List of NBA franchise post-season droughts

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This is a list of National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise post-season appearance droughts. This list includes the all-time and the active consecutive non-playoffs. Aside from the NBA playoff appearance droughts, this list also includes droughts of series wins, appearances in the NBA Finals and NBA championship wins. The teams which have never made an NBA Playoffs appearance, an NBA Finals appearance and have never won an NBA championship are listed from the year they entered the league.

Of the 30 current NBA franchises, 13 have never won the NBA championship. The oldest such franchise is the Suns (47 seasons), while the Royals/Kings and the Hawks have even longer championship droughts (64 and 57 seasons, respectively). Only seven (7) franchises have never been to the NBA Finals, the oldest of which is the Braves/Clippers franchise (44 seasons); the Kings and the Hawks have appearance droughts that are even longer (64 and 57 seasons, respectively). The longest a franchise has gone without appearing in the playoffs at all is 15 seasons: the Braves/Clippers franchise from 1977 to 1991.

Of the 17 franchises that have won an NBA championship, 8 have droughts of 32 seasons or more, which is to say that the past 32 championships have been shared among only 9 franchises: the Lakers (8), the Bulls (6), the Spurs (5), the Celtics (3), the Pistons (3), the Heat (3), the Rockets (2), the Mavericks (1), and the Warriors (2). By contrast, the other three major North American sports have each had at least 15 franchises become champions over the same period of time.[1]

Active droughts

NBA Playoffs appearance droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2014-15 season.
Playoff picture at NBA.com[2]
^ Longest drought in team history
† Tied for longest drought in team history
Seasons Team Last appearance
in NBA Playoffs		 Reference
11 Minnesota Timberwolves^ 2004 [3]
9 Sacramento Kings † 2006 [4]
6 Detroit Pistons † 2009 [5]
5 Phoenix Suns † 2010 [6]
3 Orlando Magic 2012 [7]
3 Philadelphia 76ers 2012 [8]
3 Utah Jazz 2012 [9]
2 Los Angeles Lakers † 2013 [10]
2 Denver Nuggets 2013 [11]
2 New York Knicks 2013 [12]
1 Indiana Pacers 2014 [13]
1 Miami Heat 2014 [14]
1 Charlotte Hornets[A] 2014 [15]
1 Oklahoma City Thunder 2014 [16]
2015 Playoff teams
– Atlanta Hawks Eastern Conf. Champion 1 seed [17]
– Cleveland Cavaliers Central Div. Champion 2 seed [18]
– Chicago Bulls Eastern 3 seed [19]
– Toronto Raptors Atlantic Div. Champion 4 seed [20]
– Washington Wizards Eastern 5 seed [21]
– Milwaukee Bucks Eastern 6 seed [22]
– Boston Celtics Eastern 7 seed [23]
– Brooklyn Nets Eastern 8 seed [24]
– Golden State Warriors Western Conf. Champion 1 seed [25]
– Houston Rockets Southwest Div. Champion 2 seed [26]
– Los Angeles Clippers Western 3 seed [27]
– Portland Trail Blazers Northwest Div. Champion 4 seed [28]
– Memphis Grizzlies Western 5 seed [29]
– San Antonio Spurs Western 6 seed [30]
– Dallas Mavericks Western 7 seed [31]
– New Orleans Pelicans Western 8 seed [32]
  • A The Charlotte Hornets last earned a playoff berth in the 2014 NBA Playoffs as the Charlotte Bobcats.

