Which NBA teams have the longest current championship droughts?

The NBA has been on a run of repeat-free title winners, with the most recent being the first title for the Thunder. Now, since the franchise has held onto the SuperSonics’ history, this isn’t their first title, but it is the first for the franchise since moving to Oklahoma City. With the young talent on this team, the Thunder may not be done.

Of course, the Celtics have a ton of titles, but many of them came in the early days of the NBA. Winning titles was a bit easier then, but if we include Original Six titles for NHL teams, we include the many titles the Celtics and Lakers won back in the day. While Boston’s frequency of championships has slowed down considerably, the new era, the Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown era, has a ring.

For a long time, the Nuggets were one of the NBA teams without a title. They were also one of the teams that never even played in the NBA finals. Denver lucked into the chance to draft Nikola Jokic (when you take a future Hall of Famer in the second round, it’s luck) and that changed the course of the franchise. The Nuggets made the finals in 2022-23, and they took home the title as well.

No fan base can reasonably be frustrated with a three-season drought as is. Warriors fans, though, better not be complaining until that drought hits at least 10 seasons. The Warriors have won four titles in the last decade and played in two more NBA Finals in that time. Golden State had such a remarkable run that it should have bought fans quite a bit of patience.

It has started to feel like Giannis Antetokounmpo may only win one title with the Bucks. On the other hand, he’s won a title with the Bucks. Milwaukee had one of the longest title droughts in NBA history when Giannis led the team to a championship. The Bucks won a title with another player known by just his first name, Kareem, in 1971. Then, 50 years later, Giannis led the Bucks to their second franchise title.

The Lakers and Celtics are going head-to-head for all-time titles. They are two legendary franchises with numerous titles. Now, in the new millennium, the Lakers have the Celtics beat. However, in the immediate past, the Celtics have had fewer droughts. Plus, the Lakers’ last title was the COVID-19 title, so they didn’t even really get to celebrate it.

The Raptors joined the NBA in 1995 as one of the league’s first Canadian teams. When the Grizzlies swiftly left Vancouver for Memphis, the Raptors became the lone team north of the border. In an all-in move, the Raptors added Kawhi Leonard in a trade. Kawhi, staying healthier than usual, helped lead the Raptors to their first-ever title. He then immediately left for the Clippers, but flags fly forever. It has been tough for the Raptors to rebuild after losing Leonard, though.

The Cavaliers were a nothing franchise before LeBron James. He led them to a finals in 2007, but after he left for Miami, the franchise fell back to Earth. Then, King James returned. LeBron led the Cavaliers to the finals four more times, but the Warriors made it tough on them. James and company did manage one title, though, at the end of the 2015-16 season. That was huge for the city, and while the team hasn’t won since, the Cavaliers have been better in the wake of losing LeBron this time around.

The Spurs have a proper drought, given that it is over a decade. It also may not last much longer. That is betting on Victor Wembanyama, but that is a bet we’re happy to take. Can Wemby help return the Spurs to their glory days, though? Sure, it’s been 11 seasons since the last title, but between 1999 and that title in 2014, the Spurs won five championships.

As you likely remember, the Heat are the team LeBron decided to go to when he left the Cavaliers. All in all, the move panned out for all parties involved. LeBron played four seasons alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They played in four finals, winning two of them. Since then, the Heat have returned to the NBA finals twice, but haven’t won, leading to this drought.

Dirk Nowitzki had the results Giannis is probably hoping to avoid, but one ring is more than none. The German sharpshooter helped spark an NBA revolution as a seven-footer who could shoot threes with the best of them, and he helped turn a once-lackluster franchise into one of the NBA’s best (Mark Cuban’s money also helped). Now that it has been 14 seasons since Nowitzki’s one title, it’s up to Cooper Flagg and company to try and keep this drought from getting too lengthy.

We cross the threshold into droughts that have lasted over two decades, which is a robust type of drought to be sure. The Pistons played for three titles between 1988 and 1990, winning two of them. They then won in 2004, before losing in the finals in 2005. Clearly, the next time Detroit makes the finals, don’t expect it to be a one-off. It’s just a matter of when that happens.

For historical purposes, the Pelicans are treated as an expansion team that joined the NBA in 2002. They were, of course, the relocated New Orleans Hornets at that time, but the Hornets’ history has (rightfully, in our opinion) gone back to Charlotte. The Hornets don’t have a title, and have never played for one. Having a team is better than not having one, but the Pelicans have a pretty unremarkable history.

By this point, we think it is fair for Bulls fans to be frustrated and for fans of other teams to be sympathetic to their plight. Yes, the Bulls with Michael Jordan won six titles within eight seasons. That was now, as you can see, over 25 years ago. Most players in the NBA have never seen the Bulls win a title. That’s a drought, even if it was preceded by the best decade an NBA team has ever had.

Be it (briefly) in Vancouver or in Memphis, we get to 30 seasons with the Grizzlies. That’s a very long drought, all things considered. The “Grindhouse” era led to some impressive seasons, but the franchise has never played in the NBA Finals, and doesn’t feel particularly close at the moment.

