List of NBA franchise post-season droughts
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 championship. The oldest such franchise is the Suns (48 seasons), while the Royals/Kings and the Hawks have even longer championship droughts (67 and 60 seasons, respectively). Seven franchises have never been to the NBA Finals, the highest number among the major North American sports.[1] The oldest such team is the Braves/Clippers franchise (45 seasons); the Kings and the Hawks have appearance droughts that are even longer (65 and 58 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 18 franchises that have won an NBA championship, 8 have droughts of 35 seasons or more, which is to say that the past 35 championships have been shared among only 10 franchises: the Lakers (8), the Bulls (6), the Spurs (5), the Celtics (3), the Pistons (3), the Heat (3), the Warriors (3), the Rockets (2), the Mavericks (1), and the Cavaliers (1). By contrast, the other three major North American sports have each had at least 16 franchises become champions over the same period of time.[2][3]
Active droughts
NBA Playoffs appearance droughts
- Appearance droughts updated through the 2018 playoffs.
- Playoff picture at NBA.com[4]
^ | Longest drought in team history |
NBA Playoffs series win droughts
- Droughts updated through the 2018 playoffs.
- Playoff picture at NBA.com[4]
^ | Longest drought in team history |
† | Tied for Longest drought in team history |
♦ | Most consecutive series losses in team history |
♣ ♣ | Most consecutive losses in NBA history |
a Charlotte was inactive for two years following the 2001–02 season.
NBA Division Championship droughts
Updated through the 2017-18 regular season.
^ | Longest drought in team history |
♦ | 2017–18 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.
NBA Conference Finals appearance droughts
^ | Longest drought in team history |
† | Tied for longest drought in team history |
Seasons | Team | Last appearance in Conference Finals |
Result | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
48 | Los Angeles Clippers ^ | Never | — | [18] |
39 | Washington Wizards ^[c] | 1979 | Won vs. San Antonio | [21] |
28 | Charlotte Hornets ^ | Never | — | [12] |
18 | Portland Trail Blazers ^ | 2000 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [23] |
18 | New York Knicks | 2000 | Lost vs. Indiana | [10] |
17 | Milwaukee Bucks ^ | 2001 | Lost vs. Philadelphia | [22] |
17 | Philadelphia 76ers ^ | 2001 | Won vs. Milwaukee | [27] |
16 | Sacramento Kings | 2002 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [5] |
16 | New Orleans Pelicans ^ | Never | — | [29] |
15 | Brooklyn Nets [d] | 2003 | Won vs. Detroit | [11] |
14 | Minnesota Timberwolves † | 2004 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [26] |
11 | Utah Jazz | 2007 | Lost vs. San Antonio | [30] |
10 | Detroit Pistons | 2008 | Lost vs. Boston | [13] |
9 | Denver Nuggets | 2009 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [9] |
8 | Orlando Magic | 2010 | Lost vs. Boston | [7] |
8 | Phoenix Suns | 2010 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [6] |
8 | Los Angeles Lakers † | 2010 | Won vs. Phoenix | [8] |
7 | Chicago Bulls | 2011 | Lost vs. Miami | [15] |
7 | Dallas Mavericks | 2011 | Won vs. Oklahoma City | [14] |
5 | Memphis Grizzlies | 2013 | Lost vs. San Antonio | [16] |
4 | Miami Heat | 2014 | Won vs. Indiana | [20] |
4 | Indiana Pacers | 2014 | Lost vs. Miami | [19] |
3 | Atlanta Hawks | 2015 | Lost vs. Cleveland | [17] |
2 | Toronto Raptors | 2016 | Lost vs. Cleveland | [28] |
2 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 2016 | Lost vs. Golden State | [24] |
1 | San Antonio Spurs | 2017 | Lost vs. Golden State | [25] |
2018 Conference Finalists | ||||
0 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2018 | Won vs. Boston | [33] |
0 | Boston Celtics | 2018 | Lost vs. Cleveland | [31] |
0 | Houston Rockets | 2018 | Lost vs. Golden State | [32] |
0 | Golden State Warriors | 2018 | Won vs. Houston | [34] |
