History UsefulNotes / NationalBasketballAssociation

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Marcus Smart, SG/PG, Celtics[[note]]Repeated from 2022[[/note]] (2023)

However, behind a revived "Big Three" of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen, the Celtics won their 17th championship in 2008 after defeating the Lakers (however it failed to break the curse), who returned the favor in the Finals two years later. They remained generally competitive in years since and finally returned to the Finals in 2022 after a 12-year absence, though they have yet to add another O'Brien Trophy to the case, allowing their championship record to be tied by their hated ArchEnemy.\\\

Formerly known as the New Jersey Nets ([[IHaveManyNames and before that]] the New York Nets, and before ''that'' the New Jersey Americans). They were one of four ABA teams to merge into the NBA in 1976. In the Nets' ABA days, they were led by superstar Julius Erving and won two championships ('74, '76). Their years in the NBA, however, have not been as fruitful, as the Nets have been mired in mediocrity for decades, with the only notable exception coming in the form of back-to-back trips to the Finals in 2002-03 under the leadership of Jason Kidd, though they lost both.

In 2012, a consortium of investors led by real-estate mogul Brett Ratner and including Music/JayZ as a significant minority partner bought the Nets and moved them to Brooklyn, giving the borough its first major league franchise since the Dodgers left for California in the '50s.[[note]]The NHL's New York Islanders moved into the same building a few years later, though that proved temporary.[[/note]] The involvement of Jay-Z--a Brooklyn native known to be a big basketball fan--lent credibility (and more than a bit of hype) to the project. After three good seasons in Brooklyn, the aging/expensive roster bottomed out, then climbed out of the abyss and signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the 2019 offseason, making them potential title contenders with the hype of being a "superteam", only added to after the Nets made a monster trade to get James Harden; none of these trades worked in securing a ring, and all of those stars were gone before the end of the 2022-23 season.

Their colors are black and white, though during their time in New Jersey, they were red and blue (ranging from their infamous powder blue look from TheNineties or their darker navy blue of the 2000s).

The team's colors are a vibrant OrangeBlueContrast.

Their colors are dark wine red, gold, and black (the latter serving as a tribute to the 2016 Finals team). Prior to that, they started with wine red and gold before switching to OrangeBlueContrast during TheEighties, adding black to the mix during TheNineties due to complaints from the Knicks due to them having the same uniform color scheme, went back to their wine red and gold roots during [=LeBron's=] first stint. Their slogan, befitting their French origin of ''Literature/TheThreeMusketeers'' is "All for One, One for All"

Formerly known as the New Jersey Nets ([[IHaveManyNames and before that]] the New York Nets, and before ''that'' the New Jersey Americans). They were one of four ABA teams to merge into the NBA in 1976.

In the Nets' ABA days, they were led by Julius Erving and won two championships ('74, '76). Their years in the NBA, however, have not been as fruitful, as the Nets have been mired in mediocrity for decades, with the only notable exception coming in the form of back-to-back trips to the Finals in 2002-03, though they lost both.

In 2012, a consortium of investors led by real-estate mogul Brett Ratner and including Music/JayZ as a significant minority partner bought the Nets and moved them to Brooklyn, giving the borough its first major league franchise since the Dodgers left for California in the '50s.[[note]]The NHL's New York Islanders moved into the same building a few years later, though that proved temporary.[[/note]] The involvement of Jay-Z--a Brooklyn native known to be a big basketball fan--lent credibility (and more than a bit of hype) to the project.

After three good seasons in Brooklyn, the aging/expensive roster bottomed out, then climbed out of the abyss and signing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the 2019 offseason, making them potential title contenders with the hype of being a "superteam", only added to after the Nets made a monster trade to get James Harden; none of these trades have worked in securing a ring, and all of these stars were gone before the end of the 2022-23 season.

One of the youngest franchises in the NBA and are the only team still based in Canada after the league's attempted expansion into the country in 1995[[labelnote:*]](the other team, the Grizzlies, relocated to Memphis from Vancouver in 2001 due to poor results early on)[[/labelnote]]. By the late 2000s, they started to focus on that aspect, trading their primary color from purple to red and coining the slogan "We the North".

