Which Team Won the Most NBA Championships?

We take a look at which team has won the most NBA championships in history.

The Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships with 17. The Los Angeles Lakers are in second place with 16, while the Chicago Bulls are in third place with 6. The Celtics have also made the most appearances in the NBA Finals, with 21.

The Early Years

The Boston Celtics were founded in 1946 as one of the original eight NBA teams. The franchise was formed by Boston Garden-Arena Corporation president Walter A. Brown as a way to keep the arena occupied. It was also hoped that the team would help boost interest in professional basketball and bring positive attention to the city of Boston.

The Celtics had moderate success in their early years, winning six division titles and three NBA Championships between 1957 and 1966. The team’s first championship came in 1957, led by star player Bill Russell. The Celtics won an unprecedented eight championships in a row from 1959 to 1966. This streak is often considered one of the greatest achievements in all of sports. The team’s run came to an end in 1969, when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

The Bill Russell Era

The Boston Celtics were a dominant force in the NBA during the late 1950s and 1960s, winning an astonishing 11 championships in 13 seasons. A large part of their success was due to the play of center Bill Russell, who was named the league MVP five times and is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history.

The Larry Bird Era

The Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) won three championships in four years during the 1980s, creating a dynasty. The core group of players from those championship teams have been nicknamed “The Winningest Team in NBA History”. With an overall record of 1,331 wins and 455 losses through the 2009–10 season, they have amassed the highest winning percentage of any NBA franchise. In addition to their 17 championships, they have also appeared in 21 Finals, which is also an NBA record.

Led by head coach Red Auerbach and featuring players such as Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones, and John Havlicek, the Celtics were one of the most dominant teams in NBA history, winning an astonishing eight straight championships from 1959 to 1966. In 1968, the team added center Dave Cowens to form what has been rated as one of the best front courts in basketball history. The 1970s saw more success for the Celtics as they won two more championships in 1974 and 1976 with players like Jo Jo White and Paul Westphal leading the way.

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have won the most NBA championships with a total of 16 titles. They have been successful in winning back-to-back championships on numerous occasions. The Lakers have also had some of the greatest players in NBA history, such as Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal.

The Early Years

The Los Angeles Lakers were founded in 1947 as the Minneapolis Lakers, one of the NBA’s original eight teams. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena from 1967 until 1999, when they moved to Staples Center. As of 2019, the Lakers hold the record for having won the most championships in NBA history, with sixteen.Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Lakers won five NBA championships before relocating to Los Angeles after the 1960–61 season. Led by center George Mikan, who was selected in three consecutive drafts from 1949 until 1951, they won their first league title in six years by defeating the Syracuse Nationals in seven games behind players including guard Vern Mikkelsen and forward Elgin Baylor. The team struggled following Mikan’s retirement after suffering several injuries and trades; they failed to qualify for the playoffs again until 1953–54.

In 1958, rookie center Elgin Baylor led the team to their sixth NBA Championship and first ever Finals MVP award. The next year, despite adding Chet Walker and Jerry West to a lineup that already included future Hall of Famers Baylor and Bob Pettit (acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Hawks), Head Coach Fred Schaus could not get past rival Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston then went on to win 11 of 13 championships between 1959 and 1969. After going 48-34 in 1969–70 and losing to New York Knicks in seven games during playoffs,[16] Van Arsdale and Hairston were both traded away within two months as Owner Jack Kent Cooke began a rebuilding process around West that eventually landed Wilt Chamberlain as his new star player before having him pair with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to form “The Twin Towers”!

The Magic Johnson Era

The 1980s were decade of great change for the Los Angeles Lakers. After years of toiling at the bottom of the standings, the Lakers finally returned to prominence under the leadership of Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The young Johnson teamed with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and Byron Scott to lead the Lakers to nine Finals appearances and five NBA championships in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. The Showtime Lakers were must-see TV, as they thrilled fans with their up-tempo style of play.

The Kobe Bryant Era

The Kobe Bryant era was one of the most successful periods in Lakers history. Kobe helped lead the team to five NBA championships, and he was named the Finals MVP on two occasions. Kobe also became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history, and he was regularly considered one of the best players in the league.

Comparison

It is a well-known fact that the Boston Celtics have won the most NBA championships. But, did you know that the Los Angeles Lakers have won more championships than any other team in the NBA?

Regular Season

The regular season is when each team plays 82 games. The team with the most wins in the regular season is the winner of the NBA Championship. The Golden State Warriors have won the most regular season games in the past 5 years.

In the past 5 years, the Golden State Warriors have had an average of 67.4 wins per season. The next best team is the San Antonio Spurs with an average of 61.6 wins per season. The Warriors have won 3 NBA Championships in the past 5 years, while the Spurs have only won 1.

Playoffs

In order to make the playoffs, a team must have one of the best records in their conference. If they don’t make the playoffs, they can forget about winning an NBA Championship. Winning the championship is hard enough, but teams that don’t even make the playoffs have no chance. The table below shows the number of times each team has made the playoffs and won the NBA Championship.

Team Playoffs Championships
Boston Celtics 42 17
Los Angeles Lakers 40 16
Chicago Bulls 39 6
San Antonio Spurs 29 5
Miami Heat 22 3

Championships

Championships are what every NBA team strives for. Championships are the ultimate goal in the NBA, and teams go through a lot of ups and downs throughout the season in order to achieve that goal. But which team has won the most championships in NBA history?

The Boston Celtics have won the most championships in NBA history, with a total of 17. The Los Angeles Lakers are a close second, with 16 championships to their name. The Chicago Bulls have won six championships, while the San Antonio Spurs have won five.