The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are in a constant battle for the most championships in NBA history. In 2024, the Celtics won their 18th NBA title, breaking a tie with the Lakers. While the two organizations continue to duke it out at the top of the list, several teams - 10 to be exact -- are still trying to find their way on it.
In 2023, the Denver Nuggets became the latest team to join the list of all-time NBA champions, defeating the Miami Heat in the Finals and winning the franchise's first title. Here's a look at the 10 NBA teams that remain in search of their first championship, along with their number of Finals appearances.
Brooklyn Nets (2)
The Nets won two ABA championships with Julius Erving leading the way but have fallen short of winning an NBA title since selling Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers at the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. The then-New Jersey Nets, led by Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin, came close with back-to-back Finals appearances in 2002 and 2003. The Nets ran into Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers one year and Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs in the other.
Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls eliminated the Hornets in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 1998 on their way to winning their sixth NBA title in eight seasons. While Jordan was one of the greatest winners in NBA history as a player, he failed to get it done as the owner in Charlotte. Jordan sold his majority stake in the Hornets in 2023, but his string of bad draft selections before then - Emeka Okafor, Adam Morrison, Michael-Kidd Gilchrist and Cody Zeller were all top-10 picks - kept the Hornets from making deep postseason runs.
Indiana Pacers (1)
Like the Nets, the Pacers were one of the best franchises in the ABA, winning three championships before the 1976 merger. Also like the Nets, the Pacers ran into Shaq and the Lakers in the Finals. Reggie Miller looked primed to finally win that elusive NBA title in 2000. But Shaq, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers stopped Miller's Indiana squad in six games, winning their first of three straight championships. The Pacers haven't been back to the Finals since.
LA Clippers (0)
Luck has not been on the Clippers side as they've moved from Buffalo, San Diego and ultimately Los Angeles. Now based in Inglewood, California, the Clippers remain in search of their first Finals appearance. While having talented teams, injuries throughout the years to key players like Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have halted deep playoff runs. Add in questionable ownership and blown 3-1 leads in the 2015 and 2020 Western Conference semifinals, and the Clippers have been one of the most snake-bitten franchises in major North American sports.
Even while they were in Vancouver (1995-2001), the Grizzlies struggled to get over the championship hump. The franchise had one stretch where it came close. Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph produced a fierce defensive brand of basketball that amounted to seven straight playoff appearances, including a run to the Western Conference Finals in 2013. Memphis was swept by the Spurs in the series.
The Timberwolves are another franchise still awaiting their first championship and first Finals appearance. Minnesota failed to reach the Finals after more than a decade with Kevin Garnett. In fact, the Timberwolves, created in 1989, made the playoffs eight straight years with Garnett but only advanced past the first round once. To make matters worse, Garnett left Minnesota and finally won a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals in 2024, but Minnesota fell behind in the series 3-0 and lost in five games.
Another relatively young franchise, the Pelicans have only been in New Orleans since 2002. They've got no championships and no Finals appearances. The club made its first march to the Western Conference semifinals with Chris Paul in 2008 as the New Orleans Hornets. New Orleans struck gold in 2012, winning the draft lottery and selecting Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick. But the Pelicans fumbled the Davis years, only to watch him leave and win a championship with the Lakers.
Orlando Magic (2)
Orlando is known for being the home of Walt Disney World. Unfortunately for the Magic, it isn't known for being the home of an NBA champion. The Magic have had two of the most dominant big men of their generations in O'Neal and Dwight Howard. Both led the organization to the Finals -- Shaq in 1995 and Howard in 2009. But it took both men to leave in order to capture that elusive championship. Shaq won three with the Lakers and one more in Miami. Howard won one, also in the purple and gold.
Phoenix Suns (3)
The Suns have had a number of great teams with all-time great players who just couldn't cross the finish line. NBA MVP Charles Barkley led Phoenix to the Finals in 1993, only to lose to Jordan and the Bulls in six games. Steve Nash won back-to-back MVPs with the Suns in 2005 and 2006 but failed to lead Phoenix past the Western Conference finals. Most recently, Devin Booker's Suns squandered a 2-0 series lead against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2021 Finals.
Utah Jazz (2)
While there have been greater duos in NBA history than Karl Malone and John Stockton, they're certainly the greatest tandem never to win a championship. The pair of Hall of Famers made the Jazz bona fide title contenders for more than a dozen years, leading the franchise to its only two Finals appearances. Utah played on the NBA's biggest stage in 1997 and again in 1998. Unfortunately for Malone and Stockton, both years came against Jordan's Bulls. The Jazz lost both series in six games and haven't sniffed the Finals since.
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