The Raptors were initially known for the teams that featured Vince Carter and Chris Bosh. After many stretches as TheChewToy, they started to recover in 2016 with Kyle Lowry and [=DeMar DeRozan=], having a major winning breakthrough in the playoffs and going all the way to the Conference Finals. Despite this, they were never good enough to beat [=LeBron=] and the Cavaliers, which reached its apex in 2018 when the Cavs swept the Raps in the second round, leading to the moniker [[EmbarrassingNickname "LeBronto"]] for their city. This forced a minor rebuilding process in 2019, the centerpiece of which was trading franchise star [=DeRozan=] for former NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard; the risk was worth it, as the Raptors advanced to their first-ever NBA Finals and became the first team/city outside the U.S. to win the NBA championship, defeating the Warriors in six games and earning Leonard his second Finals MVP and NBA trophies.

The Raptors seem to be facing something of a rebuild following Leonard's departure for the Clippers in the 2019 offseason.

''Film/JurassicPark'' not only inspired the team name but became the nickname of Maple Leaf Square during public viewings of the team's games.

The original Hornets were founded in 1988 and were one of the most exciting and popular teams of the '90s (helped by their very decade-appropriate teal and purple color scheme). However, falling attendance, uninspired play, and a souring relationship between the fans and the owner prompted the Hornets to move to New Orleans.

In 2013, the New Orleans Hornets renamed themselves the Pelicans, thus opening the door for the Bobcats to "return" the Hornets name and colors back to Charlotte. Additionally, by agreement with the NBA and the Pelicans, the team also [[RetCon regained the rights to the history and records of the original Charlotte Hornets.]]

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Ever since then, the T-Wolves have finished at or near the bottom of a hyper-competitive Western Conference, only making the playoffs ''twice'' since. Garnett left Minnesota for Boston in 2007 to finally win a championship, then returned to the T-Wolves in 2015 for one final season as a mentor to the current young roster, though that ended on an ''extremely'' sour note.[[note]]Garnett has more or less exiled himself from the organization and allied himself with the Celtics due to the way he was treated throughout his tenure there, which stemmed from how the team's original ownership handled the tragic death of his close friend and fellow T-Wolves teammate Malik Sealy who was killed in a car accident, which Garnett felt was a huge disservice (despite them retiring Sealy's #2); this is why Garnett's number hasn't been worn nor retired since, and it's speculated that they'll only retire Garnett's number if the two sides reconcile their differences[[/note]].

The team is now led by Karl-Anthony Towns and is finally showing some small signs of improvement.

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Formerly the New Orleans Hornets, they Pelicans were initially the ''de facto'' original incarnation of the Charlotte Hornets who moved to New Orleans in 2002. A deal struck with the current Charlotte Hornets has officially deemed the Pelicans [[CanonDiscontinuity as though they never were in Charlotte]], having been founded in 2002 instead of 1988.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, they played home games in Oklahoma City for two years, making them the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for two seasons (and contributing to Seattle losing the [=SuperSonics=]).

The team's been fairly consistently mediocre in their history. Point guard Chris Paul led the team to their first division title in '08, but they've slipped back into mediocrity since then. Through 2012 and '13, the team gained a new owner, their new name, and drafted Anthony Davis, making them one of the more exciting young teams in the league. However, with the Pels mired in mediocrity, Davis forced a trade to the Lakers in 2019 in exchange for a treasure trove of young prospects and draft picks which, along with the Pels' selection of college sensation Zion Williamson as the first pick in the 2019 Draft, gave the team a jump start on a rebuild.

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** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Joel Embiid, C, 76ers[[note]]Led NBA in scoring for second straight year[[/note]] (2023)

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Jrue Holiday, PG, Bucks[[note]]His third win after '20 and '22; he's the only player to have received the award more than once.[[/note]]

* '''Ernie Johnson Jr.''' has hosted ''Series/InsideTheNBA'' [[LongRunner since 1990]] and is thus one of the most recognizable voices in basketball. Son of MLB pitcher-turned-announcer Ernie Johnson Sr., "E.J." followed his father's footsteps in the Atlanta sportscasting scene. When the young Creator/{{TNT}} channel began its foray into sports, Johnson was in the right place in the right time to take the reins of what would become one of the most successful sport analysis shows in the history of American television. The show's success comes in no small part from Johnson playing OnlySaneMan to the former players who make up the rest of the panel.

