 coaching changes. This era was also marked by numerous potential franchise saviors suffering severe and sometimes odd career ruining injuries, giving creedence to the validity of the “Clippers Curse.” Things finally turned around in the ’10s, with the Clippers jettisoning their loser attitude and their racist owner, Donald Sterling. The team has reached the playoff in nine of the last 10 seasons (after making just seven appearances in the previous 41), finally making it to the Conference Finals in 2021.

23) Brooklyn Nets (New York Nets, New Jersey Nets) (1976-current)

46 seasons; .424 W/L%; 22 playoffs; 2 NBA Finals; 0 titles
27 All-Stars; no MVPs

One of four former ABA franchises that joined the NBA in 1976, the Nets were the most ill prepared for that merger and are not coincidentally the lowest rated on our list. Already in dire straits financially despite being the 1976 ABA champs, the Nets were further hampered by a “location” fine levied on them by the Knicks and forced to subsequently trade away their star Julius Erving to the 76ers. They still managed to build a contender by the early ’80s, based around Buck Williams and Micheal Ray Richardson, but ultimately won just one playoff series in their first 25 years in the NBA. Though their current iteration with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving is arguably their most talented roster, the Nets truly peaked in 2001, when they traded for Jason Kidd and immediately made back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. In between these brief peaks have been some lean years, most notably ’09-’10, when they finished 12-70.

22) Indiana Pacers (1976-current)

46 seasons; .501 W/L%; 27 playoffs; 1 NBA Final; 0 titles
29 All-Stars; no MVPs

They’ve reached at least the Conference Finals eight times and the NBA Finals once in 2000, but the Pacers have rarely seemed like a legitimate title contender in their history. On the flip side, they’ve also never been truly terrible for long, with only truly bad stretch in the early ’80s before they rebuild around Reggie Miller. As such, they’re one of just 14 current franchises with an overall win-loss record above .500. The ’99-’00 team that reached the NBA Finals was a culmination of those Miller years but the best Pacers teams were arguably the mid ’00s teams with Metta World Peace and Jermaine O’Neal that suffered a lost season at their peak in ’04-’05 due to the “Malice at the Palace” and then the teams led by Paul George that almost upset the Heat in the 2013 and 2014 Conference Finals. With three league championships and five ABA Finals appearances, the Pacers were clearly the class of that league but fell well behind the Spurs and Nuggets in the early post-merger years due to bad injury luck and some ill-advised trades.

21) Denver Nuggets (1976-current)

46 seasons; .497 W/L%; 27 playoffs; 0 NBA Finals; 0 titles
37 All-Stars; MVPs: Nikola Jokic (’20-’21)

Maybe it’s that mile high climate or maybe it’s just luck but the Nuggets always seem to peak as high-octane offensive powerhouses that wilt in the playoffs. It started right after the merger, with David Thompson and Dan Issel leading Denver to the Conference Finals in 1978, just their second year in the NBA. Issel later teamed up with Alex English and Calvin Natt on Nuggets teams that shattered offensive records in the ’80s thanks to Doug Moe’s up-tempo strategy and reached the playoffs in nine straight seasons. But they advanced to the Conference Finals just once, losing to the Showtime Lakers in 1985. There were some lean years in the ’90s and ’00s (most of them involving poor showings by Issel as general manager and coach), followed by a revival with Carmelo Anthony. But once again this Nuggets team was ultimately a postseason disappointment, making the playoffs in Anthony’s first 10 seasons but past the first round just once, a Conference Finals loss in 2009, again to the Lakers. Now centered around MVP Nikola Jokic, can this current iteration break through? They made the Conference Finals again in 2020, in “the bubble” but guess who was waiting to defeat them? LeBron James and the Lakers, of course. The Nuggets can take solace in their status as the greatest NBA franchise to never reach an NBA Finals.

