1) ’69-’70 Knicks (23 years)
2) ’25-’26 Knicks (52 years)
They were a charter member of the inaugural ’46-’47 NBA season but seven other franchises won a championship before the Knicks. That included five that joined the league later on and one that soon after folded. The Knicks finally broke their drought in 1970, spurred by a gutsy performance from Willis Reed to the first championship in franchise history. They added another title three years later, then embarked on a half century of heartbreak. A game seven NBA Finals loss in 1994 probably felt like the ultimate gut punch for Knicks fans but was nothing compared to seeing their team win just one playoff series in the first 20 years of the 21st century. It would take another unyielding, tough-as-nails star to pull the Knicks out of their rut and he arrived as a free agent in 2022. Jalen Brunson instantly revitalized the dormant, iconic franchise, culminating in a near miraculous run to championship glory in 2026, ending over a half century of disappointment.
3) ’14-’15 Warriors (39 years)
They were the first NBA champions in 1947 (then located in Philadelphia), won it all again in 1956, then stayed in relatively consistent contention up through their first title as a California-based team in 1975. Warriors fans would probably prefer to just forget the next four decades after that. Especially the ’90s and ’00s, when the once proud franchise became the laughingstock of the NBA. When Stephen Curry led Golden State to to the Conference Semifinals in 2013, it was just their second playoff series appearance in 19 years. You can forgive Warriors fans for thinking that was just a fluke but instead it turned out to be the beginnings of a budding dynasty, built around Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and head coach Steve Kerr. It kicked into gear in 2015, with Andre Iguodala earning Finals MVP as the Warriors defeated the Cavs, earning their first NBA title in 39 years.
4) ’90-’91 Bulls (34 years)
The third time was the charm for the NBA in Chicago, with the Bulls becoming a league fixture after the Stags had folded and the Zephyrs had relocated. The expansion franchise started strong out of the gate in ’66-’67, making the playoffs in eight of their first nine seasons. They stalled from there, cycling through a bevy of coaches and washed-up talent for about a decade until Michael Jordan fell into their laps (thank you Nets). ’90-’91 was not just a title season for the Bulls but also catharsis. After years of playoff denial from the Pistons, Jordan got his revenge with a Conference Finals sweep. The Bulls followed it up with an NBA Finals win over the vaunted Lakers, bringing home a championship that was 34 years in the making for Chicago fans. The Bulls went on to dominate the ’90s with five more titles but are now on another extended streak, coming up on three decades since their last championship.
5) ’20-’21 Bucks (39 years)
Only one NBA franchise can lay claim to landing one of the 10 greatest players of all time just one year into their existence. That would be the Bucks and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, their #1 overall pick in 1969. Maybe it was penance then that placed the Bucks in a prolonged drought following Abdul-Jabbar’s 1975 departure to the Lakers, after he led the Bucks to a championship in ’70-’71. Milwaukee had a great run in the ’80s under Don Nelson but also the unfortunate circumstances of coinciding with two of the greatest teams in league history in the 76ers and Celtics. A return trip to the NBA Finals then felt inconceivable for basically the next 30 years. Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the way, the Bucks had disappointing early playoff exits in 2019 and 2020. But everything fell into place in 2021 and for the first time in 39 years, Milwaukee fans were celebrating a pro sports title.
6) ’88-’89 Pistons (40 years)
In their early days in Fort Wayne, the Pistons were racking up championships. They took the National Basketball League (NBL) twice and won the World Professional Basketball Tournament three times. But after joining the NBA in 1948, it took 40 years for a trophy to be earned. That included some sallow periods, especially in the ’70s, when nine coaches came and went during the decade while franchise legends Dave Bing and Bob Lanier failed to even reach a Conference Finals. The ’80s were a different story. Jack McCloskey took over as GM, Chuck Daly as coach, and Isiah Thomas as floor general, and the “Bad Boys” era was born. The Pistons won their first championship in franchise history in 1989, ending 40 years of futility, then added a second straight title in 1990 for good measure. Winning a first title in their 41st season was the all-time NBA record until the Nuggets broke it in 2023.