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Monte [=McNair=], Kings[[note]]Played his part in the Kings' rise in 2022–23 by hiring Coach of the Year Mike Brown and bringing in key rotation players Kevin Huerter (trade), Malik Monk (free agent), and Keegan Murray (draft).[[/note]] (2023)

The ''other'' Los Angeles team, they currently share Crypto.com Arena (previously known as Staples Center) with the Lakers. Born as the Buffalo Braves in 1970, they became the San Diego Clippers (as in the boats, not the hair-cutting instruments) in 1978 and moved to L.A. in 1984. After 15 years at the aging L.A. Memorial Sports Arena (with occasional home games in Orange County), they became joint tenants of the newly opened Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) with the Lakers and the NHL's Kings in 1999.

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Mike Brown, Kings[[note]]In his first season as the Kings' HC, led them to their first playoff berth since 2006. This accomplishment was so significant that Brown became the first in the award's history to win it by unanimous vote.[[/note]] (2023; ''2024 winner to be announced on April 28'')

The NBA has so many players of note throughout its history that they had to be put on their own page, which has since been split into three pages by family name ([[UsefulNotes/NotableNBAPlayersAThroughF A–F]], [[UsefulNotes/NotableNBAPlayersGThroughM G–M]], and [[UsefulNotes/NotableNBAPlayersNThroughZ Z]]).

The NBA has so many players of note throughout its history that they had to be put on [[UsefulNotes/NotablePlayersOfTheNBA their own page]].

* The '''Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award''' (see the Sacramento Kings folder in the [[UsefulNotes/NotablePlayersOfTheNBA "Notable Players" page]] for an explanation of its namesakes) is presented to the player viewed as the league's "ideal teammate". A panel of NBA legends nominates six players from each conference, with the league's players then casting votes to determine the winner.

* The '''NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant Most Valuable Player''' is just that. Like the seasonal playing awards, voted on by the media, in this case immediately after the game so that the trophy can be handed out in the postgame festivities. Bob Pettit and Kobe Bryant (for whom the award was named after his tragic death in January 2020) have the record for most awards, each with four.

* The '''Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award''' honors the best performer in the NBA Finals. Russell's name was added to the award in 2009, honoring his record 11 NBA titles as a player. Almost always goes to a player on the championship team--the only player on the losing team ever to win the award was the Lakers' Jerry West in 1969, the first time it was awarded. Michael Jordan has the most awards with six. [=LeBron=] James, with four wins, is the only player to have won the award with three different franchises (Heat, Cavs, Lakers); Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kawhi Leonard have won with two franchises.

* Starting in 2021-22, the NBA has also issued an award for the '''NBA Conference Finals Most Valuable Players''', with the trophies being named after Larry Bird for the East and Magic Johnson for the West.

** ''Inaugural Winner:'' De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kings[[note]]His performance leading the NBA in clutch points was a major contributor to the Kings breaking their NBA record playoff drought.[[/note]] (2023; ''2024 winner to be announced on April 25'')

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' UsefulNotes/StephenCurry, SG/PG, Warriors (2023)

After the regular season, a number of different awards are given out to those who excelled in some aspect of the game. Most of them are determined by a panel of American and Canadian media members. Note that unlike MLB awards, most of which are voted on only by sportswriters, the voting panel for the NBA awards (except as noted) specifically includes broadcasters. There are also All-Star and postseason specific awards. In the late 2010s, the NBA briefly experimented with an awards banquet but ended the practice after the COVID pandemic. In 2022-23, many of the trophies for the awards were renamed after prominent players.

The specific awards are as follows. The "most recent winners" are from 2023 unless otherwise indicated. Team affiliations reflect those in the season for which the award was presented.

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Joel Embiid, C, 76ers[[note]]Led NBA in scoring for second straight year[[/note]]

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Paolo Banchero, F, Magic[[note]]#1 overall pick who lived up to the hype, leading rookies in scoring and greatly increasing Orlando's win count[[/note]]

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Grizzlies[[note]]led the NBA in blocks for the second straight season, second youngest DPOY winner after Dwight Howard[[/note]]

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Lauri Markkanen, F, Jazz[[note]]After an underwhelming start to his career in Chicago and Cleveland, blossomed into an All-Star out of nowhere after being traded to Utah, helping the team far outperform their tanking expectations[[/note]]

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Malcolm Brogdon, PG/SG, Celtics[[note]]The 2017 Rookie of the Year performed well in his first season in Boston, which was also his first as a bench player.[[/note]]

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Marcus Smart, SG/PG, Celtics[[note]]Repeated from 2022[[/note]]
* The '''Clutch Player of the Year Award''' is one of the newest NBA honors, introduced in 2022-23, and is given to the player who performed best in the final five minutes in close games (and overtime).
** ''Inaugural Winner:'' De'Aaron Fox, PG, Kings[[note]]His performance leading the NBA in clutch points was a major contributor to the Kings breaking their NBA record playoff drought.[[/note]]