20) Dallas Mavericks (1980-current)

41 seasons; .505 W/L%; 23 playoffs; 2 NBA Finals; 1 title (2011)
33 All-Stars; MVPs: Dirk Nowitzki (’06-’07)

In their first 11 seasons after Mark Cuban purchased the franchise from Ross Perot in 2000, the Mavericks made 11 straight playoff appearances, at least the Conference Semifinals seven times, and the NBA Finals twice, capping it off with a championship in 2011. It’s arguable how much credit is due to Cuban and how much of it is attributable to the superstar who fell into his lap, Nowitzki. This wasn’t the first time the Mavericks had an impressive run. They reached the Conference Semifinals in just their fourth season, ’83-’84, kicking off a run of success that ended with a Conference Finals loss in 1988. That team featured a well-balanced roster centered around Derek Harper, Mark Aguirre, and Rolando Blackman, but the Mavericks never had a true superstar until Nowitzki arrived via draft day trade in 1998. He is the only MVP in franchise history and his 14 All-Star appearances are nearly half their all-time total (the next most for a Mavs player is Blackman with four). Consistently one of the worst teams throughout the NBA in the ’90s, the Mavericks only recently pushed their overall winning percentage above .500, thanks to winning seasons in 16 of the last 20 years.

19) Cleveland Cavaliers (1970-current)

51 seasons; .462 W/L%; 22 playoffs; 5 NBA Finals; 1 title (2016)
43 All-Stars; MVPs: LeBron James (’08-’09 and ’09-’10)

In their first 35 years as a franchise, the Cavaliers were a disaster. They had reached the Conference Finals just twice, in 1976 and 1992, and had made just 11 playoff appearances in the other 33 seasons, with 10 of those ending in the first round. Ted Stepien had been such a devastating owner in the late ’70s and early ’80s that the league was forced to step in, remove him, and basically grant the Cavaliers reparations. The team rallied in the late ’80s around a solid core of Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, and Larry Nance, but in classic Cleveland sports fashion, they were undone by bad injury luck and became just a footnote in the emerging legend of an all-time great, Michael Jordan. Then, the “kid from Akron” arrived as a savior and James completely remade this franchise’s trajectory and reputation. In 11 seasons in Cleveland, James was MVP twice, Finals MVP once, led the Cavaliers to the playoffs nine times, the NBA Finals five times, and that vaunted championship in 2016.

18) Washington Wizards (Chicago Zephyrs, Chicago Packers, Baltimore Bullets, Washington Bullets) (1961-current)

60 seasons; .452 W/L%; 30 playoffs; 4 NBA Finals; 1 title (1978)
64 All-Stars; MVPs: Wes Unseld (’68-’69)

Of the 17 NBA franchises that have been around for 50 years or more, the Wizards have the second worst winning percentage, just behind the Kings and only ahead of the Clippers. That’s a surprising number for a team that’s made the playoffs in half the seasons they’ve played but when the Wizards have been bad, they’ve been absolutely dreadful. Even when they were good, the Wizards (who were called the Bullets from 1963 to 1997) weren’t exactly dominant. They’ve won 60 games just once, in ’74-’75, and finished with a winning percentage above .600 just three other times. In their title winning season, ’77-’78, the Bullets finished 44-38 but took advantage of a weak playoff field to break through and take home the championship. Their history also includes 15 seasons with a winning percentage below .350, and a 23 year stretch from 1982 to 2005 where they failed to win a playoff series. Unseld is the franchise’s unquestioned all-time hero, earning both Rookie of the Year and MVP in ’68-’69, then Finals MVP in ’77-’78 (though his later mediocre tenures as coach and a team executive sully that reputation a bit).

