The NBA Finals is the annual championship series for the National Basketball Association (NBA) held at the conclusion of its postseason. All NBA Finals have been played in a best-of-seven format, and are contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference (prior to 1971 it was played between division playoff winners), except in 1950 when the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions. From 1946 through 1949, when the league was known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the playoffs were a three-stage tournament where the two semifinal winners played each other in the finals. The winning team of the series receives the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, which has been awarded since 1977 (between 1947 and 1976 the winning team received the Walter A. Brown Trophy).
Champions
The most recent champions are the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won their first championship since relocating from Seattle in 2008, and their first since 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics. The Boston Celtics have won the most championships of any team in the league at 18. As of 2025, the Eastern champions have a 41–38 advantage in NBA titles over the Western champions. The 1949–50 Minneapolis Lakers, who won the NBA Finals, are counted in the Eastern versus Western champions record as they played that sole season in the Central Division before returning to the Western Division.
- The first parentheses in the Western champions and Eastern champions columns indicate the teams' playoff seed. The second parentheses indicate the number of times that teams have appeared in an NBA Finals as well as each respective team's NBA Finals record to date.
| Bold | Winning team of the BAA/NBA Finals |
| Italics | Team with home-court advantage |
| Italics | Finals MVP was on losing team |
| † | Only defunct team to win championship |
| Year | Western champion | Coach | Result | Eastern champion | Coach | Finals MVP | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | Chicago Stags (1) (1, 0–1) | Harold Olsen | 1–4 | Philadelphia Warriors (2) (1, 1–0) | Eddie Gottlieb | n/a | |
| 1948 | Baltimore Bullets† (2) (1, 1–0) | Buddy Jeannette | 4–2 | Philadelphia Warriors (1) (2, 1–1) | |||
| 1949 | Minneapolis Lakers (2) (1, 1–0) | John Kundla | 4–2 | Washington Capitols (1) (1, 0–1) | Red Auerbach | ||
| 1950 | Minneapolis Lakers (1) (2, 2–0) | 4–2 | Syracuse Nationals (1) (1, 0–1) | Al Cervi | |||
| 1951 | Rochester Royals (2) (1, 1–0) | Les Harrison | 4–3 | New York Knicks (3) (1, 0–1) | Joe Lapchick | ||
| 1952 | Minneapolis Lakers (2) (3, 3–0) | John Kundla | 4–3 | New York Knicks (3) (2, 0–2) | |||
| 1953 | Minneapolis Lakers (1) (4, 4–0) | 4–1 | New York Knicks (1) (3, 0–3) | ||||
| 1954 | Minneapolis Lakers (1) (5, 5–0) | 4–3 | Syracuse Nationals (1) (2, 0–2) | Al Cervi | |||
| 1955 | Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (1, 0–1) | Charles Eckman | 3–4 | Syracuse Nationals (1) (3, 1–2) | |||
| 1956 | Fort Wayne Pistons (1) (2, 0–2) | 1–4 | Philadelphia Warriors (1) (3, 2–1) | George Senesky | |||
| 1957 | St. Louis Hawks (1) (1, 0–1) | Alex Hannum | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (1, 1–0) | Red Auerbach | ||
| 1958 | St. Louis Hawks (1) (2, 1–1) | 4–2 | Boston Celtics (1) (2, 1–1) | ||||
| 1959 | Minneapolis Lakers (2) (6, 5–1) | John Kundla | 0–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (3, 2–1) | |||
| 1960 | St. Louis Hawks (1) (3, 1–2) | Ed Macauley | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (4, 3–1) | |||
| 1961 | St. Louis Hawks (1) (4, 1–3) | Paul Seymour | 1–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (5, 4–1) | |||
| 1962 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (7, 5–2) | Fred Schaus | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (6, 5–1) | |||
| 1963 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (8, 5–3) | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (7, 6–1) | ||||
| 1964 | San Francisco Warriors (1) (4, 2–2) | Alex Hannum | 1–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (8, 7–1) | |||
| 1965 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (9, 5–4) | Fred Schaus | 1–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (9, 8–1) | |||
| 1966 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (10, 5–5) | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (2) (10, 9–1) | ||||
| 1967 | San Francisco Warriors (1) (5, 2–3) | Bill Sharman | 2–4 | Philadelphia 76ers (1) (4, 2–2) | Alex Hannum | ||