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Mike Brown, Kings[[note]]In his first season as the Kings' HC, led them to their first playoff berth since 2006. This accomplishment was so significant that Brown became the first in the award's history to win it by unanimous vote.[[/note]]

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Monte [=McNair=], Kings[[note]]Played his part in the Kings' rise in 2022–23 by hiring Coach of the Year Mike Brown and bringing in key rotation players Kevin Huerter (trade), Malik Monk (free agent), and Keegan Murray (draft).[[/note]]

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' Mike Conley, PG, Timberwolves

** ''Most Recent Winner:'' UsefulNotes/StephenCurry, SG/PG, Warriors

'''Current Head Coach:''' Kevin Ollie (interim)\\

After many relocation rumors, including a close call in 2013 where the team almost moved to Seattle (where they would have become the Sonics, which would have ''wiped'' the Kings' history out due to being forced to share the Sonics' original history, creating a massive ContinuitySnarl), a local entrepreneur (and former minority owner of the Warriors) bought the Kings, and Sacramento was able to get a deal in place to build a new downtown arena.[[note]]The Kings' first Sacramento home, ARCO Arena, was a hastily converted warehouse (!) that, at 10,000 seats, was the league's smallest arena. After three years they built a much larger facility, also called ARCO Arena (later renamed Power Balance Pavilion and Sleep Train Arena), but by 2013 it was deemed outdated and in an undesirable suburban location mostly surrounded by business parks. The original ARCO Arena was eventually converted to office space and is now the home of the State of California's Department of Consumer Affairs.[[/note]] This transaction made the Kings the second NBA team with a non-white majority owner, as said entrepreneur, Vivek Ranadivé, is originally from India.

The ''other'' Los Angeles team, they currently share Crypto.com Arena (previously known as Staples Center) with the Lakers. Born as the Buffalo Braves in 1970, they became the San Diego Clippers (as in the boats, not the hair-cutting instruments) in 1978 and moved to L.A. in 1984.

Things started to look up for them in the 2010s when they drafted Blake Griffin, acquired Chris Paul, and Sterling was permanently banned from league operations thanks to his history of racist comments, giving up the team to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. The Lob City era was born in that time, being named that after Paul's skillful passing and Griffin and [=DeAndre=] Jordan's awe-inspiring dunks, and the Clippers became perennial playoff contenders. The team's fortunes continued to improve at the end of the decade when they obtained two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and All-Star Paul George, who finally managed to take the team to a conference championship for the first time in its half-century history of existence in 2021, though they [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut still fell short of the finals]], keeping them the franchise that has gone the longest (over 50 years) without ever playing in one.

Shortly after Kawhi and PG came on board, the team announced plans to build a new arena in Inglewood next to the stadium that opened in 2020 for the NFL's Rams and Chargers, set to open in 2024. Their colors are red, blue, and black (the latter was added in following Sterling's banishment).

After many relocation rumors, including a close call in 2013 where the team almost moved to Seattle (where they would have become the Sonics, which would have ''wiped'' the Kings' history out due to being forced to share the Sonics' original history, creating a massive ContinuitySnarl), a local entrepreneur (and former minority owner of the Warriors) bought the Kings, and Sacramento was able to get a deal in place to build a new downtown arena. This transaction made the Kings the second NBA team with a non-white majority owner, as said entrepreneur, Vivek Ranadivé, is originally from India.

They spent the next half-century establishing a reputation for general regular season excellence with [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut little to show for it in the postseason]], reaching just four Conference Finals ('78, '85, '09, '20) prior to 2023 and losing each. This trend for postseason ineptitude was especially painful considering the Nuggets visited the playoffs more than ''any'' team in North American pro sports that hadn't won a single championship. Throughout the '80s and early '90s, under coaches Doug Moe and Paul Westhead, the Nuggets were recognized for their [[GlassCannon high-scoring offense led by Alex English and their so-so defense]].[[note]]Critics called the Nuggets the "Enver Nuggets" due to their lackluster D. They hold the distinction of being the losing team of both the highest-scoring overall game in league history (a 186-184 triple OT affair against the Pistons in 1983) and the highest-scoring regulation game (162-158 to the Warriors in 1990). Westhead's tenure (1990-92) especially saw them give up almost comically astronomical numbers, including a game where they allowed the Suns to score 107 points ''in the first half alone''.[[/note]]

