How Many NBA Teams Haven’t Won a Championship?
Contents
There are 30 NBA teams. Of those, 21 have never won a championship. The Cleveland Cavaliers are the most recent team to break through and win their first championship, doing so in 2016.
Introduction
Out of the 30 NBA teams, 11 have never won a championship. These teams are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns. Of these 11 teams, the Grizzlies and Nets are the only ones that have never made it to the Finals. The Hawks haven’t been to the Finals since 1961.
teams that have won championships
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball organization. There are thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada. The NBA was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).[1] It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after it absorbed the rival National Basketball League (NBL). The league’s several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
teams that haven’t won championships
As of the 2019-2020 season, 12 NBA teams have never won a championship. These teams are the Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Orlando Magic.
8 of these teams have never even been to the Finals. They are the Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans and the Brooklyn Nets.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have come the closest to winning a championship out of any of these teams. They made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2004 but lost to the Lakers 4-2.
teams that have relocated
The following NBA teams have never won a championship, even when accounting for previous team names and relocations.
-Atlanta Hawks
-Los Angeles Clippers
-Minnesota Timberwolves
-New Orleans Pelicans
-Sacramento Kings
teams that have folded
The number of teams that have folded is much higher than the number of teams that have won a championship. Below is a list of teams that have folded since the NBA was founded in 1946.
-Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954)
-Anderson Packers (1949-1950)
-Waterloo Hawks (1949-1950)
-Sheboygan Red Skins (1949-1950)
-St. Louis Bombers (1949-1950)
-Providence Steamrollers (1949-1950)
-(Pittsburgh) Ironmen (1946-1947)
-Denver Nuggets ( 1948/ 49 – present day )
teams that have been created since the last championship
Since the last championship, there have been 8 new NBA teams created. These teams are the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Vancouver Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks.