| 1968 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (11, 5–6) | Butch van Breda Kolff | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (2) (11, 10–1) | Bill Russell | ||
| 1969 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (12, 5–7) | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (4) (12, 11–1) | Jerry West | |||
| 1970 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (13, 5–8) | Joe Mullaney | 3–4 | New York Knicks (1) (4, 1–3) | Red Holzman | Willis Reed | |
| 1971 | Milwaukee Bucks (1) (1, 1–0) | Larry Costello | 4–0 | Baltimore Bullets (1) (1, 0–1) | Gene Shue | Lew Alcindor | |
| 1972 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (14, 6–8) | Bill Sharman | 4–1 | New York Knicks (2) (5, 1–4) | Red Holzman | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| 1973 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (15, 6–9) | 1–4 | New York Knicks (2) (6, 2–4) | Willis Reed | |||
| 1974 | Milwaukee Bucks (1) (2, 1–1) | Larry Costello | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (13, 12–1) | Tom Heinsohn | John Havlicek | |
| 1975 | Golden State Warriors (1) (6, 3–3) | Al Attles | 4–0 | Washington Bullets (2) (2, 0–2) | K.C. Jones | Rick Barry | |
| 1976 | Phoenix Suns (3) (1, 0–1) | John MacLeod | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (14, 13–1) | Tom Heinsohn | Jo Jo White | |
| 1977 | Portland Trail Blazers (3) (1, 1–0) | Jack Ramsay | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers (1) (5, 2–3) | Gene Shue | Bill Walton | |
| 1978 | Seattle SuperSonics (4) (1, 0–1) | Lenny Wilkens | 3–4 | Washington Bullets (3) (3, 1–2) | Dick Motta | Wes Unseld | |
| 1979 | Seattle SuperSonics (1) (2, 1–1) | 4–1 | Washington Bullets (1) (4, 1–3) | Dennis Johnson | |||
| 1980 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (16, 7–9) | Paul Westhead | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers (3) (6, 2–4) | Billy Cunningham | Magic Johnson | |
| 1981 | Houston Rockets (6) (1, 0–1) | Del Harris | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (15, 14–1) | Bill Fitch | Cedric Maxwell | |
| 1982 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (17, 8–9) | Pat Riley | 4–2 | Philadelphia 76ers (3) (7, 2–5) | Billy Cunningham | Magic Johnson | |
| 1983 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (18, 8–10) | 0–4 | Philadelphia 76ers (1) (8, 3–5) | Moses Malone | |||
| 1984 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (19, 8–11) | 3–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (16, 15–1) | K.C. Jones | Larry Bird | ||
| 1985 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (20, 9–11) | 4–2 | Boston Celtics (1) (17, 15–2) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | |||
| 1986 | Houston Rockets (2) (2, 0–2) | Bill Fitch | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (18, 16–2) | Larry Bird | ||
| 1987 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (21, 10–11) | Pat Riley | 4–2 | Boston Celtics (1) (19, 16–3) | Magic Johnson | ||
| 1988 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (22, 11–11) | 4–3 | Detroit Pistons (2) (3, 0–3) | Chuck Daly | James Worthy | ||
| 1989 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (23, 11–12) | 0–4 | Detroit Pistons (1) (4, 1–3) | Joe Dumars | |||
| 1990 | Portland Trail Blazers (3) (2, 1–1) | Rick Adelman | 1–4 | Detroit Pistons (1) (5, 2–3) | Isiah Thomas | ||
| 1991 | Los Angeles Lakers (3) (24, 11–13) | Mike Dunleavy | 1–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (1, 1–0) | Phil Jackson | Michael Jordan | |
| 1992 | Portland Trail Blazers (1) (3, 1–2) | Rick Adelman | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (2, 2–0) | |||
| 1993 | Phoenix Suns (1) (2, 0–2) | Paul Westphal | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (2) (3, 3–0) | |||
| 1994 | Houston Rockets (2) (3, 1–2) | Rudy Tomjanovich | 4–3 | New York Knicks (2) (7, 2–5) | Pat Riley | Hakeem Olajuwon | |
| 1995 | Houston Rockets (6) (4, 2–2) | 4–0 | Orlando Magic (1) (1, 0–1) | Brian Hill | |||
| 1996 | Seattle SuperSonics (1) (3, 1–2) | George Karl | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (4, 4–0) | Phil Jackson | Michael Jordan | |
| 1997 | Utah Jazz (1) (1, 0–1) | Jerry Sloan | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (5, 5–0) | |||
| 1998 | Utah Jazz (1) (2, 0–2) | 2–4 | Chicago Bulls (1) (6, 6–0) | ||||
| 1999 | San Antonio Spurs (1) (1, 1–0) | Gregg Popovich | 4–1 | New York Knicks (8) (8, 2–6) | Jeff Van Gundy | Tim Duncan | |
| 2000 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (25, 12–13) | Phil Jackson | 4–2 | Indiana Pacers (1) (1, 0–1) | Larry Bird | Shaquille O'Neal | |
