What Are All the NBA Teams?
If you’re a basketball fan, you probably know all about the NBA. But do you know all 30 of the teams that make up the league? In this blog post, we’ll run through all of the NBA teams, so you can brush up on your knowledge before the season starts.
Eastern Conference
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference consists of 15 teams, organized in three divisions.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are an American professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of the league’s original eight teams, the team play their home games at TD Garden, which they share with the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Boston Bruins. The Celtics are one of the most successful teams in NBA history; the franchise has won the most championships of any team in NBA history with 17, accounting for 24.6 percent of all NBA championships since the league’s founding in 1947.
The Celtics have a notable rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers, who have won 16 NBA championships, second only to the Celtics. The rivalry is rooted in history and is widely considered one of the fiercest and most well-known rivalries in American professional sports.
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets were founded in 1967 as the New Jersey Americans, and initially played their home games in Teaneck, New Jersey. They then moved to New York City in 1968, and changed their name to the New York Nets. Upon relocating to Brea, California in 1977, they changed their name again, this time to the Golden State Warriors. In 1979 they finally settled on their current name of Golden State Warriors. The Nets won two ABA championships while based in New York (in 1974 and 1976), but missed the playoffs for much of their time in New Jersey.
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are a professional basketball team based in New York City, New York. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They are one of two NBA teams located in New York City, the other being the Brooklyn Nets. Along with the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of only two original NBA teams still located in its original city.
The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, an iconic arena in the borough of Manhattan. The Knicks are one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA and among North American professional sports franchises. As of 2018, according to Forbes, the Knicks were the fifth most valuable NBA franchise worth $3.6 billion.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division and play at Wells Fargo Center. Founded in 1946 and originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA, and one of only eight (out of 23) to survive the league’s first decade.
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They were established in 1995 as part of the NBA’s expansion into Canada, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies. When the Grizzlies relocated to Memphis, Tennessee to become the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001, the Raptors became the only Canadian-based team in the NBA.
The Raptors play their home games at Scotiabank Arena, which they share with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team’s president is Masai Ujiri. Nicknamed “the North,” “the Raps” or simply “Toronto”, they are also known as Canada’s Team[9] or Canada’s only NBA team.[10][11][12]
Western Conference
The Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of two conferences that makes up the league, the other being the Eastern Conference. The Western Conference consists of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The Mavericks play their home games at the American Airlines Center, which they share with the National Hockey League’s Dallas Stars.
The franchise began in 1980 as an expansion team, and won three division titles during the 1980s. In 1987, the Mavericks qualified for the playoffs for the first time since advancing to the NBA Finals in 1986. They went on to win three division titles and two conference championships in the 1990s, led by superstar power forward Dirk Nowitzki.
In 2000, owner Ross Kilpatrick sold majority control of the team to Mark Cuban. Cuban’s openlycontroversial management style has helped turn around a once-struggling franchise;[4][5] since then, they have won two more division titles (in 2010 and 2011) and advanced to nine NBA Playoffs, including two trips to the NBA Finals (in 2006 and 2011).
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the Denver Larks in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association (ABA), but changed its name to Rockets before the first game. In 1976, the ABA merged with the NBA, and the Nuggets were absorbed into the NBA along with three other ABA teams.
The team has had some periods of success, qualifying for the ABA Playoffs for all seasons from 1967 to the 1976 ABA merger, and again from 1983 to present. However, since 1975, they have qualified for the playoffs only eight times; as a result, they have not played in a Conference Finals series since their last year in the ABA. Their lone NBA Finals appearance came in 1985, when they were swept by the eventual champions, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city’s name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. They play their home games at the Chase Center.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are a professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The Rockets 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 Toyota Center, located in downtown Houston. The Rockets have won two NBA championships and four Western Conference titles.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Pacific Division. The franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, one of three expansion teams to join the NBA that year. The Braves moved from Buffalo, New York to San Diego, California in 1978 and became known as the San Diego Clippers. In 1984, The Clippers moved to Los Angeles.
The franchise began with nine players and have had twenty-three different head coaches. Their best season came in 2013–14 when they won a franchise-record 56 games under head coach Doc Rivers. They also qualified for the playoffs for the ninth time in franchise history that same season. They have never advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since moving to Los Angeles in 1984.
Los Angeles Lakers
One of the most iconic NBA teams, the Los Angeles Lakers were founded in 1947. The team has won a total of 16 NBA championships, the second-most in league history. The Lakers have also had 31 players inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, more than any other team in the NBA.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division. The Grizzlies play their home games at FedExForum. The team is owned by Robert Pera.
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was founded in 1989, and played its first season in the 1989–90 NBA season. The Timberwolves play their home games at Target Center, their home since 1990.
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Western Conference Southwest Division.
0. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder competes in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays its home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder were previously known as the Seattle SuperSonics, an NBA franchise founded in 1967 and relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. The team’s origins trace back to 1967, when their predecessors, the Houston Oilers of the American Basketball Association (ABA), which merged with the NBA in 1976, relocated to Seattle. In 1999 which brought them one step closer to their current name, the franchise became known as the Portland Trail Blazers due to changes made by then-new owner Paul Allen.
In their first season in Oklahoma City, led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder won 55 games – then equaled an NBA record for wins by an expansion franchise – and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since relocating. Durant and Westbrook would continue to lead the team through 2016–17, when they recorded their tenth consecutive playoff appearance despite not winning an NBA title during that span; they lost to Miami Heat 4–1 in the 2012 NBA Finals and to Golden State Warriors 4–3 after leading 3–1 in 2016
1. Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Suns began play as an expansion team in 1968. The franchise owns the NBA’s fourth-best all-time winning percentage, winning 55 percent of its games, as of the end of the 2012–13 season.
2. Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The franchise was founded in 1970, and played its home games in Memorial Coliseum before moving to Moda Center in 1995 (called the Rose Garden until 2013). The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977. Their other NBA Finals appearances were in 1990 and 1992.
3. Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference’s Pacific Division. The Kings are the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues located in Sacramento. The team plays its home games at the Golden 1 Center. Their primary colors are purple, black, and white, and their logo features a black and white silhouette of a king’s crown.
4. San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are a professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The Spurs play their home games at the AT&T Center in downtown San Antonio.
The team was founded in 1967 as the Dallas Cherokees, an ABA expansion franchise. After various name changes and relocating to San Antonio, the Spurs became well known for their styling of play under head coach Gregg Popovich, who has led the team since 1996. The team has made the playoffs in every season since 1997 and has never had a losing record in Popovich’s 21 seasons as head coach.
The Spurs have won five NBA championships – 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014 – tying them with the Los Angeles Lakers for fourth most in NBA history behind only the Boston Celtics (17), Los Angeles Lakers (16), and Chicago Bulls (6). As of 2018–19, San Antonio has been ranked sixth among all NBA franchises according to ESPN’s Future Power Rankings.
5. Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. Since 1991, the team has played its home games at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The franchise began play as an expansion team in 1974 as the New Orleans Jazz, based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Jazz were one of the least successful teams in the league in their early years.