NBA Playoffs series win droughts

Series win droughts updated through the 2014-15 season.
Playoff picture at NBA.com[2]
0^0 Longest drought in team history
0†0 Tied for Longest drought in team history
0♦0 Most consecutive series losses in team history
0§0 Equals most consecutive series losses in team history
Current Playoff series Loss Streak
Team Last series win
in NBA Playoffs		 Seasons
Since WIn		 Losing
Streak		 Series Losses - Teams Ref
Toronto Raptors ^ 2001 Eastern First Round 14 6 ♦ 2001 Philadelphia
2002 Detroit
2007 New Jersey Nets 00
2008 Orlando
2014 Brooklyn Nets
2015 Washington		 [20]
Milwaukee Bucks ^ 2001 Eastern Semifinals 14 7 ♦ 2001 Philadelphia
2003 New Jersey Nets 00
2004 Detroit
2006 Detroit
2010 Atlanta
2013 Miami
2015 Chicago		 [22]
Charlotte Hornets ^ * 2002 Eastern First Round 11 3 § 2002 New Jersey Nets
2010 Orlando
2014 Miami		 [15]
Sacramento Kings 2004 Western First Round 11 3 2004 Minnesota
2005 Seattle
2006 San Antonio		 [4]
Minnesota Timberwolves 2004 Western Semifinals 11 1 2004 LA Lakers [3]
New Orleans Pelicans ^ 2008 Western First Round 7 4 ♦ 2008 San Antonio
2009 Denver
2011 LA Lakers
2015 Golden State		 [32]
Detroit Pistons 2008 Eastern Semifinals 7 2 2008 Boston
2009 Cleveland		 [5]
Denver Nuggets 2009 Western Semifinals 6 5 2009 LA Lakers
2010 Utah
2011 Oklahoma City
2012 LA Lakers
2013 Golden State		 [11]
Utah Jazz 2010 Western First Round 5 2 2010 LA Lakers
2012 San Antonio		 [9]
Orlando Magic 2010 Eastern Semifinals 5 3 2010 Boston
2011 Atlanta
2012 Indiana		 [7]
Phoenix Suns 2010 Western Semifinals 5 1 2010 LA Lakers [6]
Dallas Mavericks 2011 Finals 4 3 § 2012 Oklahoma City
2014 San Antonio
2015 Houston		 [31]
Philadelphia 76ers 2012 Eastern First Round 3 1 2012 Boston [8]
Los Angeles Lakers † 2012 Western First Round 3 2 2012 Oklahoma City
2013 San Antonio		 [10]
Boston Celtics 2012 Eastern Semifinals 3 3 § 2012 Miami
2013 NY Knicks
2015 Cleveland		 [23]
New York Knicks 2013 Eastern First Round 2 1 2013 Indiana [12]
Brooklyn Nets 2014 Eastern First Round 1 2 2014 Miami
2015 Atlanta		 [24]
Portland Trail Blazers 2014 Western First Round 1 2 2014 San Antonio
2015 Memphis		 [28]
Indiana Pacers 2014 Eastern Semifinals 1 1 2014 Miami [13]
Oklahoma City Thunder 2014 Western Semifinals 1 1 2014 San Antonio [16]
Miami Heat 2014 Eastern Finals 1 1 2014 San Antonio [14]
San Antonio Spurs 2014 Finals 1 1 2015 LA Clippers [30]
z 30002015 Playoff Series 0 Winners 3000 3000
Chicago Bulls 2015 Eastern First Round — 1 2015 Cleveland [19]
Washington Wizards 2015 Eastern First Round — 1 2015 Atlanta [21]
Memphis Grizzlies 2015 Western First Round — 1 2015 Golden State [29]
Los Angeles Clippers 2015 Western First Round — 1 2015 Houston [27]
Atlanta Hawks 2015 Eastern Semifinals — 1 2015 Cleveland [17]
Houston Rockets 2015 Western Semifinals — 1 2015 Golden State [26]
Cleveland Cavaliers 2015 Eastern Finals — 1 2015 Golden State [18]
Golden State Warriors 2015 Finals — 0 4 series win streak [25]
Team Last series win
in NBA Playoffs		 Seasons
Since win		 Losing
Streak		 Series Losses - Teams Ref
  • The Charlotte Hornets last won an NBA Playoffs series in 2002, as the original incarnation of the franchise before the original franchise moved to New Orleans for the 2002–03 season. The current incarnation of the franchise, formerly known as the Charlotte Bobcats, never won an NBA Playoffs series. The team was inactive for 2 years following the 2001–02 season.

NBA Division Championship droughts

Division Championship droughts updated through the 2014-15 season.
0^0 Longest drought in team history
0†0 Tied for Longest drought in team history
0♦0 Current Division Champion

Left click once on Seasons since win column heading then once on Division column heading
to show teams listed in order of division championships.

