When the confetti drops and a team hoists the Larry O’Brien Trophy, the NBA has crowned a new champion. Some years, it becomes a celebration of a dynasty, while others put an underdog center stage.
Regardless of which team wins it all, a few things remain the same: Everyone involved becomes etched in the annals of basketball history to be respected and celebrated long after their careers are over.
But some franchises are still looking for their first taste of a title. These are teams that have never won an NBA championship.
Full List of NBA Teams That Have Never Won a Championship
There are 10 NBA franchises who have never won a championship: the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz.
Among those, the Hornets, Clippers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Pelicans have never even appeared in the NBA Finals.
Near-Misses: Teams That Reached the NBA Finals But Fell Short
The Suns took a 2–0 lead in the 2021 Finals but then lost four-straight and fell to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Reggie Miller and Jalen Rose led the Pacers to the 2000 NBA Finals, but were largely outmatched by Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Two Hall of Fame players—Karl Malone and John Stockton—weren’t enough to get the Jazz a championship in either 1997 or 1998, as Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won in six games on both occasions.
The Nets haven’t made a Finals since moving to Brooklyn, but the franchise did appear in two as the New Jersey Nets. The team made back-to-back appearances in 2002 and 2003 but won just two games combined.
Led by Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves made the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history in 2004. The team lost to the Lakers in six games and it took 20 years for the T-Wolves to play for another conference title.
Similarly the Clippers have only appeared in one Western Conference finals, also losing in six games. The Suns won the series, only to fall to Milwaukee as previously mentioned.
Franchises With the Longest Droughts
The Hornets and Kings have both gone 20 seasons since winning a playoff series. Charlotte’s last playoff series win came in 2002, while Sacramento’s last win came in 2004. Fans in Detroit are still waiting for the Pistons to snap a 16-year playoff win drought.
It has been 45 seasons since the Washington Wizards have made a conference finals, which is the longest streak. However, Charlotte has never made a conference finals in 34 seasons since becoming a franchise.
The Kings have gone 73 seasons since winning a championship—the longest in the NBA—but the Atlanta Hawks are close behind, sitting at 66.
But at least Sacramento and Atlanta have won championships. Phoenix was enfranchised in 1968 and fans have been waiting 56 seasons for a title.
Notable Players Who Never Won a Title With These Teams
Charles Barkley (Suns): Barkley was a dominant and explosive power forward, despite playing the position extremely undersized. He was listed at 6-foot-6, but was about two inches shorter than that. Still, he is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players ever. Barkley was traded to Phoenix in the summer of 1992 and immediately led the Suns to the NBA Finals and won NBA MVP. He averaged 25.6 points and 12.2 rebounds per game, but he couldn’t defeat Jordan in the Finals … which is sort of a theme here.
Karl Malone (Jazz): Malone retired as the second-highest scorer in NBA history, due in part to his pairing with fellow Hall of Famer Stockton. The duo made the Jazz the best team in the West in the late 1990s, but Malone’s importance cannot be overstated. He was a two-time MVP, a 14-time All-NBA selection and four-time All-Defensive team member. But like Barkley before him, Malone fell to Jordan.
John Stockton (Jazz): Stockton’s longevity and court vision established him as one of the best point guards in the history of basketball. Paired alongside Malone, the duo were a terrifying pick-and-roll combination to guard. Stockton was 10-time All-Star and is the NBA’s all-time assists leader. But you know why he’s on this list. Jordan.
Kevin Garnett (Timberwolves): The man called “The Big Ticket” eventually won a championship with the Boston Celtics but had no success in Minnesota. Until last season, the franchise’s lone appearance in the Western Conference finals came in 2004, when Garnett won NBA MVP.
Dwight Howard (Magic): Regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in the history of the NBA, Howard won three Defensive Player of the Year awards in Orlando. He led the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals, but the team lost to the Lakers in five games. Howard would eventually win a championship with the Lakers in 2020.
Reggie Miller (Pacers): Miller was a sharpshooting scoring threat who led Indiana to the NBA Finals in 2000 but couldn’t overcome the Lakers. Miller was a five-time All-Star who turned down the Celtics’ contract offer in 2007. Boston attempted to coax Miller out of retirement to win a title, but his loyalty to Indianapolis kept him from doing so.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Which NBA Teams Have Never Won a Championship? Running Through the Full List of Have-Nots.