| 2001 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (26, 13–13) | 4–1 | Philadelphia 76ers (1) (9, 3–6) | Larry Brown | |||
| 2002 | Los Angeles Lakers (3) (27, 14–13) | 4–0 | New Jersey Nets (1) (1, 0–1) | Byron Scott | |||
| 2003 | San Antonio Spurs (1) (2, 2–0) | Gregg Popovich | 4–2 | New Jersey Nets (2) (2, 0–2) | Tim Duncan | ||
| 2004 | Los Angeles Lakers (2) (28, 14–14) | Phil Jackson | 1–4 | Detroit Pistons (3) (6, 3–3) | Larry Brown | Chauncey Billups | |
| 2005 | San Antonio Spurs (2) (3, 3–0) | Gregg Popovich | 4–3 | Detroit Pistons (2) (7, 3–4) | Tim Duncan | ||
| 2006 | Dallas Mavericks (4) (1, 0–1) | Avery Johnson | 2–4 | Miami Heat (2) (1, 1–0) | Pat Riley | Dwyane Wade | |
| 2007 | San Antonio Spurs (3) (4, 4–0) | Gregg Popovich | 4–0 | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (1, 0–1) | Mike Brown | Tony Parker | |
| 2008 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (29, 14–15) | Phil Jackson | 2–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (20, 17–3) | Doc Rivers | Paul Pierce | |
| 2009 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (30, 15–15) | 4–1 | Orlando Magic (3) (2, 0–2) | Stan Van Gundy | Kobe Bryant | ||
| 2010 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (31, 16–15) | 4–3 | Boston Celtics (4) (21, 17–4) | Doc Rivers | |||
| 2011 | Dallas Mavericks (3) (2, 1–1) | Rick Carlisle | 4–2 | Miami Heat (2) (2, 1–1) | Erik Spoelstra | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| 2012 | Oklahoma City Thunder (2) (4, 1–3) | Scott Brooks | 1–4 | Miami Heat (2) (3, 2–1) | LeBron James | ||
| 2013 | San Antonio Spurs (2) (5, 4–1) | Gregg Popovich | 3–4 | Miami Heat (1) (4, 3–1) | |||
| 2014 | San Antonio Spurs (1) (6, 5–1) | 4–1 | Miami Heat (2) (5, 3–2) | Kawhi Leonard | |||
| 2015 | Golden State Warriors (1) (7, 4–3) | Steve Kerr | 4–2 | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (2, 0–2) | David Blatt | Andre Iguodala | |
| 2016 | Golden State Warriors (1) (8, 4–4) | 3–4 | Cleveland Cavaliers (1) (3, 1–2) | Tyronn Lue | LeBron James | ||
| 2017 | Golden State Warriors (1) (9, 5–4) | 4–1 | Cleveland Cavaliers (2) (4, 1–3) | Kevin Durant | |||
| 2018 | Golden State Warriors (2) (10, 6–4) | 4–0 | Cleveland Cavaliers (4) (5, 1–4) | ||||
| 2019 | Golden State Warriors (1) (11, 6–5) | 2–4 | Toronto Raptors (2) (1, 1–0) | Nick Nurse | Kawhi Leonard | ||
| 2020 | Los Angeles Lakers (1) (32, 17–15) | Frank Vogel | 4–2 | Miami Heat (5) (6, 3–3) | Erik Spoelstra | LeBron James | |
| 2021 | Phoenix Suns (2) (3, 0–3) | Monty Williams | 2–4 | Milwaukee Bucks (3) (3, 2–1) | Mike Budenholzer | Giannis Antetokounmpo | |
| 2022 | Golden State Warriors (3) (12, 7–5) | Steve Kerr | 4–2 | Boston Celtics (2) (22, 17–5) | Ime Udoka | Stephen Curry | |
| 2023 | Denver Nuggets (1) (1, 1–0) | Michael Malone | 4–1 | Miami Heat (8) (7, 3–4) | Erik Spoelstra | Nikola Jokić | |
| 2024 | Dallas Mavericks (5) (3, 1–2) | Jason Kidd | 1–4 | Boston Celtics (1) (23, 18–5) | Joe Mazzulla | Jaylen Brown | |
| 2025 | Oklahoma City Thunder (1) (5, 2–3) | Mark Daigneault | 4–3 | Indiana Pacers (4) (2, 0–2) | Rick Carlisle | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
Records by franchise
| Team | Win(s) | Loss(es) | Apps | Pct | Year(s) won | Year(s) lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Celtics | 18 | 5 | 23 | .783 | 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008, 2024 | 1958, 1985, 1987, 2010, 2022 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 17 | 15 | 32 | .531 | 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020 | 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991, 2004, 2008 |
| Golden State Warriors | 7 | 5 | 12 | .583 | 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 | 1948, 1964, 1967, 2016, 2019 |
| Chicago Bulls | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1.000 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 | — |
| San Antonio Spurs | 5 | 1 | 6 | .833 | 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 | 2013 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 3 | 6 | 9 | .333 | 1955, 1967, 1983 | 1950, 1954, 1977, 1980, 1982, 2001 |
| Detroit Pistons | 3 | 4 | 7 | .429 | 1989, 1990, 2004 | 1955, 1956, 1988, 2005 |
| Miami Heat | 3 | 4 | 7 | .429 | 2006, 2012, 2013 | 2011, 2014, 2020, 2023 |
| New York Knicks | 2 | 6 | 8 | .250 | 1970, 1973 | 1951, 1952, 1953, 1972, 1994, 1999 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 2 | 3 | 5 | .400 | 1979, 2025 | 1978, 1996, 2012 |
