Most NBA championships: Who are the most decorated team in NBA history?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been a mainstay of American sports since its inception on August 3, 1949, with the merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League(NBL).

Since then, numerous teams have written their names into the league's history books by emerging as champions after a gruelling season, fending off a lot of competition en route.

From the Boston Celtics' unrivaled run in the 1950s and 60s to the Los Angeles Lakers' sustained excellence across multiple generations, these franchises have built cultures centered on winning.

In more recent times, teams like the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s and the Golden State Warriors of the 2010s redefined the game and added to the league’s championship narrative.

Here, Sports Mole delves into the NBA teams that have won the most championships to date, exploring their dominant eras.

Who has won the most NBA championships?

Boston Celtics - 18 championships

The Boston Celtics currently stand alone as the most successful franchise in NBA history, having captured a record 18th championship following their triumph in the most recent season.

Led by Bill Russell, who currently holds the record for the most NBA rings with 11, the Celtics rose to dominance during the 1960s, a decade in which they incredibly won nine titles, only failing to go all the way in 1967.

A period of rebuilding saw the 1970s become a far less successful era for the Celtics, but they still managed to add two more titles to their name in 1974 and 1976 before winning three championships in the space of five years between 1981 and 1986, thanks in no small part to Larry Bird's heroics.

What followed was a 22-year title drought, after which the Celtics rose to the pinnacle of American basketball once again in 2008, led by the trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

The Celtics were back in the finals in 2010 and 2022, albeit suffering defeat on both occasions to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors respectively.

However, the Celtics put together one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history last time out and deservingly got their hands on the highly-coveted Larry O'Brien trophy.

Joe Mazzulla's men won 80 of their 101 games in the regular season and playoffs combined, breezing past the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers to set up a grand finale against the Dallas Mavericks, who were powerless to avoid a gentleman's sweep.

Who are the Celtics' closest challengers as the NBA's most decorated franchise?

Prior to their triumph in the 2023-24 season, the Boston Celtics were tied with the Los Angeles Lakers on 17 championships, with both teams accounting for almost half of the 78 NBA titles in history.

The Lakers won their first title in 1949 to kick off a dominant era of five championships over the next six seasons, but financial issues culminated in a torrid end to the 1950s.

Having relocated to Los Angeles at the start of the decade, normal service soon resumed in the 60s as the Lakers made six NBA finals, although they were defeated in all of them by the Celtics.

The Lakers finally ended their 18-year wait for a title by defeating the New York Knicks in 1972 before going on another underwhelming spell until the start of the 1980s.

Like the Celtics 20 years earlier, the "Showtime Lakers" were the standout team of the 80s after featuring in eight finals—five of which ended in victory.

The Lakers combined skill, flair, and entertainment, while executing a deadly efficient brand of basketball. Magic Johnson's court vision, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar unstoppable skyhook and Pat Riley’s leadership created a dynasty that left a lasting impact on the game.

However, the retirement of several key players, such as the aforementioned Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson and James Worthy, meant the Lakers could not retain their status as the team to beat in the following decade.

As a result, they were anonymous for large spells of the 1990s, but the acquisition of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in 1996 ushered in yet another golden era in the 2000s.

Under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson, Kobe and Shaq led the Lakers to three straight titles between 2000 and 2002, after which Pau Gasol played a supporting role to Kobe en route to consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010 after the exit of O'Neal in 2004.

What followed for the Lakers was a rebuilding phase that saw them endure their longest playoff drought in history before the arrivals of LeBron James and Anthony Davis yielded another title in 2020.

While the Lakers and the Celtics dominated the beginning years of the NBA, the Golden State Warriors have been the most successful team over the last decade, winning four championships to take their overall tally to seven off the back of earlier triumphs in 1947, 1956 and 1976.

Led by Steph Curry, who currently holds the record for the most three-pointers made in NBA history, the Warriors went to five straight finals between 2015 and 2019, before returning to the big stage in 2022 to win title number seven at the expense of the Celtics.

The Warriors' dynasty redefined modern basketball with its fast-paced, three-point-heavy style. 

Curry's revolutionary shooting range changed how the game is played, making the three-point shot central to team offenses across the NBA. 

Just behind the Warriors in terms of titles are the Chicago Bulls, who many claim had the most dominant span ever as they reigned supreme in the 1990s.

Teaming up with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan was the cornerstone of arguably the greatest "big three" in NBA history as the Bulls completed two three-peats in the space of eight years.

The Bulls’ dominance extended beyond the court, elevating the NBA’s global popularity and transforming Jordan into a global icon.

Jordan’s scoring prowess, which yielded 10 scoring titles, Pippen’s versatility on both ends of court and Phil Jackson’s implementation of the 'triangle offense' created an unstoppable force.

The last of the Bulls' six rings came in 1998, after which they were usurped one year later by the San Antonio Spurs, who kicked off a mini-dynasty of their own.

Under legendary head coach Gregg Popovich and anchored by Tim Duncan, the Spurs captured four NBA championships in the subsequent nine years by going all the way in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007.

After five years without appearing in the finals between 2008 and 2012, Spurs contested the 2013 edition against the Miami Heat and lost 4-3, but wasted no time exacting revenge when the teams met again in the 2014 finals.

WHICH OTHER TEAMS HAVE WON MULTIPLE NBA CHAMPIONSHIPS?

The Philadelphia 76ers (1955, 1967 and 1983), Detroit Pistons (1989, 1990 and 2004) and Miami Heat (2006, 2012 and 2013) are all tied on three NBA championships, although no team has been to more finals over the last 20 years than the Heat (seven).

Currently on two NBA titles are the New York Knicks (1970 and 1973), Houston Rockets (1994 and 1995) and the Milwaukee Bucks (1971 and 2021).

Written by
Adepoju Marvellous