17) Sacramento Kings (Rochester Royals, Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City Kings) (1948-current)

73 seasons; .454 W/L%; 29 playoffs; 1 NBA Finals; 1 title (1951)
77 All-Stars; MVPs: Oscar Robertson (’63-’64)

While the NBA is enjoying its diamond celebration now, the Kings will likely mark their own 75th anniversary in ’24-’25 of their one and only championship (unless something miraculous happens with their roster in the next couple years). That title came seven decades and four relocations ago, in their original incarnation as the Rochester Royals. Started in 1923 as a semi-pro company team for the Seagram corporation, they are the oldest of the current NBA franchises. Then based in Rochester, New York, they joined the NBA from the NBL in 1948 and were one of the early dominant teams, battling George Mikan’s Lakers for the West crown yearly and breaking through with a championship in ’50-’51. They remained a contender in the ’60s after their move to Cincinnati, thanks mainly to Robertson’s exploits but the last 50 or so years have been almost continual mediocrity. Here’s a stat for you: since moving from Cincinnati to Kansas City in 1972, the Kings have had five seasons out of 50 with winning percentage above .600, and all five came in a row under coach Rick Adelman from ’00-’01 to ’04-’05. Their current 16 year playoff drought is the longest in NBA history and they recently became the first NBA franchise to lose over 3,100 times. 

16) Utah Jazz (New Orleans Jazz) (1974-current)

47 seasons; .546 W/L%; 30 playoffs; 2 NBA Finals; 0 titles
50 All-Stars; MVPs: Karl Malone (’96-’97 and ’98-’99)

It took the Jazz franchise a full decade to make their playoffs debut. But once they got there, they made quite a habit of it, with 20 straight appearances from ’83-’84 to ’02-’03, when John Stockton retired and Karl Malone left as a free agent. That run doesn’t include any titles, as Utah found themselves up against improbable odds in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals, forced to take on the Bulls dynasty. It was still a far cry from their early days in New Orleans, marked by dire coaching, jejune superstars (like Pete Maravich), and cellar dwelling. In their first 10 seasons, the Jazz failed to finish with a winning record and lost 50+ games six times. In the 37 seasons since, they’ve finished with a winning record 30 times and lost 50+ games just twice, in ’04-’05 and ’14-’15 rebuilding seasons. It’s an incredible run of success for a seemingly small market franchise and a lot of credit is due to their longtime owner, Frank Miller, who built them from the ground up and kept them stable for decades.

15) Miami Heat (1988-current)

33 seasons; .525 W/L%; 22 playoffs; 6 NBA Finals; 3 titles
38 All-Stars; MVPs: LeBron James (’11-’12 and ’12-’13)

Like most expansion franchises, the Heat struggled to contend in their early years. But those trials and tribulations didn’t last long, as Pat Riley arrived in the franchise’s eighth season and transformed them into a model team over the last quarter century and counting. While their late ’80s expansion comrades in Orlando and Charlotte were finding success through the draft, the Heat instead shifted their focus to spending big in free agency and swinging for the fences in trades. It started with Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway in the late ’90s, then crested with Shaquille O’Neal in 2004, and peaked with the coup of Chris Bosh and LeBron James in 2010. It took Miami 18 seasons to make an NBA Finals but they won it in their 2006 debut, becoming the first, and still only, of the post-merger expansion franchises with a championship. When the “Big Three” broke up in the mid ’10s, the Heat didn’t rebuild, they reloaded, almost immediately returning to title contention thanks to Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. The Heat have reached the Finals six times in 33 seasons, an 18% clip that’s third amongst active franchises, trailing only the Lakers and Celtics.

14) Phoenix Suns (1968-current)

53 seasons; .534 W/L%; 30 playoffs; 3 NBA Finals; 0 titles
67 All-Stars; MVPs: Charles Barkley (’92-’93) and Steve Nash (’04-’05 and ’05-’06)

Thanks to their abundant history of All-Stars, MVPs, and near misses in the postseason, the Suns come in as our highest rated team without a championship. They’ve reached the NBA Finals on three occasions, losing each time in a six game series that was closer than it looks, to the Celtics in 1976, to the Bulls in 1993, and to the Bucks in 2021. Along the way, the Suns made two of the savvier trades in league history, bringing in two superstars right as they were reaching their MVP peak: Charles Barkley in 1992 and Steve Nash in 2004. They’ve also had a long history of superstars falling short of their potential, whether due to injuries (Kevin Johnson, Amare Stoudemire), substance abuse (Walter Davis), or suspensions (Connie Hawkins). Can Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton break that curse in the near future? Out of the 17 NBA expansion franchises, the Suns have the most All-Star appearances, with 67 in 53 years.

