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 oldest such franchise is the Suns (51 seasons), while the Royals/Kings and the Hawks have even longer championship droughts (68 and 61 seasons, respectively). Six 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 (49 seasons); the Kings and the Hawks have appearance droughts that are even longer (69 and 59 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 19 franchises that have won an NBA championship, 8 have droughts of 36 seasons or more, which is to say that the past 36 championships have been shared among only 11 franchises: the Lakers (8), Bulls (6), Spurs (5), Celtics (3), Pistons (3), Heat (3), Warriors (3), Rockets (2), Mavericks (1), Cavaliers (1), and Raptors (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 2018-19 regular season.
- Playoff picture at NBA.com[4]
^ | Longest drought in team history |
All-time droughts
Closest approaches without winning
Updated through the 2019 playoffs.
Team | Conference Quarter-Final appearances | Conference Semi-Final appearances | Conference Final appearances | NBA Final appearances | Fewest wins short of NBA Championship |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brooklyn Nets | 20 | 7 | 2 | 2 | : 2003 | 2 wins short
Indiana Pacers | 26 | 10 | 8 | 1 | : 2000 | 2 wins short
Phoenix Suns | 26 | 18 | 9 | 2 | : 1976, 1993 | 2 wins short
Utah Jazz | 28 | 16 | 6 | 2 | : 1997, 1998 | 2 wins short
Orlando Magic | 15 | 5 | 4 | 2 | : 2009 | 3 wins short
Denver Nuggets | 23 | 9 | 3 | : 1978, 2009 | 6 wins short|
Minnesota Timberwolves | 9 | 1 | 1 | : 2004 | 6 wins short|
Memphis Grizzlies | 10 | 3 | 1 | : 2013 | 8 wins short|
Los Angeles Clippers | 12 | 7 | 9 wins short : 1975, 2006, 2015 | ||
New Orleans Pelicans | 7 | 2 | 9 wins short : 2008 | ||
Charlotte Hornets | 10 | 4 | 9 wins short : 2001 |
Longest post-season droughts in team history
Updated through the 2019 playoffs.
^ | Denotes active drought |
Longest NBA Playoffs appearance droughts
- Appearance droughts updated through the 2018-19 season.
^ | Denotes active drought |
Streak | Team | NBA Playoffs appearance droughts |
Reference |
---|---|---|---|
15 seasons | Los Angeles Clippers[a] | 1977–1991 | [30] |
13 seasons | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2005–2017 | [13] |
13 seasons | Sacramento Kings ^ | 2007–2019 | [5] |
12 seasons | Golden State Warriors | 1995–2006 | [22] |
10 seasons | Dallas Mavericks | 1991–2000 | [8] |
9 seasons | Utah Jazz[b] | 1975–1983 | [32] |
9 seasons | Golden State Warriors | 1978–1986 | [22] |
9 seasons | Sacramento Kings | 1987–1995 | [5] |
9 seasons | Phoenix Suns | 2011–2019 | [6] |
8 seasons | Washington Bullets | 1989–1996 | [14] |
8 seasons | Denver Nuggets | 1996–2003 | [31] |
8 seasons | Memphis Grizzlies[c] | 1996–2003 | [12] |
8 seasons | Los Angeles Clippers | 1998–2005 | [30] |
8 seasons | Atlanta Hawks | 2000–2007 | [11] |
Longest Conference finals droughts
- Appearance droughts updated through the 2018-19 regular season. 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 |
Reference |
---|---|---|---|
50 | Los Angeles Clippers ^ [a] | 1971 † – present | [30] |
44 | Atlanta Hawks | 1971 – 2014 | [11] |
41 | Washington Wizards ^[b] | 1980 – present | [14] |
38 | Golden State Warriors | 1977 – 2014 | [22] |
30 | Charlotte Hornets ^ [c] | 1989 † – present | [9] |
25 | New Jersey Nets [d] | 1977 † – 2001 | [17] |
23 | Denver Nuggets | 1986 – 2008 | [31] |
20 | Toronto Raptors | 1996 † – 2015 | [24] |
20 | Sacramento Kings [e] | 1982 – 2001 | [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 (WAS) | 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 | * | Washington Capitols | 2* |
1947 | Philadelphia Warriors | * | Chicago Stags | * |
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 |
---|---|---|
52 seasons | Phoenix Suns (1969–present) | 1993 |
50 seasons | Los Angeles Clippers§ (1971–present) | — |
46 seasons | Utah Jazz§ (1975–present) | 1998 |
44 seasons | Denver Nuggets (1977–present) | — |
44 seasons | Indiana Pacers‡ (1977–present) | 2000 |
44 seasons | Brooklyn Nets§‡ (1977–present) | 2003 |
31 seasons | Minnesota Timberwolves (1990–present) | — |
31 seasons | Orlando Magic (1990–present) | 2009 |
30 seasons | Charlotte Hornets† (1989–2002; 2005–present) | — |
25 seasons | Memphis Grizzlies§ (1996–present) | — |
18 seasons | New Orleans Pelicans† (2003–present) | — |
- 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 | 52 | 1976, 1993 | Phoenix Suns (1969–present) |
Atlanta | 52 | None | Atlanta Hawks (1969–present) |
Denver | 44 | None | Denver Nuggets (1977–present) |
Indianapolis | 44 | 2000 | Indiana Pacers (1977–present) |
Salt Lake City | 41 | 1997, 1998 | Utah Jazz (1980–present) |
Sacramento | 35 | None | Sacramento Kings (1986–present) |
Orlando | 31 | 1995, 2009 | Orlando Magic (1990–present) |
Charlotte | 30 | None | Charlotte Hornets (1989–2002; 2015–present) Charlotte Bobcats (2005–2014) |
New Orleans | 23 | None | New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979) New Orleans Hornets (2003–2013) New Orleans Pelicans (2014–present) |
Memphis | 19 | None | Memphis Grizzlies (2002–present) |
Oklahoma City | 14 | 2012 | 2 New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets seasons (2006–2007) Oklahoma City Thunder seasons (2008–present) |
NBA Championship droughts by division
Division | Last NBA Championship | Seasons |
---|---|---|
Northwest Division‡ | 1979 — SuperSonics† | 41 |
Southeast Division | 2013 — Heat | 7 |
Southwest Division | 2014 — Spurs | 6 |
Central Division | 2016 — Cavaliers | 4 |
Pacific Division | 2018 — Warriors | 2 |
Atlantic Division | 2019 — Raptors | 1 |
- 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.
- "Playoff picture". NBA.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- "Sacramento Kings". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Phoenix Suns". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "New York Knicks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Dallas Mavericks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Charlotte Hornets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Chicago Bulls". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Atlanta Hawks". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Memphis Grizzlies". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Minnesota Timberwolves". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Washington Wizards". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "New Orleans Pelicans". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Cleveland Cavaliers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Brooklyn Nets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Orlando Magic". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Detroit Pistons". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "San Antonio Spurs". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Portland Trail Blazers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Golden State Warriors". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Milwaukee Bucks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Toronto Raptors". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Los Angeles Lakers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Boston Celtics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Miami Heat". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Indiana Pacers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Philadelphia 76ers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Los Angeles Clippers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Denver Nuggets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Utah Jazz". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Oklahoma City Thunder". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- "Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.