Which NBA Teams Have Never Won a Championship?

It’s hard to believe but there are still some NBA teams who have never won a championship. Here’s a list of the teams who have never taken home the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Introduction

In the NBA, winning a championship is the ultimate goal. But for some teams, that goal has eluded them for their entire history. There are currently 30 teams in the NBA, and of those, 12 have never won a championship.

The teams that have never won a championship are the Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks.

Some of these teams have come close to winning a championship but ultimately fell short. The Jazz made it to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 but lost both times. The Suns made it to the finals in 1976 but lost to the Boston Celtics. And the Sixers made it to the finals in 2001 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

But for some of these teams, such as the Bucks and Timberwolves, they’ve never even been close to winning a championship. In fact, the Bucks haven’t even been to the NBA Finals since they won their only title in 1971.

It’s hard to say when or if any of these team will ever win a championship. But one thing is for sure: they’ll keep trying until they finally taste victory.

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 Clippers were 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 until 1984, when they moved to Los Angeles. Through much of its history, the franchise failed to see significant regular-season or playoff success. The Clippers were frequently seen as an example of a perennial loser in American professional sports, compiling a 28-year streak of not winning a division title or conference championship.

In 2012–13, however, the franchise won its first division title since 1976–77 and qualified for the playoffs for only the ninth time in franchise history and just the third time since moving to Los Angeles in 1984. Nine seasons later, they repeated as division champions in 2020–21. They also set rotation records for most wins (57) and best winning percentage (.671) with their starting lineup of Patrick Beverley, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Ivica Zubac, and Reggie Jackson.

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. The Grizzlies are the only team in the major professional North American sports leagues based in the city of Memphis.

The team was established as the Vancouver Grizzlies, an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1995–96 season. After the 2000–01 season concluded, the franchise relocated to Memphis. The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along with the Toronto Raptors, as part of NBA’s expansion into Canada. Home games were played at General Motors Place from 1995 to 2001.

In 2001, following six dismal seasons in Vancouver (during which they won just 101 games), then-owner Michael Heisley announced plans to move the team to Memphis, Tennessee, which was approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors on April 27, 2001. As a result, Vancouver became the first city ever to lose two NBA franchises (the other being Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder) in successive years due to relocation

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are a 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. The team was established as the New Orleans Hornets in the 2002–03 season when then-owner of the Charlotte Hornets, George Shinn, relocated the franchise to New Orleans. Due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the franchise temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City, where they spent two seasons known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. The team returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season. On January 24, 2013, then-Commissioner of the NBA David Stern announced that the franchise would be renamed the Pelicans, effective with the start of their 2013–14 season.

The Louisiana Swashbucklers were a professional basketball team based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that played in World Basketball League (WBL) in 1988.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder is an American 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 was originally established as the Seattle SuperSonics, an expansion team that joined the NBA for the 1967–68 season. The SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City in 2008 after a settlement was reached between the ownership group led by Clay Bennett and lawmakers in Seattle, Washington following a lawsuit. In Seattle, the SuperSonics qualified for the NBA playoffs 22 times, won their division six times, advanced to three NBA Finals, and won the 1979 NBA Championship. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder qualified for their first playoff berth during the 2009–10 season. They captured their first division title as well as their first Western Conference championship in 2010–11 en route to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history, where they lost to the Miami Heat 4–1.

The Thunder’s previous incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics, were formed in 1967. In their 41 seasons in Seattle, they compiled a .542 win–loss percentage (second best all-time), winning five conference titles (1979, 1987–88, 1991–92) and one NBA Championship (1979). Described by ESPN as one of “the most beloved sports franchises of all time”, they were sold to Clay Bennett and his ownership group at OKC-based Professional Basketball Club LLC in 2006 for $350 million despite protests from then-SuperSonics fans and city officials based on fears that Bennett would relocate his new franchise to his hometown of Oklahoma City which he eventually did.

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 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 in New Orleans in 1974 as the New Orleans Jazz, a charter member of the NBA. The Jazz were one of the least successful teams in the league in their early years. In 1985, the team was relocated to Salt Lake City. The Jazz have made nine appearances in the NBA Finals since 1980, but have never won a championship.