The Rockets were the biggest benefactors of Michael Jordan’s brief first retirement. They won titles in 1994 and 1995 because MJ was doing the baseball thing. Those are the franchise’s only titles, but they will be hoping to change that with their current roster, which is quite impressive.

This is a combination of the original Hornets, the current Hornets, and the entire Charlotte Bobcats era. Basically, the history of NBA basketball in Charlotte. They did miss out on a couple of NBA seasons, though. Well, that means the franchise’s drought isn’t as bad as it could be. Of course, it’s still bad. The Hornets have never played for a title, and it doesn’t feel close to happening. We’ll be surprised if this drought doesn’t hit 40 seasons.

The Timberwolves have threatened at times. Since joining the NBA in 1989, the T-Wolves have played in the conference finals a few times. However, they haven’t made it to the NBA Finals just yet. Maybe it’ll happen at some point, but they haven’t been able to get over the hump just yet.

The Magic joined the NBA at the same time as the Timberwolves, but they have done something their fellow NBA teams have not. Orlando has made it to the NBA Finals. In fact, fans of the franchise didn’t have to wait all that long for their first taste of the biggest stage in the sport. The Magic made the NBA Finals in the 1994-95 season, though the Rockets did sweep them. Shaquille O’Neal left, and while the franchise was able to recover, the Magic have never built a title-winning squad.

The end result of The Process currently stands as a title drought that now extends over 40 seasons. Even LeBron James isn’t old enough to remember a title-winning team in Philadelphia. The 76ers have three titles as a franchise, but clearly, it has been a while. Even if the Sixers win soon, unless Joel Embiid is the driving force behind it, the whole Process will have been a wash when all is said and done.

Washington won the title long enough ago that Bullets wasn’t considered a too violent a nickname for the team. To be fair, they were originally the Baltimore Bullets, and maybe Washington wanted to get back to alliteration. The then-Bullets were a top team in the 1970s, making it to four NBA Finals. They only won once, though, and haven’t won since.

The Trail Blazers’ wild run to the title in the 1976-77 season is a fabled hoops story. It helps, of course, that this campaign was discussed at length in the beloved sports book “The Breaks of the Game.” In the early ‘90s, the Blazers played for a couple more titles, but they didn’t win it all. Given where Portland sits in the hierarchy of the West, this will eventually become a 50-season drought.

Now, in this instance, a caveat is needed. Not on the Pacers’ 49-season drought. That’s clear. No, it’s about how long the franchise’s drought is, and their title total. The Pacers were three-time champions in the ABA. They won their last ABA title in 1973, and then joined the NBA prior to the 1976-77 season. However, this is an NBA list, so their drought is NBA only and starts when they joined after the ABA folded.

The Nets, like the Pacers, joined the NBA after the ABA collapsed. They too don’t have an NBA title. They too won multiple ABA titles back when they were the New York Nets. When they were the New Jersey Nets they played in two NBA Finals, but didn’t win. The drought continued…and continued.

We’re now over 50 seasons of futility. Truly, these are major droughts. All-time droughts. This, of course, includes with the Jazz were the New Orleans Jazz and their team name made sense. During the era of John Stockton and Karl Malone the Jazz played in two NBA Finals, but ran into Jordan and the Bulls both times. Utah’s never-ending rebuild means that this drought is likely to continue for a while.

The Knicks have a massive, passionate fan base. Madison Square Garden is considered by many to be the height of basketball venues. However, fans of the Knicks have been waiting for over 50 years for a title. The 1972-73 season culminated in New York being the center of basketball, and at the time, surely nobody thought it would be over five decades until this franchise won another title. And yet, here we are.

The Buffalo Braves? Never played for a title? The San Diego Clippers? Never played for a title? The Los Angeles Clippers? You know where this is going. All in all, the Clippers have been the most woeful franchise in the NBA. Things have been better since Steve Ballmer bought the team, but the franchise’s eternal drought has continued.

Every now and again, the Suns pop up. They surprisingly made the NBA Finals in 1976. Unsurprisingly, led by Charles Barkley, they made it in 1993. Then, somewhat surprisingly again, the Suns were in the finals in 2021. Each time, though, the Suns fell short. Thus, the Suns joined the NBA for the 1968-69 season, and ever since then, they have been waiting for a title.

Now that’s a major jump! The Hawks haven’t won a title in well over 60 seasons! They haven’t won a title in Atlanta. The St. Louis Hawks won a title in 1958, which was long enough ago that the Hawks were representing the Western Division. In the span of five years, the Hawks played in four NBA titles, but they only won one. Since arriving in Atlanta, the Hawks have never played in the NBA Finals.

And yet, the Hawks only have the silver medal for longest title drought. It’s probably no surprise the Kings’ drought is the longest in NBA history. The drought is longer than any NHL drought! Back then, the Kings were the Rochester Royals. To make it to the finals, they beat the Fort Wayne Pistons and the Minneapolis Lakers. The NBA’s color barrier was broken this season. That’s how long it has been since the Kings as a franchise has won the title.