13) Portland Trail Blazers (1970-current)

51 seasons; .535 W/L%; 37 playoffs; 3 NBA Finals; 1 title (1977)
44 All-Stars; MVPs: Bill Walton (’77-’78)

Only the Lakers, Celtics, and Spurs have made the postseason more often over the last half century than the Trail Blazers, who have 37 appearances in their 51 seasons of existence. The kicker, of course, is that Portland has managed only three NBA Finals appearances over that span and only one title, which came in 1977. Their two all-time biggest superstars both come with a caveat, as league and Finals MVP Bill Walton struggled with injuries and eventual animosity towards the franchise, while Clyde Drexler was overshadowed by his biggest rival, Michael Jordan and only won a championship after getting traded to Houston. Still, the franchise has been a model of consistency, making 20 consecutive playoff appearances at one point, starting in 1983, and developed a rabid fanbase in Portland as the only major pro sports team in town. 

12) Oklahoma City Thunder (Seattle SuperSonics) (1967-current)

54 seasons; .535 W/L%; 32 playoffs; 4 NBA Finals; 1 title (1979)
67 All-Stars; MVPs: Kevin Durant (’13-’14) and Russell Westbrook (’16-’17)

When the NBA allowed the SuperSonics to relocate to Oklahoma City in 2008, it sullied four decades of basketball history in the Emerald City. At least Seattle got to keep the 1979 championship trophy, which can viewed on display at the city’s Museum of History and Industry. Things started off slow for the Sonics, who failed to reach the playoffs in their first seven seasons but turned around in a hurry in the mid ’70s, with a young core of Dennis Johnson, Fred Brown, and Jack Sikma leading the way to back-to-back Finals appearances, culminating in that championship. Save for a couple of rebuilding years, the team stayed consistently competitive all the way through the early ’00s, when they traded away Gary Payton, signaling the end of an era that had included another NBA Finals appearance in 1996. Upon moving to Oklahoma City, the Thunder were consistent title contenders for years and reached the NBA Finals in 2012 but have slipped into mediocrity and an uncertain future after the departures of MVPs Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

11) Atlanta Hawks (Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Milwaukee Hawks, St. Louis Hawks) (1949-current)

72 seasons; .493 W/L%; 47 playoffs; 4 NBA Finals; 1 title (1958)
94 All-Stars; MVPs: Bob Pettit (’55-’56 and ’58-’59)

It’s been over 60 years now since the last NBA Finals appearance for the Hawks, which came when the franchise was based in St. Louis and still refused to sign or draft Black players. Led by two-time league MVP Bob Pettit, the Hawks were a force in the late ’50s and early ’60s, with the unfortunate timing of bumping up against the early days of the Bill Russell Celtics dynasty. They got one title out of it in 1958, un-coincidentally the season that Russell missed the NBA Finals with an ankle injury. The Hawks remained competitive through the ’60s and early ’70s thanks to legendary players like Lenny Wilkens and Lou Hudson but the last half century in Atlanta has been a struggle. The Hawks finally broke a 44 year Conference Final appearance drought in 2014 and made a surprise follow-up appearance in 2021. But their times success always seem to be fleeting and with a built-in ceiling. A .493 winning percentage doesn’t seem impressive but consider that they’ve been active franchise since 1949, when the NBL and BAA merged.

