Winning an NBA Championship is the ultimate task. That’s why we’ve seen countless legends and hall of famers like Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, or Allen Iverson retire without putting an NBA ring on their fingers.
Throughout the course of history, the NBA has featured nothing but the greatest athletes and most talented players to ever set foot on a basketball hardwood, thus making it quite tough to stand out and go the distance after a full 82-game season.
Then again, there have been some franchises that are more than used to dominating when it matters the most, historically great teams who knowwhat it takes to win an NBA ringall and that will accept nothing but greatness.
After 73 editions of the NBA Finals, there are even some franchises that have never even made it to that stage, let alone win a championship. Here, will talk about those who have dominated the league at will: The NBA franchises with the most championships.
List Of NBA Champions
1 Ring: Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Baltimore Bullets (original), Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, Oklahoma City Thunder (Seattle Supersonics), Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers
2 Rings: New York Knicks, Houston Rockets
3 Rings: Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers
5 Rings: San Antonio Spurs
Teams With Most NBA Rings
Chicago Bulls – 6
The Bulls never needed to play a Game 7 in the Finals. (Getty)
NBA Titles:1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
Record In NBA Finals Series: 6-0
Well, it’s pretty safe to state that the Chicago Bulls owe Michael Jordan everything. As they often say, the United Center is ‘The House Jordan Built’ as he led them to the only 6 NBA Championships in franchise history.
Next to Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen, Jordan made the Bulls the biggest dynasty in the world and helped take the league to new horizons. Sadly, they haven’t been able to live up to that standard since MJ retired for the second time.
The Bulls beat the Lakers, Blazers, Suns, Sonics, and Jazz (twice) en route to their six rings. Hopefully, their young core will be able to make another run at a Larry O’Brien trophy to keep on climbing the ladder here.
Golden State Warriors – 6
The Warriors won back-to-back rings in 2017 and 2018. (Getty)
NBA Titles:1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018
Record In NBA Finals Series: 6-5
Contrary to what most young or new NBA fans may think, the Golden State Warriors were actually a bottom-of-the-pack franchise before Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr came along. Other than the Wilt Chamberlain era and a couple of rings, they struggled to even make the playoffs.
Then, the Splash Brothers era came around and the Warriors became the biggest powerhouse in modern basketball history, even taking down the Chicago Bulls’ record for most wins in the regular season (73).
Curry and the Warriors made it to 5 straight trips to the NBA Finals, winning 3 of them. They didn’t make the playoffs this season due to multiple injuries and Kevin Durant’s departure but it’s only a matter of time before they’re back where they belong.
Los Angeles Lakers – 17
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to 5 rings. (Getty)
NBA Titles:1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020
Record In NBA Finals Series: 17-15
The Los Angeles Lakers are the winningest NBA team of modern basketball. They had to endure very tough times earlier in their history in Minnesota before moving to Los Angeles on an era completely dominated by the Celtics but were able to turn the table around in Hollywood.
4 of the top 5 all-time leading scorers in NBA history have played for the Los Angeles Lakers. They’ve made a habit of competing at the highest level and having nothing but the top-notch talents around the league.
The Lakers have the most appearances in the NBA Finals (32) and now, LeBron James and Anthony Davishelped them tie the Boston Celtcis at the top of the list with their 17th NBA Championship.
Boston Celtics – 17
The Celtics beat the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals. (Getty)
NBA Titles:1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008
Record In NBA Finals Series: 17-4
The Boston Celtics take a lot of pride in being the winningest team in NBA Finals history and only having 4 series losses throughout their history. However, most basketball connoisseurs actually take most of their accolades with a grain of salt.
Boston won 11 rings in 13 years during Bill Russell’s tenure in the league. What they don’t say is that back then, the NBA consisted of just 8 teams, and the Celtics were vastly overpowered in comparison to the rest of the league. But hey, you have to play the hand you’re given and the Celtics got the job done.
The Celtics haven’t been as competitive since the Larry Bird era and have only made it to the Finals 3 times in the past 34 years, winning just one Championship. Still, they’ve put together arguably the best young core in the league and will be competing for their 18th ring in no time.