| Houston Rockets | 2 | 2 | 4 | .500 | 1994, 1995 | 1981, 1986 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 2 | 1 | 3 | .667 | 1971, 2021 | 1974 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 1 | 4 | 5 | .200 | 2016 | 2007, 2015, 2017, 2018 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 1 | 3 | 4 | .250 | 1958 | 1957, 1960, 1961 |
| Washington Wizards | 1 | 3 | 4 | .250 | 1978 | 1971, 1975, 1979 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 1 | 2 | 3 | .333 | 1977 | 1990, 1992 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 1 | 2 | 3 | .333 | 2011 | 2006, 2024 |
| Baltimore Bullets (original) (folded in 1954) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 1948 | — |
| Sacramento Kings | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 1951 | — |
| Toronto Raptors | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 2019 | — |
| Denver Nuggets | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.000 | 2023 | — |
| Phoenix Suns | 0 | 3 | 3 | .000 | — | 1976, 1993, 2021 |
| Utah Jazz | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | — | 1997, 1998 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | — | 2002, 2003 |
| Orlando Magic | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | — | 1995, 2009 |
| Indiana Pacers | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | — | 2000, 2025 |
| Chicago Stags (folded in 1950) | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | 1947 |
| Washington Capitols (folded in 1951) | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | — | 1949 |
| Charlotte Hornets | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Los Angeles Clippers | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Memphis Grizzlies | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| New Orleans Pelicans | — | — | — | — | — | — |
- Includes record as Minneapolis Lakers
- Includes record as Philadelphia and San Francisco Warriors
- Includes record as Syracuse Nationals
- Includes record as Fort Wayne Pistons
- Includes record as Seattle SuperSonics
- Includes record as St. Louis Hawks
- Includes record as Baltimore and Washington Bullets
- Not affiliated with the present-day Washington Wizards, known as the Baltimore Bullets from 1963 to 1973.
- Includes record as Rochester Royals
- Includes record as New York and New Jersey Nets
Consecutive championships
Eight consecutive
- Boston Celtics (1959–1966)
Three consecutive
- Minneapolis Lakers (1952–1954)
- Chicago Bulls (1991–1993)
- Chicago Bulls (1996–1998)
- Los Angeles Lakers (2000–2002)
Two consecutive
- Minneapolis Lakers (1949, 1950)
- Boston Celtics (1968, 1969)
- Los Angeles Lakers (1987, 1988)
- Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990)
- Houston Rockets (1994, 1995)
- Los Angeles Lakers (2009, 2010)
- Miami Heat (2012, 2013)
- Golden State Warriors (2017, 2018)
Frequent matchups
| Count | Matchup | Record | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Boston Celtics vs Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers | Celtics, 9–3 | 1959, 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1984, 1985, 1987, 2008, 2010 |
| 6 | Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers | Lakers, 5–1 | 1950, 1954, 1980, 1982, 1983, 2001 |
| 5 | Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers vs New York Knicks | Lakers, 3–2 | 1952, 1953, 1970, 1972, 1973 |
| 4 | Boston Celtics vs St. Louis Hawks (Atlanta Hawks) | Celtics, 3–1 | 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961 |
| 4 | Golden State Warriors vs Cleveland Cavaliers | Warriors, 3–1 | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
| 3 | Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Lakers | Pistons, 2–1 | 1988, 1989, 2004 |
| 2 | Seattle SuperSonics (Oklahoma City Thunder) vs Washington Bullets (Washington Wizards) | Tied, 1–1 | 1978, 1979 |
| 2 | Boston Celtics vs Houston Rockets | Celtics, 2–0 | 1981, 1986 |
| 2 | Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz | Bulls, 2–0 | 1997, 1998 |
| 2 | Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat | Tied, 1–1 | 2006, 2011 |
| 2 | Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs | Tied, 1–1 | 2013, 2014 |
| 2 | Boston Celtics vs San Francisco/Golden State Warriors | Tied, 1–1 | 1964, 2022 |
See also
- NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
- List of NBA players with most championships
- List of NBA championship head coaches
- List of NBA franchise post-season droughts
- List of NBA franchise post-season streaks
- List of NBA longest winning streaks
- List of ABA champions
- List of National Basketball League (United States) champions
- List of NBA G League champions
- WNBA Finals