Franchise Most recent title Division Seasons since win
Washington Wizards ^ 1978–79 Southeast 36
Charlotte Hornets ^ None Southeast 25
Memphis Grizzlies ^ None Southwest 20
Philadelphia 76ers ^ 2000–01 Atlantic 14
Milwaukee Bucks 2000–01 Central 14
Sacramento Kings 2002–03 Pacific 12
Minnesota Timberwolves 2003–04 Northwest 11
Brooklyn Nets 2005–06 Atlantic 9
Phoenix Suns 2006–07 Pacific 8
New Orleans Pelicans ^ 2007–08 Southwest 7
Utah Jazz 2007–08 Northwest 7
Detroit Pistons 2007–08 Central 7
Orlando Magic 2009–10 Southeast 5
Dallas Mavericks 2009–10 Southwest 5
Denver Nuggets 2009–10 Northwest 5
Los Angeles Lakers 2011–12 Pacific 3
Boston Celtics 2011–12 Atlantic 3
Chicago Bulls 2011–12 Central 3
New York Knicks 2012–13 Atlantic 2
Indiana Pacers 2013–14 Central 1
Miami Heat 2013–14 Southeast 1
Los Angeles Clippers 2013–14 Pacific 1
Oklahoma City Thunder 2013–14 Northwest 1
San Antonio Spurs 2013–14 Southwest 1
Toronto Raptors ♦ 2014–15 Atlantic —
Cleveland Cavaliers ♦ 2014–15 Central —
Atlanta Hawks ♦ 2014–15 Southeast —
Portland Trail Blazers ♦ 2014–15 Northwest —
Golden State Warriors ♦ 2014–15 Pacific —
Houston Rockets ♦ 2014–15 Southwest —

NBA Conference Finals appearance droughts

Conference Finals Appearance droughts through the 2015 playoffs.
^ Longest drought in team history
† Tied for longest drought in team history
Seasons Team Last appearance
in Conference Finals		 Result Reference
45 Los Angeles Clippers‡ ^ Never z — [27]
36 Washington Wizards ^[e] 1979 Won vs. San Antonio [21]
25 Charlotte Hornets ^ Never [f] z — [15]
20 Toronto Raptors ^ Never z — [20]
15 Portland Trail Blazers ^ 2000 Lost vs. L.A. Lakers [28]
15 New York Knicks 2000 Lost vs. Indiana [12]
14 Milwaukee Bucks † 2001 Lost vs. Phil0Lost vs. Philadelphia0 [22]
14 Philadelphia 76ers 2001 Won vs. Milwaukee [8]
13 Sacramento Kings 2002 Lost vs. L. A. Lakers [4]
13 New Orleans Pelicans ^ Never z — [32]
12 Brooklyn Nets [k] 2003 Won vs. Detroit [24]
11 Minnesota Timberwolves 2004 Lost vs. L.A. Lakers [3]
8 Utah Jazz 2007 Lost vs. San Antonio [9]
7 Detroit Pistons 2008 Lost vs. Boston [5]
6 Denver Nuggets 2009 Lost vs. L.A. Lakers [11]
5 Orlando Magic 2010 Lost vs. Boston [7]
5 Phoenix Suns 2010 Lost vs. L.A. Lakers [6]
5 Los Angeles Lakers 2010 Won vs. Phoenix [10]
4 Chicago Bulls 2011 Lost vs. Miami [19]
4 Dallas Mavericks 2011 Won vs. Oklahoma0Won vs. Oklahoma City0 [31]
3 Boston Celtics 2012 Lost vs. Miami [23]
2 Memphis Grizzlies 2013 Lost vs. San Antonio [29]
1 Miami Heat 2014 Won vs. Indiana [14]
1 Indiana Pacers 2014 Lost vs. Miami [13]
1 San Antonio Spurs 2014 Won vs. Oklahoma City [30]
1 Oklahoma City Thunder 2014 Lost vs. San Antonio [16]
1.5 Z2015 Conference Finalists 2014 zzz
.75 — Cleveland Cavaliers 2015 Won vs. Atlanta [18]
.75 — Atlanta Hawks 2015 Lost vs. Cleveland [17]
.75 — Houston Rockets 2015 Lost vs. Golden State [26]
.75 — Golden State Warriors 2015 Won vs. Houston [25]

‡ The Clippers have never been to the Conference Finals since they began in the 1970-71 season.

