List of NBA teams with the most championships

The Chicago Bulls have won the third most NBA championships with six. All six championships came while Michael Jordan was playing for the Bulls.I think most NBA fans will concede the fact that the Chicago Bulls six NBA titles came because Michael Jordan was playing for the team. The Bulls six championships were won from 1991 to 1993, and from 1996 to 1998.Michael Jordan was the NBA Finals MVP for all six of the Chicago Bulls NBA titles. The Bulls would likely have won a few more titles too, had Michael Jordan not taken a few years off during his playing career.The Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers franchise has won the second most NBA titles with 16. That is right behind the Boston Celtics. The Lakers franchise began playing in the NBA (BAA technically) in 1947.The Lakers won their first title in 1949, and liked it so much they came back to win again in 1950. The team then won three straight titles from 1952 to 1954. All five of those titles came while the franchise played in Minneapolis.After to moving to Los Angeles in 1960, the Los Angeles Lakers have since won 11 more NBA championships. The LA Lakers won titles in 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000-2002, 2009, and 2010.The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships in the history of the league with 17. The Celtics were a founding member of the NBA, and its predecessor the BAA, which was formed in 1946.The Boston Celtics won their first NBA title in 1957. The Celtics then rolled through the NBA like a hot knife through butter, winning eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. After not winning in 1967, the Boston Celtics then won two more consecutive titles in 1968 and 1969.The Celtics then won their remaining championships in 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, and 2008. That is an incredible run of NBA championships, matched only in sports by the New York Yankees in baseball, and the next franchise in basketball.View the list ยป
NBA championship trophy - Larry OBrien Trophy

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The NBA first came into existence in 1947, but was originally known as the BAA. The BAA officially turned into the NBA in 1949 when it merged with the NBL, but the NBA recognizes all stats and records from the BAA.

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So the NBA considers itself to have been in existence from the 1946 season on. This is a list of the ten teams in NBA history who have won the most championships.

NBA franchises with the most championships

By teams, I'm really talking about franchises. As you will see in the list, many of the teams that have won the most championships in NBA history have won titles while playing in different cities. In all instances except for one, the teams nickname has always remained the same, but the city where they played when they won championships has sometimes changed.

Two NBA franchises have won 33 titles combined which is equal to all other existing NBA franchises

As fans of the NBA well know, the league has really been dominated by two elite franchises over the years. Combined, the first two franchises on the list have won 33 NBA championships, which is more titles than all the other teams on the list combined have.

Thirteen current franchises have yet to win a NBA championship

As a matter of fact, the top two teams on the list have won just as many NBA titles as have all the other teams in the NBA. To date, their are 13 NBA franchises in existence today that have yet to win a NBA championship.