10) Milwaukee Bucks (1968-current)

53 seasons; .523 W/L%; 33 playoffs; 3 NBA Finals; 2 titles (1971 and 2021)
48 All-Stars; MVPs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (’70-’71, ’71-’72, and ’73-’74) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (’18-’19 and ’19-’20)

As evidenced by the stats, it was extremely close between the Bucks and the Rockets right ahead of them. The two have had vastly different trajectories but quite similar overall resumes in the end. For Milwaukee, they became the first NBA expansion franchise to win a championship, doing so in just their third season in the league, ’70-’71. Their ’71-’72 squad was then arguably the greatest ever to not reach the NBA Finals and in 1974 they made a repeat NBA Finals appearance, losing this time to the Celtics. All of this was thanks almost exclusively to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whom the Bucks drafted first overall in 1969. Milwaukee remained competitive for a while after Kareem was traded to the Lakers, making three Conference Finals appearances in the ’80s thanks to innovative offense from coach Don Nelson. But the ’90s, ’00s, and ’10s were largely unkind to the Bucks, who struggled with the limitations of their mid-market franchise status. Things were turned around once again by the draft but this time it was a savvier pick, landing Giannis Antetokounmpo at #15 in 2013. Just a few years ago, the Bucks would likely be outside the top 15 of this list but a few years from now, they made be rising even further as Antekounmpo continues to dominate.

9) Houston Rockets (San Diego Rockets) (1967-current)

54 seasons; .524 W/L%; 34 playoffs; 4 NBA Finals; 2 titles (1994 and 1995)
62 All-Stars; MVPs: Moses Malone (’78-’79 and ’81-’82), Hakeem Olajuwon (’93-’94) and James Harden (’17-’18)

From Elvin Hayes to Moses Malone to Hakeem Olajuwon to Tracy McGrady to James Harden, the Rockets have had plenty of superstars spend their prime with the franchise but only one delivered a title. Make that two titles, with Olajuwon earning Finals MVP in both instances. The 1995 championship was especially satisfying, with the Rockets upsetting four consecutive opponents as a #6 seed and winning a long sought after title for Clyde Drexler. Surprise NBA Finals appearances were nothing new for the Rockets, who also made it in 1981 as a #6 seed and in 1986, when they shocked the Lakers in the Conference Finals. Started in ’67-’68 in San Diego as a direct competitor to newly formed ABA franchises in California, the Rockets relocated to Houston in 1971, becoming the first NBA team in Texas. Their current atrocious state just underscores how good the franchise has always been, as they’re about to finish with 50+ losses in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever.

8) Detroit Pistons (Fort Wayne Pistons) (1948-current)

73 seasons; .480 W/L%; 42 playoffs; 7 NBA Finals; 3 titles (1989, 1990, and 2004)
106 All-Stars; no MVPs

One of three current franchises to join the NBA from the NBL in 1948, the Pistons had humble beginnings as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, playing in high school gyms as a semi-pro team starting in the late ’30s. In a city largely defined by its blue collar ethos, the Pistons are appropriately by far the all-time greatest NBA franchise without a single MVP winner. Sure, they’ve had superstars, from the early days of George Yardley to Bill Lanier and Dave Bing in the ’70s to Isiah Thomas in the “Bad Boy” days to Chauncey Billups in the ’00s. But they’ve typically been the type of players that eschew individual accolades for team success and it shows, as the Pistons’ seven NBA Finals appearances are seventh most all-time. It didn’t always work out so well for the team though, especially in the ’60s and ’70s when a cavalcade of underwhelming coaches led the team to perpetual losing seasons. But from the early days of Thomas and Chuck Daly in the ’80s to the team led by Billups and Ben Wallace that took home the surprise championship in 2004, the Pistons spent a quarter century as a model franchise, building consistent winners through savvy front office decisions and a strong culture steeped in teamwork and labor. Though no Pistons player has ever won MVP, their 106 collective All-Star appearances is the fourth most all-time, behind only the Lakers, Celtics, and 76ers. 

7) New York Knicks (1946-current)

75 seasons; .484 W/L%; 43 playoffs; 8 NBA Finals; 2 titles (1970 and 1973)
97 All-Stars; MVPs: Willis Reed (’69-’70)

Winners of the first ever NBA game in 1946, the Knicks have played in all 75 seasons but managed just two championships. Both of those came in the team’s most memorable era, when Walt Frazier was running the offense, Willis Reed was earning MVP trophies, and the “Garden was Eden” as the expression goes. After a tumultuous ’80s signified by the explosive but oft-injured Bernard King, the Knicks had another golden era in the ’90s but this one was ultimately unfulfilling. Patrick Ewing led the squad to the brink in 1994, losing in game seven of the NBA Finals to the Rockets. They made it back again in 1999, this time with Ewing sidelined with an injury, but once again came up short. Knicks fans bemoaned that squad’s inability to win the title at the time but would likely do anything to return to those halcyon days considering what’s happened in the two decades years since. Under the ownership of James Dolan, the Knicks have managed just three winning seasons in the last 20 years, and just one total playoff series win.

