Who Won the NBA Championship the Last 5 Years?

Keep track of the NBA championship winners from the last 5 years with this helpful blog post.

2016 NBA Champions – Cleveland Cavaliers

In 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers made history by becoming the first team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to win the Championship. The Cavs were led by their superstar, LeBron James, who was named the Finals MVP.

Cleveland’s Road to the Championship

The Cleveland Cavaliers made history in the 2016 NBA Finals, becoming the first team to ever come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA championship.

The Cavs had a rough start to the 2015-16 season, firing head coach David Blatt midway through the season and replacing him with Tyronn Lue. The move paid off, as the Cavs went on to finish the regular season with a 57-25 record, good for first place in the Eastern Conference.

LeBron James led the way for Cleveland, averaging 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game. Kyrie Irving was also excellent, averaging 19.7 points per game.

In the playoffs, the Cavs faced off against the Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors before finally meeting the Golden State Warriors in the Finals. After dropping the first two games of the series, many people wrote off the Cavs. But they would not be denied, winning three straight games to force a Game 7 back in Oakland.

In one of the most thrilling Game 7s in NBA history, James and Irving both had huge games as the Cavs won 93-89 to take home their first ever NBA championship.

The Finals – Cavaliers vs. Warriors

The Cavaliers beat the Warriors in one of the most thrilling and historic NBA Finals ever played. Cleveland came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series 4-3, becoming the first team in NBA history to do so. The Cavaliers also became the first team to ever win an NBA title after trailing in the Finals 3-1.

2015 NBA Champions – Golden State Warriors

The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2014–15 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in six games (4–2) for the Warriors’ first title in 40 years and their fourth in franchise history, becoming the first team since the 1997–98 Chicago Bulls to win a championship the season after losing in the Finals.

Golden State’s Road to the Championship

In their 2014-2015 season, the Golden State Warriors made history. They finished the regular season with a record of 67-15, the best in the NBA. They then went on to win the NBA Finals, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. This was the first time in 40 years that a team had come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship.

The Finals – Warriors vs. Cavaliers

The 2015 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2014–15 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors defeated the Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers in six games (4–2) for the Warriors’ first title in 40 years and their fourth in franchise history, becoming the first team since the 1997–98 Chicago Bulls to win a championship after losing in the Finals the previous year. Golden State’s Andre Iguodala was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

The Warriors were led by NBA MVP Stephen Curry, while LeBron James led the Cavaliers. This was Cleveland’s fifth consecutive NBA Finals appearance, and second consecutive appearance against Golden State. These two teams had met before in the 2007 NBA Finals, which was won by the Spurs. This was also Golden State’s fourth consecutive appearance in an NBA Finals. The series began on June 4, 2015, and ended on June 16, 2015; it was broadcast on ABC.

2014 NBA Champions – San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home games at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

San Antonio’s Road to the Championship

In a hard-fought series, the San Antonio Spurs emerged victorious over the Miami Heat to win their fifth NBA Championship. It was a back-and-forth battle for the ages, with neither team able to gain a consistent advantage. But in the end, it was the Spurs who came out on top, thanks to their superb team play and clutch shooting.

The Spurs were led throughout the playoffs by their “Big Three” of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. This trio has been together for over a decade and knows how to win when it matters most. They were supported by a deep and talented bench, which proved to be crucial in several key moments during the Finals.

This was an especially sweet victory for the Spurs, as they avenged their loss in last year’s Finals to the Heat. They also proved that they are still one of the best teams in the NBA, despite getting older. With this win, the Spurs have cemented their legacy as one of the greatest teams of all time.

The Finals – Spurs vs. Heat

The 2014 NBA Finals was the championship series of the 2013–14 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeated the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in five games (4–1) for the Spurs’ fifth NBA championship in franchise history. The Spurs outscored the Heat 305–295 in the series. San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard was named the Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP).

This was a rematch of the previous year’s Finals, which Miami had won in seven games. Much like in 2013, Tim Duncan led his team to victory, becoming one of only nine players to win five or more NBA titles with only one team throughout his career. This marked a record-tying sixth consecutive appearance by a team from Texas in an NBA Finals, dating back to 1995–96.(The previous record was held by a trio of teams: two runs by teams based in Los Angeles bookended by a run from a team based in Houston.)

The Spurs also became just the fourth team playing their home games full-time within city limits to win an NBA title, joining the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons as well as being just one play away from joining them as back-to-back champions. For only third time since 1974, repeated matchup occurred between teams who met each other outside normal conference play during regular season

2013 NBA Champions – Miami Heat

The Miami Heat are a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida. They are members of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Heat won their first NBA championship in 2006.

Miami’s Road to the Championship

The Miami Heat had a lot of talent on their roster, with future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, All-Star Chris Bosh, and NBA Finals MVP LeBron James leading the way.

They were able to put together a dominant season, winning 66 games in the regular season. They then went on to win the Eastern Conference Finals, before finally defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals.

The Finals – Heat vs. Spurs

In what was one of the most incredible NBA Finals in recent memory, the Miami Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs in seven games. The series was a rematch of last year’s Finals, which saw the Heat win in seven games as well.

The Spurs came out firing in Game 1, trouncing the Heat 113-77. TheHeat bounced back in Game 2, winning 98-96. The series then shifted to San Antonio, where the Spurs won both Games 3 and 4, taking a 3-1 lead in the series.

Miami THEN WON THREE STRAIGHT GAMES to take the title, becoming only the sixth team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship.

2012 NBA Champions – LeBron James & the Miami Heat

The 2012 NBA Finals were the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2011-12 season. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 to win their second NBA title. LeBron James was named the Finals MVP.

Miami’s Road to the Championship

The 2012 NBA Finals were the championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 2011–12 season, and the conclusion of the season’s playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeated the Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to 1 to win their second NBA title. LeBron James was named NBA Finals MVP for the second consecutive year.

The Series was noted for its exceptionally competitive play, with each of the first six games going down to the wire. With game six in Oklahoma City on June 21, 2012, Miami became only the fourth team in NBA history to win a championship after trailing in three playoff series; they joined the 1966–67 Philadelphia 76ers, 1969–70 Los Angeles Lakers and 2006–07 San Antonio Spurs as teams to have accomplished this feat. All five games were broadcast on ABC in order to maximize ratings.

This was also only the second Finals since 1999 not to include either Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan. As a result, it also featured two first-time Finals participants (Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook), which had last occurred 25 years ago in 1987 (Lakers vs. Celtics); it was also only the fourth time overall that two teams meeting in the NBA Finals had never previously faced each other in any capacity (playoffs or regular season), joining 1947, 1957 and 1987.

The Finals – Heat vs. Thunder

The Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games to win the 2012 NBA Finals. This was the second championship for the Heat, who also won in 2006. LeBron James was named the Finals MVP for the second time in his career.

The Thunder had advanced to the Finals by defeating the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the Western Conference Finals. The Heat had defeated the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This was the first time since 2008 that two teams from outside of California had met in the NBA Finals.