NBA Finals appearance droughts

Appearance droughts through the 2015 playoffs.
Seasons Team Last appearance
in NBA Finals		 Result Reference
64 Sacramento Kings[a] 1951 Won vs. NY Knicks [4]
54 Atlanta Hawks[b] 1961 Lost vs. Boston [17]
45 Los Angeles Clippers Never[c] yyyy — [27]
41 Milwaukee Bucks 1974 Lost vs. Boston [22]
39 Denver Nuggets Never[d] yyyy— [11]
36 Washington Wizards[e] 1979 Lost vs. Seattle [21]
26 Minnesota Timberwolves Never[g] yyyy— [3]
25 Charlotte Hornets Never[f] yyyy— [15]
23 Portland Trail Blazers 1992 Lost vs. Chicago [28]
22 Phoenix Suns 1993 Lost vs. Chicago [6]
20 Toronto Raptors Never[i] yyyy— [20]
20 Houston Rockets 1995 Won vs. Orlando [26]
20 Memphis Grizzlies Never[h] yyyy— [29]
17 Utah Jazz 1998 Lost vs. Chicago [9]
17 Chicago Bulls 1998 Won vs. Utah [19]
16 New York Knicks 1999 Lost vs. San Antonio [12]
15 Indiana Pacers 2000 Lost vs. L.A. Lakers [13]
14 Philadelphia 76ers 2001 Lost vs. L.A. Lakers [8]
13 New Orleans Pelicans Never[j] yyyy— [32]
12 Brooklyn Nets[k] 2003 Lost vs. San Antonio [24]
10 Detroit Pistons 2005 Lost vs. San Antonio [5]
6 Orlando Magic 2009 Lost vs. L.A. Lakers [7]
5 Boston Celtics 2010 Lost vs. L.A. Lakers [23]
5 Los Angeles Lakers 2010 Won vs. Boston [10]
4 Dallas Mavericks 2011 Won vs. Miami [31]
3 Oklahoma City Thunder 2012 Lost vs. Miami [16]
1 Miami Heat 2014.5 2014 Lost vs. San Antonio [14]
1 San Antonio Spurs 2014.52014 Won vs. Miami [30]
5 Z2015 Finalists 2014 zzz
— Cleveland Cavaliers 2015 Lost vs. Golden State [18]
— Golden State Warriors 2015 Won vs. Cleveland [25]
  • a The Sacramento Kings last appeared in the 1951 NBA Finals as the Rochester Royals.
  • b The Atlanta Hawks last appeared in the 1961 NBA Finals as the St. Louis Hawks.
  • c The Los Angeles Clippers have never appeared in an NBA Finals since it entered the league in the 1970–71 season.
  • d The Denver Nuggets have never appeared in an NBA Finals since it entered the league in the 1976–77 season.
  • e The Washington Wizards last appeared in the 1979 Conference Finals and NBA Finals as the Washington Bullets.
  • f Neither the original incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets, who existed from the 1988–89 season until the 2001–02 season, nor the current incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets, who have existed since the 2004–05 season, have ever appeared in an NBA Conference Finals.
  • g The Minnesota Timberwolves have never appeared in an NBA Finals since it entered the league in the 1989–90 season.
  • h The Memphis Grizzlies have never appeared in an NBA Finals since it entered the league in the 1995–96 season.
  • i The Toronto Raptors have never appeared in an NBA Conference Finals since it entered the league in the 1995–96 season.
  • j The New Orleans Pelicans have never appeared in an NBA Conference Finals since it entered the league in the 2002–03 season.
  • k The Brooklyn Nets last appeared in the 2003 Conference Finals and NBA Finals as the New Jersey Nets.