6) San Antonio Spurs (1976-current)

46 seasons; .611 W/L%; 39 playoffs; 6 NBA Finals; 5 titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014)
57 All-Stars; MVPs: David Robinson (’94-’95) and Tim Duncan (’01-’02 and ’02-’03)

Of the former ABA franchises that joined the NBA via merger in 1976, the Spurs had the weakest history of the four in their former league. They never managed to reach the ABA Finals once in 10 years and no Spurs player was ever named ABA MVP. But they were instant contenders in the NBA, reaching the playoffs in their first seven seasons and the Conference Finals in three of those runs. That culture of success was kept up consistently for over a half century, with the Spurs reaching the playoffs 49 times in their first 53 NBA seasons. Thanks to MVPs David Robinson and Tim Duncan, legendary coach Gregg Popovich, and exemplary owner Peter Holt, the Spurs won five championships along the way, establishing themselves as a true dynasty in the ’00s and ’10s. They are the only current franchise with an overall winning percentage above .600, their playoff appearances in 85% of seasons is second behind only the Lakers and their championships won in 10.9% of seasons is third behind the Lakers and Celtics.

5) Chicago Bulls (1966-current)

55 seasons; .511 W/L%; 35 playoffs; 6 NBA Finals; 6 titles (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998)
56 All-Stars; MVPs: Michael Jordan (’87-’88, ’90-’91, ’91-’92, ’95-’96, and ’97-’98) and Derrick Rose (’10-’11)

Befitting of his status as the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan really represents almost the entirety of why the Bulls place so high on this list. No that the Bulls were total slouches before he arrived in Chicago in 1984. In fact, they were successful immediately, reaching the playoffs in eight of their first nine seasons upon joining the NBA in ’66-’67, built around an egalitarian lineup with no singular superstar. Things were obviously different in the ’90s, when the Bulls won six championships in an eight year span thanks to Jordan’s cult of personality. Their play since Jordan’s 1998 retirement has been mostly a struggle, with the zenith being Derrick Rose’s brief brilliance, which was quickly undercut by multiple major injuries. Only the Lakers and Celtics have more championships than Chicago’s six, they’re the only franchise with multiple NBA Finals appearances with a perfect record in the series, and their ’95-’96 team was recently listed by us as the greatest of all time (with four other Bulls teams in the top 25).

4) Golden State Warriors (Philadelphia Warriors, San Francisco Warriors) (1946-current)

75 seasons; .485 W/L%; 35 playoffs; 11 NBA Finals; 6 titles (1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, and 2018)
99 All-Stars; MVPs: Wilt Chamberlain (’59-’60) and Stephen Curry (’14-’15 and ’15-’16)

It’s been an interesting 75 years for the Warriors, with two mini dynasties bookending decades of spotty results. They were the inaugural champions of the NBA, winning the ’46-’47 title thanks to the league’s first superstar, “Jumpin’” Joe Fulks, then won it again in 1956, led by Paul Arizin. Complicated relationships followed with Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry but at the least latter did deliver another championship, in 1975. Then, from the late ’70s to the early ’10s, the Warriors were arguably the worst franchise in the NBA, their ineptitude rivaling even the lowly Clippers and expansion teams like the Grizzlies. They rebuild smartly and patiently in recent years, starting with homegrown talent in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green and then adding in Kevin Durant to lead the franchise to new heights with back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. The Warriors’ 11 NBA Finals appearances are third all time behind only the Celtics and Lakers.

3) Philadelphia 76ers (Syracuse Nationals) (1949-current)

72 seasons; .519 W/L%; 51 playoffs; 9 NBA Finals; 3 titles (1955, 1967, and 1983)
109 All-Stars; MVPs: Wilt Chamberlain (’65-’66, ’66-’67, and ’67-’68), Julius Erving (’80-’81), Moses Malone (’82-’83), and Allen Iverson (’00-’01)

It may seem strange to see the 76ers ahead of the Warriors, Bulls, and Spurs, who have all won more titles, but this is the franchise with more star power than any other aside from the Celtics and Lakers. The 76ers’ 109 All-Stars are third all-time and their four separate MVP winners tie the Lakers and Celtics for the most (consider that they would have had a fifth in Dolph Schayes in their Syracuse Nationals days if the MVP award existed before ’55-’56). The Sixers are also third all-time in total wins, despite playing in less seasons than the Knicks and Warriors, and fourth in NBA Finals appearances. Founded as an NBL franchise in Syracuse, New York in 1946, they joined the NBA via merger in 1949, appeared in the NBA Finals immediately in 1950 and then won their first title in 1955. Upon moving to Philadelphia in 1963, they’re reached seven more Finals and added additional championships in 1967 and 1983. They also produced arguably the two worst seasons in NBA history, losing 73 games in ’72-’73 and 72 games in ’15-’16.

2) Boston Celtics (1946-current)

75 seasons; .590 W/L%; 58 playoffs; 21 NBA Finals; 17 titles (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, and 2008)
149 All-Stars; MVPs: Bob Cousy (’56-’57), Bill Russell (’57-’58, ’60-’61, ’61-’62, ’62-’63, and ’64-’65), Dave Cowens (’72-’73), and Larry Bird (’83-’84, ’84-’85, and ’85-’86)

For the first half century of NBA history, there was no doubt the Celtics were the greatest franchise in the league. After a slow start in the ’40s, the Celtics were supercharged by Bill Russell and Red Auerbach, winning 11 championships in a 13 year stretch starting in 1957. That pace obviously proved unsustainable after Russell’s 1969 retirement but the Celtics still won two more titles in the ’70s and then three in the ’80s. The tragic deaths of draftee Len Bias in 1986 and All-Star Reggie Lewis in 1993 seemed to really shift things. At the time of Auerbach’s passing in 2006, the Celtics were two decades removed from their last NBA Finals appearance, let alone title, but they managed one more soon after with the “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. There’s a reason that so many numbers hang from the rafters at Boston Garden that the team stopped raising the full jersey up there. Their 10 MVP awards are the record, as are their 17 titles (now tied by the Lakers but as any Celtics fan would quickly tell you, five of those Lakers titles came in Minneapolis), and their 17-4 record in NBA Finals is a marvel. Though Boston hasn’t reached the NBA Finals since 2010, they’ve come close numerous times, with Conference Finals losses in 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2020.

1) Los Angeles Lakers (Minneapolis Lakers) (1948-current)

73 seasons; .594 W/L%; 62 playoffs; 32 NBA Finals; 17 titles (1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020)
143 All-Stars; MVPs: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (’75-’76, ’76-’77, and ’79-’80), Magic Johnson (’86-’87, ’88-’89, and ’89-’90), Shaquille O’Neal (’99-’00), and Kobe Bryant (’07-’08)

While the Celtics were easily the most dominant franchise when the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1996, the Lakers have now surpassed them with a further quarter century of success. Purists will bemoan us including their five titles in Minneapolis, won over a six year stretch on the back of George Mikan, but it’s no fault of Lakers’ fans that their team started elsewhere. 32 NBA Finals appearances is by far the record and with their 2020 championship, the Lakers became the first franchise to make Finals appearances in seven different decades and joined the Celtics as the only franchises with championships in five different decades. After losing in eight consecutive NBA Finals appearances between 1959 and 1970, the Lakers have won in 12 of their last 19 trips. Perhaps the Celtics can tip the scales back between now and the 100th anniversary of the NBA but for now, the Lakers reign as kings of the league.