Know All About: What NBA Teams Have Never Won a Championship

Every season, we see the 30 NBA teams from both conferences battle it out in a quest for the ultimate glory: the Larry O'Brien Trophy. The champions of a NBA season are awarded with this prestigious trophy, named after former NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien. Some teams such as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have the most number of championships in league history and have always been legitimate contenders for a chip each year. Others, such as the Denver Nuggets won their first championship in franchise history in 2023, ushering in a new revolution in the league.

While there are a few uncanny underdogs emerging as legitimate powerhouses to win the championship, some teams that somehow show glimpses of potential, have never won the championship throughout their existence in the NBA. Here are the 10 NBA teams that have still not witnessed championship glory as of yet.

NBA Teams That Never Won a Championship

While the Celtics and the Lakers still continue to best it out for title contentions, there are other teams who somehow emerge as the NBA champions, breaking their continuum. In the 21st century, the dominance of the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Miami Heat in title contention runs is what shocked the world the most. Sometimes, underdogs like the Toronto Raptors also go on to win the championship, enforcing the belief that any of the 30 teams could push for a title run at any given season. Nevertheless, there are only ten teams that have never been able to win the chip, despite some even appearing in the NBA Finals.

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have a rich history in the ABA, years before their merger with the NBA 1976. As part of the ABA, the Nets won two championships, which obviously does not come into account when we recall their history in the NBA. Following the merger, the Nets rebranded themselves as the New Jersey Nets and came close to winning a championship in 2002 and 2003. However, both times, the Nets faced against title contending Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, who were able to overwhelm the Nets in their only two Finals appearances.

Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets were formed as an expansion franchise in 1989 and were a strong playoff contending team from the Eastern Conference. The team was owned by Michael Jordan for the longest time, until he sold his majority shares in 2023. With a host of draft pick failures such as Emeka Okafor, Adam Morrison, and Cody Zeller, Jordan and the Hornets could never make any promising run in the postseason to date.

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers were also one of the merger teams to join from the ABA to the NBA. Back in their ABA days, the Pacers were one of the best franchises, having won three ABA Championships. However, in the NBA, the Pacers reached the NBA Finals just once in 2000. A prime Reggie Miller was faced up against the duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, who were able to overwhelm Indiana in six games and went on to win two more championships in the subsequent seasons. The Pacers haven't made any Finals appearance ever since.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers have moved from Buffalo, San Diego, to Inglewood in Los Angeles. However, despite all of these relocations, their quest for their first championship still remains. Over the years, the Clippers had brilliant talents such as Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard. However, all such talents were in vain when injuries and bad squad depth halted most of their playoff runs. The Clippers have blown 3-1 leads in the 2015 and 2020 Western Conference Semifinals and in a way, are considered one of the most unlucky franchises in NBA history.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the newest franchises in the NBA after the erstwhile Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001. However, since their time in Vancouver, the Grizzlies have somehow always suffered when it came to contending for the title. Under the helm of players such as Tony Allen, Mike Conley, Marc Gasol, and Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies appeared in seven straight playoff appearances, even reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2013. However, they were bested by the San Antonio Spurs, who went on to sweep the Grizzlies in that series.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the few teams that have not been able to reach an NBA Finals yet. Despite having Kevin Garnett for almost a decade, the Timberwolves failed in all of their contention runs and only advanced past the first round in their eight playoff appearances up until then. However, in 2024, the young Timberwolves team led by Anthony Edwards reached the Western Conference Finals, only to fall short of the Dallas Mavericks in five games.

New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans have had a tumultuous history of relocations and rebranding over time. The team changed their name from the Hornets to the Pelicans in 2012 and their best achievement till date is winning the division title. As of now, the Pelicans have appeared nine times in a playoff series, winning just two of them.

Orlando Magic

Orlando Magic has been one of the most exciting teams to watch, ever since their establishment as an expansion franchise in the late 1980s. The Magic is best known for drafting Shaquille O'Neal in 1992, who alongside Tim Hardaway, led the team to their first ever Finals run in 1995. The Magic also had Dwight Howard on their roster in the early 2000s, who led the team to another Finals run in 2009. However, both times, the two big men failed to bring home a championship in Orlando and only won their chips after moving to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are probably one of the best teams to have never won a championship. Back in the 1990s, the Suns were led by the NBA MVP Charles Barkley, who took the team to one NBA Finals, facing Michael Jordan in 1993. However, Barkley faced an upset, losing out against Jordan's Bulls in six games. Furthermore, having talents such as 2x MVP Steve Nash also did not quite help either, given the Suns crashed out in the Conference Finals during his helm.

The Suns, once again, reached an NBA Finals in 2021 under Devin Booker and Chris Paul's lead but blew a 2-0 advantage in the series against Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz tasted the pinnacle of success under the leadership of Karl Malone and John Stockton. Perhaps, the partnership of this two Hall of Famers makes the Jazz team of the 1990s one of the greatest teams to have never own a championship, despite two Finals appearances. Unfortunately for the Jazz, both their Finals appearances were against Michael Jordan and the Bulls, who bested them at the biggest stage once in 1997, and again in 1998 for the Bulls' last dance. Since then, the Jazz have fallen into obscurity and haven't appeared in a Finals in almost 27 years.

List of NBA Teams That Have Not Won a Championship

Championship glory isn't a piece of cake to grab for every team. While the NBA teams are some of the bests in basketball around the world, there are 10 teams that are still vying to taste championship glory.Here is a tabular representation of the teams that have never won a NBA championship: