Winning an NBA ring is basically the hardest thing to do in professional sports. You’ve got eighty-two games of regular-season grind, followed by two months of high-stakes playoff intensity, and then—if you're lucky—the Finals. Honestly, when we look back at all NBA Finals winners, we tend to remember the dynasties. We think of Jordan’s Bulls or the Showtime Lakers. But the actual history is way messier, full of weird "asterisk" years and massive upsets that the history books usually gloss over.
Take the 2025 season, for example. The Oklahoma City Thunder just finished one of the most improbable runs in recent memory. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and that young core didn't just win; they dismantled the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game thriller that ended exactly where it needed to: Game 7 in June. Before that, people were still arguing if the 2024 Boston Celtics were "actually" great or if they just had an easy path. That’s the thing about this list. Every single winner has a story that’s usually a mix of sheer talent and incredible luck.
The Dynasty Eras That Defined the League
If you look at the raw numbers, two teams basically own the trophy room. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Between them, they have 35 championships. Think about that. Nearly half of all the titles in history belong to just two cities.
Boston's dominance in the 1960s was kinda ridiculous. They won eight straight titles from 1959 to 1966. Bill Russell was the anchor, and honestly, the league wasn't ready for that kind of defensive presence. Then you had the 80s, which most older fans call the "Golden Era." It was Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson. They traded titles back and forth, saved the league from bankruptcy, and created the modern NBA.
But then came Michael Jordan.
The 1990s were basically just a decade-long Chicago Bulls highlights reel, interrupted only by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets when Jordan went to play baseball. The Bulls had two separate "three-peats." That’s six rings in eight years. Most franchises would kill for just one.
The Modern Parity Problem
Recently, things have changed. We don't see those 10-year stretches of dominance anymore. Well, except for the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green (and for a while, Kevin Durant) turned the league upside down with the three-point revolution. They won in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022.
But look at the last seven seasons. We’ve had seven different winners.
- 2019: Toronto Raptors (the Kawhi Leonard year)
- 2020: Los Angeles Lakers (the Bubble)
- 2021: Milwaukee Bucks (Giannis went nuclear)
- 2022: Golden State Warriors (the return)
- 2023: Denver Nuggets (Jokic dominance)
- 2024: Boston Celtics (banner 18)
- 2025: Oklahoma City Thunder (the new era)
This kind of parity makes the list of all NBA Finals winners way more interesting because anyone can get hot at the right time.
The Massive Upsets We Still Can't Explain
Everyone loves an underdog story, but some of these winners shouldn't have won on paper. The 2004 Detroit Pistons are the gold standard here. They went up against a Lakers "Superteam" that had Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton. Everyone—and I mean everyone—expected the Lakers to sweep. Instead, the Pistons played "smashmouth" defense and won the series 4-1. It was a defensive masterclass that basically ended the Shaq-Kobe era in LA.
Then there’s 2011. The Dallas Mavericks vs. the "Heatles."
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh had just teamed up in Miami. They were supposed to win "not two, not three, not four..." championships. But Dirk Nowitzki had other plans. He played with a fever, hit clutch shots, and led a veteran Mavs squad to a 4-2 victory. It’s still considered one of the most "pure" championships because Dallas didn't have a second superstar—just a bunch of guys who knew their roles.
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The "Asterisk" Debates
Fans love to argue about which rings "count" more. You’ve probably heard people talk about the 2020 Lakers ring in the Orlando Bubble. They say there was no travel, no fans, and it wasn't "real" basketball. But if you talk to the players, they’ll tell you it was the hardest ring to win because of the mental toll.
Or look at the 2019 Raptors. They beat a Golden State team that lost Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson to devastating injuries during the series. Does that make the Raptors' win less impressive? Honestly, no. Availability is a skill. Part of being one of the all NBA Finals winners is just staying healthy enough to cross the finish line.
A Quick Look at the Franchises with the Most Hardware
If you’re trying to keep score at home, here is how the top of the mountain looks as of early 2026:
- Boston Celtics: 18 Titles
- Los Angeles Lakers: 17 Titles
- Golden State Warriors: 7 Titles
- Chicago Bulls: 6 Titles
- San Antonio Spurs: 5 Titles
The San Antonio Spurs are an interesting case. They never won back-to-back, which is weird for a dynasty. They just won consistently for twenty years under Gregg Popovich. It was "boring" excellence. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili just went to work, won five rings between 1999 and 2014, and never made a fuss about it.
The Teams Still Waiting
It's sort of sad when you look at the other side of the coin. There are still eleven teams that have never tasted a championship. The Phoenix Suns have been close so many times. The Utah Jazz had those legendary battles with the Bulls and came up empty. The Indiana Pacers just lost the 2025 Finals, adding another year to their drought.
Winning isn't just about having the best player. It’s about the right matchup at the right time.
Why History Matters for Today's Game
When you study all NBA Finals winners, you start to see patterns. You need a top-five player, sure. But you also need "the guy who does the dirty work." Think of Robert Horry (who has seven rings!) or Steve Kerr. These aren't the guys on the posters, but they’re the ones hitting the shot in the corner when the superstar gets doubled.
The league is moving toward a younger, faster style of play. The Thunder's 2025 win proved that you don't need a roster of thirty-year-olds to win anymore. You need versatile wings and bigs who can shoot.
If you're a fan trying to understand the legacy of the league, don't just look at the box scores. Look at the context. Look at who was injured, who had a breakout series, and which coach made the gutsy adjustment. That’s where the real history lives.
How to Track the Next Champions
If you want to keep up with the next entries on this list, stop looking at "Superteams" and start looking at depth. The days of three stars and a bunch of minimum-contract guys winning titles are mostly over because of the new salary cap rules (the "Second Apron" stuff).
- Watch the Defensive Rating: Almost every winner in the last twenty years had a top-10 defense.
- Check the Clutch Stats: Who takes the shots in the final two minutes?
- Follow the Injury Reports: This sounds cynical, but the healthiest team in May usually wins in June.
The history of the NBA is still being written, and with the talent level higher than it’s ever been, the list of winners is only going to get more crowded and more controversial.
To really get ahead of the curve, start watching the Western Conference playoff seedings. The West has been a bloodbath for years, and whoever survives that gauntlet usually has the "battle-hardened" edge needed to take home the Larry O'Brien trophy. Keep an eye on the defensive rotations of the top four seeds; that's where the next champion is hiding.