NBA championship title droughts

Win droughts up to 2014-15 season.
Seasons Team Last NBA championship Reference
64 Sacramento Kings[a] 1951 [4]
57 Atlanta Hawks[b] 1958 [17]
47 Phoenix Suns Never[c] [6]
45 Cleveland Cavaliers Never[d] [18]
45 Los Angeles Clippers Never[e] [27]
44 Milwaukee Bucks 1971 [22]
42 New York Knicks 1973 [12]
41 Utah Jazz Never[f] [9]
39 Denver Nuggets Never[g] [11]
39 Brooklyn Nets Never[i] [24]
39 Indiana Pacers Never[h] [13]
38 Portland Trail Blazers 1977 [28]
37 Washington Wizards[j] 1978 [21]
36 Oklahoma City Thunder[k] 1979 [16]
32 Philadelphia 76ers 1983 [8]
26 Orlando Magic Never[l] [7]
26 Minnesota Timberwolves Never[m] [3]
25 Charlotte Hornets Never[n] [15]
20 Houston Rockets 1995 [26]
20 Memphis Grizzlies Never[o] [29]
20 Toronto Raptors Never[p] [20]
17 Chicago Bulls 1998 [19]
13 New Orleans Pelicans Never[q] [32]
11 Detroit Pistons 2004 [5]
7 Boston Celtics 2008 [23]
5 Los Angeles Lakers 2010 [10]
4 Dallas Mavericks 2011 [31]
2 Miami Heat 2013 [14]
1 San Antonio Spurs 2014 [30]
.25 SamDefending 2014.5 NBA champion
— Golden State Warriors 2015 [25]
  • a The Sacramento Kings last won an NBA championship in 1951 as the Rochester Royals.
  • b The Atlanta Hawks last won an NBA championship in 1958 as the St. Louis Hawks.
  • c The Phoenix Suns have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1968–69 season.
  • d The Cleveland Cavaliers have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1970–71 season.
  • e The Los Angeles Clippers have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1970–71 season.
  • f The Utah Jazz has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1974–75 season.
  • g The Denver Nuggets have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1976–77 season.
  • h The Indiana Pacers have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1976–77 season.
  • i The Brooklyn Nets have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1976–77 season.
  • j The Washington Wizards last won an NBA championship in 1978 as the Washington Bullets.
  • k The Oklahoma City Thunder last won an NBA championship in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics.
  • l The Orlando Magic have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1989–90 season.
  • m The Minnesota Timberwolves have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1989–90 season.
  • n Neither the original incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets, who existed from the 1988–89 season until the 2001–02 season, nor the current incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets, who have existed since the 2004–05 season, have ever won an NBA championship.
  • o The Memphis Grizzlies have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1995–96 season.
  • p The Toronto Raptors have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1995–96 season.
  • q The New Orleans Pelicans have never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 2002–03 season.

All-time droughts

Longest post-season droughts in team history

Updated through the 2014-15 season.
0^0 Denotes active streak
Team Longest streak with
no post-season appearances		 Seasons Longest streak with
no post-season series wins		 Seasons
Los Angeles Clippers 1976–77 through 1990–91 15 1976–77 through 2004–05 29
Golden State Warriors 1994–95 through 2005–06 12 1991–92 through 2005–06 15
Minnesota Timberwolves ^ 2004–05 through 2014–15 11 1989–90 through 2002–03 14
Dallas Mavericks 1990–91 through 1999–2000 10 1988–89 through 1999–2000 12
Sacramento Kings 1986–87 through 1994–95 9 1981–82 through 1999–2000 19
Utah Jazz 1974–75 through 1982–83 9 1974–75 through 1982–83 9
Washington Wizards 1988-89 through 1995–96 8 1982–83 through 2003–04 22
Memphis Grizzlies 1995–96 through 2002–03 8 1995–96 through 2009–10 15
Denver Nuggets 1995–96 through 2002–03 8 1994–95 through 2007–08 14
Atlanta Hawks 1999–2000 through 2006–07 8 1999–2000 through 2007–08 9
New York Knicks 1959–60 through 1965–66 7 1953–54 through 1967–68 15
Cleveland Cavaliers 1998–99 through 2004–05 7 1976–77 through 1990–91 15
Milwaukee Bucks ^ 1991–92 through 1997–98 7 2001–02 through 2014–15 14
Philadelphia 76ers 1991–92 through 1997–98 7 1968–69 through 1975–76 &
2003–04 through 2010–11		 8
Oklahoma City Thunder 1967–68 through 1973–74 7 1967–68 through 1973–74 7
Portland Trail Blazers 1970–71 through 1975–76 6 2000–01 through 2012–13 13
Detroit Pistons 1977–78 through 1982–83 6 1962–63 through 1974–75 13
Boston Celtics 1995–96 through 2000–01 6 1992–93 through 2000–01 9
Chicago Bulls 1998–99 through 2003–04 6 1998–99 through 2005–06 8
Indiana Pacers 1981–82 through 1985–86 5 1976–77 through 1992–93 17
Brooklyn Nets 1986–87 through 1990–91 &
2007–08 through 2011–12		 5 1984–85 through 2000–01 17
Toronto Raptors ^ 2008–09 through 2012–13 5 2001–02 through 2014–15 14
Charlotte Hornets ^ 2004–05 through 2008–09 5 2004–05 through 2014-15 11
Houston Rockets 1969–70 through 1973–74 5 1997–98 through 2007–08 11
Phoenix Suns 1970–71 through 1974–75 5 1968–69 through 1974–75 7
Orlando Magic 1989–90 through 1992–93 4 1996–97 through 2006–07 11
Miami Heat 1988–89 through 1990–91 3 1988–89 through 1995–96 8
New Orleans Pelicans ^ 2004–05 through 2006–07
2011–12 through 2013–14		 3 2008–09 through 2014–15 7
Los Angeles Lakers ^ 1974–75 through 1975–76 2 1973–74 through 1975–76
1991–92 through 1993–94
2004–05 through 2006–07 		3
San Antonio Spurs 1983–84
1986–87
1988–89
1996–97		 1 1983–84 through 1988–89 6

