The 2025 NBA Finals are set, and it's a great matchup between two attempted first-timers. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers have zero NBA championships between them. There will be moans and groans about "small markets" and "no star-power," but those folks hate basketball. This is what it's all about.
Indiana has been in the NBA since the the 70s, going on 50 years without a ring (those three ABA championships belong to a different era). OKC is much newer, but Sam Presti's patient rebuild has led to what is the closest to a juggernaut we've seen since the Steph-led Warriors fell off. The Thunder still need to prove it on the Finals stage, of course, but this team is built to win games — a lot of 'em — for years to come.
As we all prepare for a thrilling clash of styles between All-NBA point guards and high-paced offenses, let's dive into the annals of NBA history for a bit of context. Here are all the champs (and who they beat) since the NBA was incepted in the 1940s.
Every NBA Finals champion in league history
Year Champion Runner-up
1947 Philadelphia Warriors Chicago Stags
1948 Baltimore Bullets Philadelphia Warriors
1949 Minneapolis Lakers Washington Capitols
1950 Minneapolis Lakers Syracuse Nationals
1951 Rochester Royals New York Knicks
1952 Minneapolis Lakers New York Knicks
1953 Minneapolis Lakers New York Knicks
1954 Minneapolis Lakers Syracuse Nationals
1955 Syracuse Nationals Ft. Wayne Pistons
1956 Philadelphia Warriors Ft. Wayne Pistons
1957 Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks
1958 St. Louis Hawks Boston Celtics
1959 Boston Celtics Minneapolis Lakers
1960 Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks
1961 Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks
1962 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers
1963 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers
1964 Boston Celtics San Francisco Warriors
1965 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers
1966 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers
1967 Philadelphia 76ers San Francisco Warriors
1968 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers
1969 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers
1970 New York Knicks Los Angeles Lakers
1971 Milwaukee Bucks Baltimore Bullets
1972 Los Angeles Lakers New York Knicks
1973 New York Knicks Los Angeles Lakers
1974 Boston Celtics Milwaukee Bucks
1975 Golden State Warriors Washington Bullets
1976 Boston Celtics Phoenix Suns
1977 Portland Trail Blazers Philadelphia 76ers
1978 Washington Bullets Seattle SuperSonics
1979 Seattle SuperSonics Washington Bullets
1980 Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers
1981 Boston Celtics Houston Rockets
1982 Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers
1983 Philadelphia 76ers Los Angeles Lakers
1984 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers
1985 Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics
1986 Boston Celtics Houston Rockets
1987 Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics
1988 Los Angeles Lakers Detroit Pistons
1989 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers
1990 Detroit Pistons Portland Trail Blazers
1991 Chicago Bulls Los Angeles Lakers
1992 Chicago Bulls Portland Trail Blazers
1993 Chicago Bulls Phoenix Suns
1994 Houston Rockets New York Knicks
1995 Houston Rockets Orlando Magic
1996 Chicago Bulls Seattle SuperSonics
1997 Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz
1998 Chicago Bulls Utah Jazz
1999 San Antonio Spurs New York Knicks
2000 Los Angeles Lakers Indiana Pacers
2001 Los Angeles Lakers Philadelphia 76ers
2002 Los Angeles Lakers New Jersey Nets
2003 San Antonio Spurs New Jersey Nets
2004 Detroit Pistons Los Angeles Lakers
2005 San Antonio Spurs Detroit Pistons
2006 Miami Heat Dallas Mavericks
2007 San Antonio Spurs Cleveland Cavaliers
2008 Boston Celtics Los Angeles Lakers
2009 Los Angeles Lakers Orlando Magic
2010 Los Angeles Lakers Boston Celtics
2011 Dallas Mavericks Miami Heat
2012 Miami Heat Oklahoma City Thunder
2013 Miami Heat San Antonio Spurs
2014 San Antonio Spurs Miami Heat
2015 Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers Golden State Warriors
2017 Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers
2018 Golden State Warriors Cleveland Cavaliers
2019 Toronto Raptors Golden State Warriors
2020 Los Angeles Lakers Miami Heat
2021 Milwaukee Bucks Phoenix Suns
2022 Golden State Warriors Boston Celtics
2023 Denver Nuggets Miami Heat
2024 Boston Celtics Dallas Mavericks
My main takeaway here is the degradation of NBA team names since 1947. Chicago Stags is 10,000X better than Chicago Bulls. Sorry. We just don't get teams in Rochester or Fort Wayne anymore either. It's a real shame. This is what corperate greed has taken from us. Just remember: the Knicks' first Finals appearance was a fat loss to the Rochester Royals.
Another big takeaway: not sure how Lakers fans can really sit here and talk like it's an even battle with the Celtics historically. I know the numbers even out in the end, but Boston spend the first couple decades of NBA basketball just mollywhopping L.A. in the Finals every year. Tough scene.
A new team will join the championship ranks this summer, as both Indiana and OKC are looking to add their first Larry O'Brein trophy. We are going to witness history either way, folks, so appreciate it while it's here.
Which NBA teams have the most NBA championships?
Rank Team Championships
1 Boston Celtics 18
2 Los Angeles Lakers 17
3 Golden State Warriors 7
4 Chicago Bulls 6
5 San Antonio Spurs 5
Boston took the crown last summer. It might be a while before the Lakers can punch back. Credit where it's due to San Antonio, though. Four of our largest media markets, franchises dominated by star-power and untold glitz... and the San Antonio Spurs. Those Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili teams were magical.