NBA Finals appearance droughts
Seasons | Team | Last appearance in NBA Finals |
Result | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
68 | Sacramento Kings[a] | 1951 | Won vs. New York | [5] |
58 | Atlanta Hawks[b] | 1961 | Lost vs. Boston | [17] |
48 | Los Angeles Clippers | Never | — | [18] |
44 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1974 | Lost vs. Boston | [22] |
42 | Denver Nuggets | Never | — | [9] |
39 | Washington Wizards[c] | 1979 | Lost vs. Seattle | [21] |
29 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Never | — | [26] |
28 | Charlotte Hornets | Never | — | [12] |
26 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1992 | Lost vs. Chicago | [23] |
25 | Phoenix Suns | 1993 | Lost vs. Chicago | [6] |
23 | Toronto Raptors | Never | — | [28] |
23 | Houston Rockets | 1995 | Won vs. Orlando | [32] |
23 | Memphis Grizzlies | Never | — | [16] |
20 | Utah Jazz | 1998 | Lost vs. Chicago | [30] |
20 | Chicago Bulls | 1998 | Won vs. Utah | [15] |
19 | New York Knicks | 1999 | Lost vs. San Antonio | [10] |
18 | Indiana Pacers | 2000 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [19] |
17 | Philadelphia 76ers | 2001 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [27] |
16 | New Orleans Pelicans | Never | — | [29] |
15 | Brooklyn Nets[d] | 2003 | Lost vs. San Antonio | [11] |
13 | Detroit Pistons | 2005 | Lost vs. San Antonio | [13] |
9 | Orlando Magic | 2009 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [7] |
8 | Boston Celtics | 2010 | Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers | [31] |
8 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2010 | Won vs. Boston | [8] |
7 | Dallas Mavericks | 2011 | Won vs. Miami | [14] |
6 | Oklahoma City Thunder | 2012 | Lost vs. Miami | [24] |
4 | Miami Heat | 2014 | Lost vs. San Antonio | [20] |
4 | San Antonio Spurs | 2014 | Won vs. Miami | [25] |
2018 Finalists | ||||
0 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2018 | Lost vs. Golden State | [33] |
0 | Golden State Warriors | 2018 | Won vs. Cleveland | [34] |
- 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 Washington Wizards last appeared in the 1979 Conference Finals and NBA Finals as the Washington Bullets.
- d The Brooklyn Nets last appeared in the 2003 Conference Finals and NBA Finals as the New Jersey Nets.
NBA championship title droughts
Seasons | Team | Last NBA championship | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
67 | Sacramento Kings[a] | 1951 | [5] |
60 | Atlanta Hawks[b] | 1958 | [17] |
50 | Phoenix Suns | Never | [6] |
48 | Los Angeles Clippers | Never | [18] |
47 | Milwaukee Bucks | 1971 | [22] |
45 | New York Knicks | 1973 | [10] |
44 | Utah Jazz | Never | [30] |
42 | Denver Nuggets | Never | [9] |
42 | Brooklyn Nets | Never | [11] |
42 | Indiana Pacers | Never | [19] |
41 | Portland Trail Blazers | 1977 | [23] |
40 | Washington Wizards[c] | 1978 | [21] |
39 | Oklahoma City Thunder[d] | 1979 | [24] |
35 | Philadelphia 76ers | 1983 | [27] |
29 | Orlando Magic | Never | [7] |
29 | Minnesota Timberwolves | Never | [26] |
28 | Charlotte Hornets | Never | [12] |
23 | Houston Rockets | 1995 | [32] |
23 | Memphis Grizzlies | Never | [16] |
23 | Toronto Raptors | Never | [28] |
20 | Chicago Bulls | 1998 | [15] |
16 | New Orleans Pelicans | Never | [29] |
14 | Detroit Pistons | 2004 | [13] |
10 | Boston Celtics | 2008 | [31] |
8 | Los Angeles Lakers | 2010 | [8] |
7 | Dallas Mavericks | 2011 | [14] |
5 | Miami Heat | 2013 | [20] |
4 | San Antonio Spurs | 2014 | [25] |
2 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2016 | [33] |
Defending NBA champion | |||
0 | Golden State Warriors | 2018 | [34] |
- 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 Washington Wizards last won an NBA championship in 1978 as the Washington Bullets.
- d The Oklahoma City Thunder last won an NBA championship in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics.
All-time droughts
Closest approaches without winning
Updated through the 2018 playoffs.