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  • The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships in the history of the league with 17. The Celtics were a founding member of the NBA, and its predecessor the BAA, which was formed in 1946.The Boston Celtics won their first NBA title in 1957. The Celtics then rolled through the NBA like a hot knife through butter, winning eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966. After not winning in 1967, the Boston Celtics then won two more consecutive titles in 1968 and 1969.The Celtics then won their remaining championships in 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, and 2008. That is an incredible run of NBA championships, matched only in sports by the New York Yankees in baseball, and the next franchise in basketball.
  • The Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers franchise has won the second most NBA titles with 16. That is right behind the Boston Celtics. The Lakers franchise began playing in the NBA (BAA technically) in 1947.The Lakers won their first title in 1949, and liked it so much they came back to win again in 1950. The team then won three straight titles from 1952 to 1954. All five of those titles came while the franchise played in Minneapolis.After to moving to Los Angeles in 1960, the Los Angeles Lakers have since won 11 more NBA championships. The LA Lakers won titles in 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000-2002, 2009, and 2010.
  • The Chicago Bulls have won the third most NBA championships with six. All six championships came while Michael Jordan was playing for the Bulls.I think most NBA fans will concede the fact that the Chicago Bulls six NBA titles came because Michael Jordan was playing for the team. The Bulls six championships were won from 1991 to 1993, and from 1996 to 1998.Michael Jordan was the NBA Finals MVP for all six of the Chicago Bulls NBA titles. The Bulls would likely have won a few more titles too, had Michael Jordan not taken a few years off during his playing career.
  • The San Antonio Spurs have won the fourth most NBA championships with four. The Spurs started playing in the NBA in 1976, having joined the league through the ABA-NBA merger that year.The Spurs four championships have all come in recent times. The first championship came in 1999, followed by titles in 2003, 2005, and 2007.The constant for the San Antonio Spurs over their four NBA championships has been Tim Duncan. Duncan joined the Spurs as the first overall player taken in the 1997 NBA Draft.
  • The current Philadelphia 76ers franchise started out as the Syracuse Nationals. The Nationals played in the NBA from 1949 to 1963, and won a championship in 1955. After moving to the NBA in 1963, the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Wilt Chamberlain during the 1964-65 season.Wilt Chamberlain led the 76ers to their second NBA title in 1967, interrupting the Boston Celtics streak of 10 NBA titles in 11 years. The Philadelphia 76ers third NBA title came during the 1983 season, and that Sixers team was loaded with great talent.Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones and Andrew Toney were the starting five on the 1983 championship team, and they were all great players.
  • The Detroit Pistons started out in the NBA as the Fort Wayne Pistons, playing in Fort Wayne, Indiana until 1957. The Pistons did not win a NBA championship while playing in Fort Wayne.Since moving to Detroit in 1957, the Pistons have won three NBA championships, tying the team for the fifth most in NBA history. The first two Pistons championships came back-to-back in 1989 and 1990, led by NBA greats Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars.The Detroit Pistons third NBA title came in 2004, when Chauncy Billups was the NBA Finals MVP. In all three Pistons championships, a guard was the MVP in the finals (Dumars in 1989 and Thomas in 1990).
  • The current Golden State Warriors began play in the NBA as the Philadelphia Warriors. The Philadelphia Warriors won the first NBA championship in 1947, when the league was technically the BAA. While still in Philadelphia, the franchise won its second title in 1956.In 1962, the Warriors moved to San Francisco and became the San Francisco Warriors. The San Francisco Warriors did not win a title. In 1971, the franchise changed their name to the Golden State Warriors.In 1975, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship behind the great play of Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes, both Basketball Hall of Fame players.
  • The New York Knicks have won two NBA championships, tied for the eighth most in league history. The two Knicks championships were during the 1970 and 1973 seasons. Those Knicks teams were loaded with legendary players.The 1970 Knicks had Willis Reed, Walt Clyde Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Dick Barnett, and Cazzie Russell. Reed, Frazier, DeBusschere and Bradley are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.The 1973 team had the same four hall of fame players, plus Jerry Lucas and Earl the Pearl Monroe, who are both also in the Basketball Hall of Fame. The 1973 team also had a defensive whiz player by the name of Phil Jackson, who has won 11 NBA titles as a coach (Jackson was technically on the 1970 team, but missed the season due to injury).
  • The Houston Rockets began playing in the NBA in 1967, while they were the San Diego Rockets. The Rockets moved to Houston in 1971, and won back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.The 1994 and 1995 Houston Rockets had great players like Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. Olajuwon was both the league MVP and the NBA Finals MVP in both 1994 and 1995.Not to take anything away from the Rockets titles, but they came after Michael Jordan retired for the first time. Jordan did come back at the end of the 1995 season, but only played in 17 games.
  • The Miami Heat are the tenth and last NBA franchise to have won at least two NBA championships. The Miami Heat joined the NBA in 1989 as an expansion team.The Heat won their first NBA title in 2006, led by the incredible play of Dwyane Wade, who averaged 27.2 points per game that season, and was the NBA Finals MVP. The Heat won their second NBA title in 2012, when LeBron James was the NBA Finals MVP.Can the Miami Heat go on to win their third NBA championship in 2013? They have got a great chance if Wade, LeBron and Chris Bosh, combined with Ray Allen, can all stay healthy for the playoffs.
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, New Jersey Sports Examiner

Joe Dorish has written sports articles as an independent contractor for sites like Yahoo for a number of years. He is a passionate and lifelong fan of baseball, basketball and pro and college football, especially the teams based in the NYC area. His articles have generated millions of views on...

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