Longest NBA Playoffs appearance droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2014-15 season.
^ Denotes active streak
Streak Team NBA Playoffs
appearance droughts		 Reference
15 seasons Los Angeles Clippers[a] 1977–1991 [27]
12 seasons Golden State Warriors 1995–2006 [25]
11 seasons Minnesota Timberwolves 2005–2015 [3]
10 seasons Dallas Mavericks 1991–2000 [31]
9 seasons Utah Jazz[b] 1975–1983 [9]
9 seasons Golden State Warriors 1978–1986 [25]
9 seasons Sacramento Kings 1987–1995 [4]
9 seasons Sacramento Kings 2007–2015 [4]
8 seasons Washington Bullets 1989–1996 [21]
8 seasons Denver Nuggets 1996–2003 [11]
8 seasons Memphis Grizzlies[c] 1996–2003 [29]
8 seasons Los Angeles Clippers 1998–2005 [27]
8 seasons Atlanta Hawks 2000–2007 [17]
  • a Streak included Buffalo Braves 1977–78 seasons, and San Diego Clippers 1979–84 seasons.
  • b Streak included New Orleans Jazz 1975–79 seasons.
  • c Streak included Vancouver Grizzlies 1996–2001 seasons.

Longest Conference finals droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2014-15 season. The current Conference Finals format introduced in 1971.
^ Denotes active streak
† Year the team joined the NBA
Seasons Team NBA Conference Finals
appearance droughts		 Subsequent appearance
in Conference Finals		 Reference
45 Los Angeles Clippers ^ [a] 001971 †0 – 2015 Active drought [27]
44 Atlanta Hawks 1971 – 2014 2015 [17]
38 Golden State Warriors 1977 – 2014 2015 [25]
36 Washington Wizards ^[b] 1980 – 2015 Active drought [21]
25 New Jersey Nets [c] 001977 †0 – 2001 2002 [24]
25 Charlotte Hornets ^ [d] 001989 †0 – 2015 Active drought [15]
23 Denver Nuggets 1986 – 2008 2009 [11]
20 Toronto Raptors ^ 001996 †0 – 2015 Active drought [20]
20 Sacramento Kings [e] 1982 – 2001 2002 [4]
  • a Streak includes seasons as Buffalo Braves and San Diego Clippers.
  • b Team last qualified for the Conference Finals as Washington Bullets.
  • c Current Brooklyn Nets; includes 1 season as New York Nets.
  • d Franchise inactive for 2 seasons between 2002 and 2004.
  • e Includes 4 seasons as Kansas City Kings.

Finals droughts

NBA Finals in which neither team had previously won a championship

In these instances, the matchup ensured that one team would win the first NBA championship in its history.