Team | Conference Quarter-Final appearances | Conference Semi-Final appearances | Conference Final appearances | NBA Final appearances | Fewest wins short of NBA Championship |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brooklyn Nets | 19 | 7 | 2 | 2 | : 2003 | 2 wins short
Indiana Pacers | 25 | 10 | 8 | 1 | : 2000 | 2 wins short
Phoenix Suns | 26 | 18 | 9 | 2 | : 1976, 1993 | 2 wins short
Utah Jazz | 27 | 16 | 6 | 2 | : 1997, 1998 | 2 wins short
Orlando Magic | 14 | 5 | 4 | 2 | : 2009 | 3 wins short
Toronto Raptors | 10 | 4 | 1 | 6 wins short : 2016 | |
Minnesota Timberwolves | 9 | 1 | 1 | : 2004 | 6 wins short|
Denver Nuggets | 22 | 8 | 3 | : 1978, 2009 | 6 wins short|
Memphis Grizzlies | 10 | 3 | 1 | : 2013 | 8 wins short|
Los Angeles Clippers | 11 | 7 | 9 wins short : 1975, 2006, 2015 | ||
New Orleans Pelicans | 7 | 2 | 9 wins short : 2008 | ||
Charlotte Hornets | 10 | 4 | 11 wins short : 2002 |
Longest post-season droughts in team history
Updated through the 2018 playoffs.
^ | Denotes active drought |
Longest NBA Playoffs appearance droughts
- Appearance droughts updated through 2017–18 season.
^ | Denotes active drought |
Streak | Team | NBA Playoffs appearance droughts |
Reference |
---|---|---|---|
15 seasons | Los Angeles Clippers[a] | 1977–1991 | [18] |
13 seasons | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2005–2017 | [26] |
12 seasons | Golden State Warriors | 1995–2006 | [34] |
12 seasons | Sacramento Kings ^ | 2007–2018 | [5] |
10 seasons | Dallas Mavericks | 1991–2000 | [14] |
9 seasons | Utah Jazz[b] | 1975–1983 | [30] |
9 seasons | Golden State Warriors | 1978–1986 | [34] |
9 seasons | Sacramento Kings | 1987–1995 | [5] |
8 seasons | Washington Bullets | 1989–1996 | [21] |
8 seasons | Denver Nuggets | 1996–2003 | [9] |
8 seasons | Memphis Grizzlies[c] | 1996–2003 | [16] |
8 seasons | Los Angeles Clippers | 1998–2005 | [18] |
8 seasons | Atlanta Hawks | 2000–2007 | [17] |
8 seasons | Phoenix Suns | 2011–2018 | [6] |
Longest Conference finals droughts
- Appearance droughts updated through the 2018 playoffs. The current Conference Finals format was introduced in 1971.
^ | Denotes active drought |
† | Year the team joined the NBA |
Seasons | Team | NBA Conference Finals appearance droughts |
Subsequent appearance in Conference Finals |
Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
48 | Los Angeles Clippers ^ [a] | 1971 † – 2018 | Active drought | [18] |
44 | Atlanta Hawks | 1971 – 2014 | 2015 | [17] |
38 | Golden State Warriors | 1977 – 2014 | 2015 | [34] |
39 | Washington Wizards ^[b] | 1980 – 2018 | Active drought | [21] |
28 | Charlotte Hornets ^ [c] | 1989 † – 2018 | Active drought | [12] |
25 | New Jersey Nets [d] | 1977 † – 2001 | 2002 | [11] |
23 | Denver Nuggets | 1986 – 2008 | 2009 | [9] |
20 | Toronto Raptors | 1996 † – 2015 | 2016 | [28] |
20 | Sacramento Kings [e] | 1982 – 2001 | 2002 | [5] |
- a Streak includes seasons as Buffalo Braves and San Diego Clippers.
- b Team last qualified for the Conference Finals as Washington Bullets.
- c Franchise inactive for two seasons between 2002 and 2004.
- d Current Brooklyn Nets; includes one season as New York Nets.
- e Includes four 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.
* | Both Teams in 1st NBA Finals appearance |
Season | Won | Lost | Number of years till drought ended |
---|---|---|---|
2006* | Miami Heat | Dallas Mavericks | 5 |
1978 | Washington Bullets | Seattle SuperSonics (OKC) | 1 |
1971* | Milwaukee Bucks | Baltimore Bullets (WSH) | 7 |
1957* | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks (ATL) | 1 |
1955 | Syracuse Nationals (PHI) | Fort Wayne Pistons (DET)^ | 34 |
1951* | Rochester Royals (SAC)^ | New York Knicks | 19 |
1949* | Minneapolis Lakers (LAL)^ | Washington Capitols† | defunct 2 years later |
1947* | Philadelphia Warriors (GSW) | Chicago Stags† | defunct 3 years later |
- ^- Team had previously appeared in the National Basketball League finals before said league was merged for the NBA's formation.
- †- Defunct franchise.
- Abbreviation in parentheses – Current location of NBA 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).
Teams awaiting their first NBA championship
This list includes teams within the current NBA that have never won an NBA championship—sorted by the number of seasons played in the NBA.