7) ’24-’25 Thunder (34 years)
This one depends on your feelings about the Thunder being a continuation of the Seattle SuperSonics. It’s unclear what the NBA will do with historical records if/when Seattle gets an expansion franchise. For now though, the Thunder’s 2025 title technically counts as the first in franchise history since the Sonics won it all in 1979. Unlike that ’78-’79 Sonics team that lacked superstars and won just 52 games, the ’24-’25 Thunder were a juggernaut. Led by league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City crushed the competition en route to a 68-14 record, then surviving a surprisingly tough test from the Pacers in the NBA Finals. One thing the Sonics and Thunder title teams have in common is having their repeat attempt ended by a Conference Finals loss to a young team built around a unique superstar, Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs, respectively.
Dust bowls: Longest current NBA title droughts (as of 2026)
| Sacramento Kings: 75 years Three score, 15 years, and three relocations ago, the Rochester Royals were champions of the ’50-’51 season and the franchise has not since returned to the NBA Finals; most recently reached the Conference Finals in 2002 | |
| Atlanta Hawks: 68 years: Led by Bob Pettit, the St. Louis Hawks upset the Celtics in the 1958 NBA Finals (with an assist from Bill Russell being injured) and made two early ’60s return trips but have not been back since their 1968 move to Atlanta | |
| Phoenix Suns: 57 years They’re the oldest NBA franchise without a championship, hold the record for longest drought for a team while remaining in one city, and have the most NBA Finals losses with a title, with three (1976, 1993, 2021) | |
| Los Angeles Clippers: 55 years Founded as the Buffalo Braves in 1970, the Clippers are by far the oldest NBA franchise without an NBA Finals appearance (18 years ahead of the Hornets) and didn’t make their Conference Finals debut until 2021 | |
| Utah Jazz: 51 years While back-to-back NBA Finals appearances came up short for the Jazz in 1997 and 1998, Salt Lake City has hosted a major basketball champion, with the Utah Stars winning the ’70-’71 ABA title | |
| Brooklyn Nets: 49 years The Nets won two of the last three ABA titles then struggled for decades post-merger; along with the Jazz, they’re one of two franchises to make back-to-back NBA Finals but never win a title | |
| Indiana Pacers: 49 years No one won more ABA titles than the Pacers’ three but they’re now coming up on 50 years of NBA futility; they’re the only title-less franchise to push an NBA Finals to the full seven games (in 2025) | |
| Portland Trail Blazers: 49 years As the Trail Blazers prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their 1977 NBA Finals victory, the team seems as far away as ever from repeating the feat | |
| Washington Wizards: 48 years It feels like a minor miracle in retrospect that the Wizards (then Bullets) were a dominant force during the ’70s, culminating in their 1978 title; the franchise has been in seemingly constant dire straits ever since | |
| Philadelphia 76ers: 43 years 16 years between titles seemed like a long time when the 76ers won it all in 1983, now it’s been 43 years and counting with just one Finals appearance (in 2001) to show for it | |
| Charlotte Hornets: 37 years It was a little confusing in the ’10s when the Hornets became the Pelicans and Bobcats the Hornets but one non-concern was a championship banner, as neither franchise has yet to even reach the Conference Finals | |
| Orlando Magic: 36 years: They were the first Florida team to ever reach an NBA Finals in 1995 but while their in-state rivals the Heat have since won three titles, the Magic have mustered only one more Finals loss in 2009 | |
| Minnesota Timberwolves: 36 years While the Timberwolves have failed to reach the NBA Finals since joining the league in 1988, older Minneapolis basketball fans did get to witness the Lakers win five titles in the late ’40s and early ’50s |
8) ’98-’99 Spurs (22 years)
9) ’22-’23 Nuggets (45 years)
In just their second season after merging from the ABA to the NBA, the Nuggets reached the 1978 Western Conference Finals, losing in six games to the SuperSonics. Fellow former ABA franchise the Spurs did them one better a year later, coming within one win of an NBA Finals debut but ultimately blowing a 3-1 Conference Finals lead against the Bullets. That’s about as close as any former ABA team got until the Spurs finally broke through 20 years later, winning the 1999 NBA title. The Pacers and Nets soon followed with Finals appearances of their own but the Nuggets entered their 45th NBA season as the second oldest franchise to not yet reach the NBA Finals (behind only the Clippers). Thanks to the Herculean efforts of Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets followed the Spurs lead in winning a title in their NBA Finals debut, defeating the Heat in 2023. Their 45 year wait before a championship broke the league record previously held by the Pistons.