Season Won Lost
2006* Miami Heat Dallas Mavericks
1978 Washington Bullets Seattle SuperSonics
1971* Milwaukee Bucks Baltimore Bullets
1957* Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks
1955 Syracuse Nationals Fort Wayne Pistons^
1951* Rochester Royals^ New York Knicks
1949* Minneapolis Lakers^ Washington Capitols†
1947* Philadelphia Warriors Chicago Stags†
  • *- In these cases, each team was making its first NBA Finals appearance.
  • ^- Team had previously appeared in the National Basketball League finals before said league was merged for the NBA's formation.
  • †- Defunct franchise.

NBA Finals in which neither franchise had won a championship in 20-plus seasons

Teams that had never won the NBA championship are included, even if they were less than 20 seasons old at the time.

Season Won Drought (seasons) Lost Drought (seasons)
2015 Golden State Warriors 39 Cleveland Cavaliers 44*
2006 Miami Heat 17* Dallas Mavericks 25*
1999 San Antonio Spurs 22* New York Knicks 25
1994 Houston Rockets 26* New York Knicks 20
1978 Washington Bullets 16* Seattle SuperSonics 10*
1971 Milwaukee Bucks 2* Baltimore Bullets 9*
1957 Boston Celtics 10* St. Louis Hawks 7*
1955 Syracuse Nationals 5* Fort Wayne Pistons 6*
1951 Rochester Royals 2* New York Knicks 4*
1949* Minneapolis Lakers 0* Washington Capitols 2*
1947 Philadelphia Warriors 0* Chicago Stags 0*

Numbers marked with * indicates that the number is counted from either the franchise's first year in the NBA or the first year of the league (1946, then known as the BAA).

Cities awaiting their first NBA championship

This list includes cities with current NBA franchises which have never had their team(s) win an NBA championship, sorted by the number of seasons the city was represented in the NBA.

Win droughts updated through the 2015 playoffs.
Last city to leave list - Dallas 2011
City Drought Franchise(s) (seasons played) NBA Finals
appearance
Phoenix, Arizona 47 seasons Phoenix Suns (1968–2015) 1976, 1993
Atlanta, Georgia 47 seasons Atlanta Hawks (1968–2015) —
Cleveland, Ohio 46 seasons Cleveland Rebels (1946–1947)
Cleveland Cavaliers (1970–2015)		 2007, 2015
Indianapolis, Indiana 44 seasons Indianapolis Jets (1948–1949)
Indianapolis Olympians (1949–1953)
Indiana Pacers (1976–2015)		 2000
Denver, Colorado 40 seasons Denver Nuggets (original) (1949–1950)
Denver Nuggets (1976–2015)		 —
Salt Lake City, Utah 36 seasons Utah Jazz (1979–2015) 1997, 1998
Sacramento, California 30 seasons Sacramento Kings (1985–2015) —
Orlando, Florida 26 seasons Orlando Magic (1989–2015) 1995, 2009
Charlotte, North Carolina 25 seasons Charlotte Hornets (original) (1988–2002)
Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2004–2015)		 —
Toronto, Canada 21 seasons Toronto Huskies (1946–1947)
Toronto Raptors (1995–2015)		 —
New Orleans, Louisiana 18 seasons New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979)
New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2002–2005; 2007–2015)		 —
Memphis, Tennessee 14 seasons Memphis Grizzlies (2001–2015) —
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 9 seasons New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005–2007)
Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–2015)		 2012

See also

References

General
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Specific

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NBA season-by-season team history
Eastern Conference Western Conference
Atlantic Central Southeast Northwest Pacific Southwest
Boston Celtics Chicago Bulls Atlanta Hawks Denver Nuggets Golden State Warriors Dallas Mavericks
Brooklyn Nets Cleveland Cavaliers Charlotte Hornets Minnesota Timberwolves Los Angeles Clippers Houston Rockets
New York Knicks Detroit Pistons Miami Heat Oklahoma City Thunder Los Angeles Lakers Memphis Grizzlies
Philadelphia 76ers Indiana Pacers Orlando Magic Portland Trail Blazers Phoenix Suns New Orleans Pelicans
Toronto Raptors Milwaukee Bucks Washington Wizards Utah Jazz Sacramento Kings San Antonio Spurs
  1. ↑ Major League Baseball has 18 different franchises that have won championships and have droughts of less than 32 years; the National Football League has 16 such franchises, and the National Hockey League has 15 such franchises.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 25.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 27.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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