Total seasons (NBA) |
Franchise | Last NBA Finals appearance |
---|---|---|
50 seasons | Phoenix Suns (1969–2018) | 1993 |
48 seasons | Los Angeles Clippers§ (1971–2018) | — |
44 seasons | Utah Jazz§ (1975–2018) | 1998 |
42 seasons | Denver Nuggets (1977–2018) | — |
42 seasons | Indiana Pacers‡ (1977–2018) | 2000 |
42 seasons | Brooklyn Nets§‡ (1977–2018) | 2003 |
29 seasons | Minnesota Timberwolves (1990–2018) | — |
29 seasons | Orlando Magic (1990–2018) | 2009 |
28 seasons | Charlotte Hornets† (1989–2002; 2005–2018) | — |
23 seasons | Toronto Raptors (1996–2018) | — |
23 seasons | Memphis Grizzlies§ (1996–2018) | — |
16 seasons | New Orleans Pelicans† (2003–2018) | — |
- Notes
- § NBA teams that have relocated from their original city(s).
- † NBA teams that have re-branded to/from their original concept.
- ‡ NBA teams that have won an ABA championship.
Cities awaiting first NBA championship
Listed according to seasons waited. Current NBA cities/regions only.
City | Seasons waited | Conference Title(s) | NBA Team(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Phoenix | 50 | 1976, 1993 | Phoenix Suns (1969–present) |
Atlanta | 50 | None | Atlanta Hawks (1969–present) |
Denver | 42 | None | Denver Nuggets (1977–present) |
Indianapolis | 42 | 2000 | Indiana Pacers (1977–present) |
Salt Lake City | 39 | 1997, 1998 | Utah Jazz (1980–present) |
Sacramento | 33 | None | Sacramento Kings (1986–present) |
Orlando | 29 | 1995, 2009 | Orlando Magic (1990–present) |
Charlotte | 28 | None | Charlotte Hornets (1989–2002; 2015–present) Charlotte Bobcats (2005–2014) |
Toronto | 24 | None | 1 Toronto Huskies season (1947) 23 Toronto Raptors seasons (1996–present) |
New Orleans | 21 | None | New Orleans Jazz (1974-1979) New Orleans Hornets (2003–2013) New Orleans Pelicans (2014–present) |
Memphis | 17 | None | Memphis Grizzlies (2002–present) |
Oklahoma City | 12 | 2012 | 2 New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets seasons (2006–2007) 10 Oklahoma City Thunder seasons (2008–present) |
NBA Championship droughts by division
Division | Last NBA Championship | Seasons |
---|---|---|
Northwest Division‡ | 1979 — SuperSonics† | 39 |
Atlantic Division | 2008 — Celtics | 10 |
Southeast Division | 2013 — Heat | 5 |
Southwest Division | 2014 — Spurs | 4 |
Central Division | 2016 — Cavaliers | 2 |
Pacific Division | 2018 — Warriors | 0 |
- Notes
- ‡ The last time a team playing in the present-day Northwest Division won an NBA Championship.
- † The SuperSonics won this NBA Championship as part of the Pacific Division. The team has relocated to Oklahoma City as the Oklahoma City Thunder.
See also
- List of NBA franchise post-season streaks
- List of National Basketball Association longest losing streaks
- List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks
- List of Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise post-season droughts
- List of National Football League (NFL) franchise post-season droughts
- List of National Hockey League (NHL) franchise post-season droughts
- List of Major League Soccer (MLS) club post-season droughts
References
- General
- "Team Index". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- Specific
- ↑ Newberry, Paul (May 10, 2015). "NBA: NFL has most parity, NBA is most exclusive club when it comes to winning titles". Associated Press. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Aldridge, David (June 6, 2015). "Warriors close in on title ... and keep NBA history afloat". NBA.com. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- 1 2 "Playoff picture". NBA.com. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sacramento Kings". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Phoenix Suns". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Orlando Magic". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Los Angeles Lakers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Denver Nuggets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "New York Knicks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Brooklyn Nets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Charlotte Hornets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Detroit Pistons". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Dallas Mavericks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Chicago Bulls". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Memphis Grizzlies". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Atlanta Hawks". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Los Angeles Clippers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Indiana Pacers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Miami Heat". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Washington Wizards". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Milwaukee Bucks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Portland Trail Blazers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 "Oklahoma City Thunder". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "San Antonio Spurs". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Minnesota Timberwolves". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Philadelphia 76ers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Toronto Raptors". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "New Orleans Pelicans". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Utah Jazz". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Boston Celtics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Cleveland Cavaliers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Golden State Warriors". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.