10) ’18-’19 Raptors (22 years)
The Raptors have long shared an arena with the Toronto Maple Leafs and their 13 Stanley Cup banners. But it’s been 60 seasons and counting since the last Leafs title, while the ’18-’19 Raptors delivered the first by a Canadian team in any major U.S. sport since 1993 (yes, that includes the NHL). As you would expect, this created a national fervor around the team normally cheered on by fans in and around Toronto. Dating back to their charter season in ’95-’96, it took the Raptors 20 years to reach a Conference Finals but only two more to add on a championship. Kawhi Leonard then departed about as quickly as he arrived and the Raptors have remained competitive but far from title contention ever since. As fans all across the Great White North celebrated, the 22 year drought ending must have seemed downright cruel to much older, still title-less franchises like the Suns, Pacers, Clippers, and Jazz.
11) ’94-’95 Rockets (36 years)
In the early ’60s, the city of Houston received its first major sports franchises, the Astros of the MLB and the Oilers of the NFL. The Rockets followed soon after, relocating to the Texan locale after starting play in San Diego. Then… well, not much happened. The Astros and Oilers had some exciting players and teams over the years but neither ever made the final round of their respective playoffs during the 21st century (the Oilers relocated to Nashville in 1997). Pressure was therefore on the Rockets, who made surprise NBA Finals appearances in 1981 and 1986. Led by Hakeem Olajuwon, they put it all together in ’93-’94, winning the city’s first major championship. Their 36-year wait for an initial title trails only the Nuggets and Pistons as lengthiest in NBA history. They also join the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Pistons as the only franchises to lose in multiple Finals before winning their first title.
12) ’07-’08 Celtics (22 years)
A 22-year wait for a title probably sounds like an oasis in the desert to most NBA fan bases. But this it not your normal fan base and certainly not your normal franchise. After winning the NBA Finals in ’56-’57, their 11th season of existence, it took until 1997 for Celtics fans to again have waited over a decade to see a championship. That delay then lasted another 10 seasons until it was finally broken by the “Big Three” of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce in 2008. In that 22-year stretch, the Boston Red Sox had broken their own 86-year curse and won two World Series, while the New England Patriots had captured three Super Bowls. For the record, the longest the Lakers have ever gone between titles is 18 years, between 1954 and 1972. Meanwhile, the East rival 76ers are currently mired in a 43-year championship drought and counting.
13) ’10-’11 Mavericks (29 years)
You can’t fault Mavericks fans for assuming their title-contending window was closed by 2010. Dirk Nowitzki was now on the wrong side of 30, the supporting cast lacked star power, and that 2006 NBA Finals loss to the Heat was looking like the pinnacle of this era. Three shocking playoff upsets later, culminating in a Finals stunner over the seemingly unbeatable Heat, the Mavericks were instead closing the book on 29 years of futility. Chartered in the ’80-’81 season, the Mavs had some early success that peaked with a Conference Finals appearance in 1988. The franchise then entered a prolonged slump until Mark Cuban purchased the squad in 2000 and started investing heavily around a budding superstar in Nowitzki. The pay off took longer than expected but was all the sweeter for Dallas fans, over 200,000 of which lined the city’s streets for the ensuing championship parade.
14) ’15-’16 Cavaliers (34 years)
Not so fun fact: Anyone under the age of 52 who celebrated the Cavaliers’ 2016 championship was not yet alive the last time a major Cleveland pro sports team won a title. It dated back to the Browns winning the NFL title in 1964, before there was even a Super Bowl. Over the years, Cleveland teams became more well known as the playoff victims of legends’ signature moments, from John Elway to Tom Glavine to Michael Jordan. This made LeBron James’ 2010 free agency departure a full-on gut punch for Cleveland sports fans, as he seemed to represent the city’s one and only remaining chance to finally break the curse. It was only appropriate that the Cavaliers then pulled off the feat under extraordinary circumstances. James made a surprise 2014 return to lead the squad in overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 Finals against one of the greatest teams of all time. It’s been a decade now of basking in that championship glow and will likely have to last much longer, with the Browns now 62 years removed from that last title while the Guardians haven’t won a World Series since 1948.
Next up in Droughts and Streaks
Early summer vacation: 25 greatest players without an NBA postseason appearance
Instant gratification: Eight teams that ended playoff droughts with NBA Finals appearances
Dance card unpunched: 24 notable programs without an NCAA Tournament appearance in the modern era
Hardwood ceiling: 25 memorable team eras that didn’t include an NBA Finals appearance
Bone dry: 15 all-time longest NBA franchise playoff droughts