They spent the next half-century establishing a reputation for general regular season excellence with [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut little to show for it in the postseason]], reaching just four Conference Finals ('78, '85, '09, '20) prior to 2023 and losing each. This trend for postseason ineptitude was especially painful considering the Nuggets visited the playoffs more than ''any'' team in North American pro sports that hadn't won a single championship. Throughout the '80s and early '90s, under coaches Doug Moe and Paul Westhead, the Nuggets were recognized for their [[GlassCannon high-scoring offense led by Alex English and their so-so defense]].[[note]]Critics called the Nuggets the "Enver Nuggets" due to their lackluster D. They hold the distinction of being the losing team of both the highest-scoring game in league history--a 186-184 triple OT affair against the Pistons in 1983--and the highest-scoring regulation game in history--162-158 to the Warriors in 1990. Westhead's tenure (1990-92) especially saw them give up almost comically astronomical numbers, including a game where they allowed the Suns to score 107 points ''in the first half alone''.[[/note]]

...Oh, right; if you're wondering what UsefulNotes/{{Mormon|ism}} UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} (where, [[Film/{{BASEketball}} according to some sources]], music is forbidden), has to do with {{Jazz}}, this is yet another team with an ArtifactTitle. The franchise started in New Orleans in 1974, with the name Jazz obviously alluding to the city as the place where the genre was born. They also further cemented a connection with local culture by adopting the Mardi Gras shades of purple, green and gold as team colors.[[note]]Eventually purple got replaced with blue, and green got phased out, and black was added, first as an alternate color, then becoming a primary one.[[/note]] Despite boasting local hero Maravich (who'd played college ball up the road at LSU), the New Orleans Jazz struggled on the court and in the financial ledgers, and after the 1978-79 season they packed up and moved to Salt Lake City.[[note]]While Salt Lake might seem like a weird random location for an NBA team to relocate, there were several reasons why it got chosen. For one thing, team co-owner Sam Battistone was Mormon and his wife was from Utah. For another, the Utah Stars had been one of the top-drawing ABA teams, and their former arena, the Salt Palace, was still fairly new and, boasting almost 12,000 seats, was in line with NBA standards. Also, the four local Division I college basketball teams (BYU, Utah, Utah State and Weber State) all drew huge crowds, and Salt Lake had just come off of a wildly successful stint hosting the NCAA Final Four at the University of Utah, culminating with the much-hyped championship game matchup of Magic Johnson and Michigan State versus Larry Bird and Indiana State.[[/note]] The move had been fairly rushed (only about six weeks after the regular season ended), and the team's ownership considered the relocation a gamble and were prepared for another move in the near future, so they kept the Jazz name and the Mardi Gras colors despite their incongruity in their new home (a team called the Jazz in Music/LouisArmstrong's hometown, yes; in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's hometown, not so much). After potential moves to Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Miami were nixed and the team committed to Utah for good, the name has become an entrenched part of NBA culture and decades later, few even question it anymore.[[note]]It's even become something of a quirky Utah tradition to append one or two Z's to the end of a professional team name or have a Z somewhere (the WNBA and women's soccer's "Starzz", the former moved away and the latter defunct; the minor league "Orem Owlz", also moved from Utah; the "Blitzz" of a long forgotten soccer league; the minor league hockey Grizzlies; and the minor league baseball team of ''Film/MajorLeague: Back to the Minors'', the "Buzz", since renamed the Stingers and then the Bees).[[/note]] When Tom Benson acquired the New Orleans Pelicans in 2012, he attempted to reclaim the Jazz name for New Orleans, but the Jazz owners weren't interested in giving it up.

The Blazers are both the only Big Four sports team in Portland and, with the moving of the rival [=SuperSonics=], the only NBA team in the Pacific Northwest (they actually share owners with the Seattle Seahawks of the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague, the only football team in the region). Their colors are red, black and silver, and their "pinwheel" logo is meant to be an abstract illustration of a 5-on-5 player matchup (yes, really -- what can we say, it's Portland). One contribution they've made to local culture is Portland's nickname of Rip City, which originated from radio play-by-play announcer Bill Schonely enthusiastically yelling "Rip City, baby!" in response to a score-tying basket in the second half of a 1971 game against the Lakers (Schonely admits he has no idea why he said it or what it's supposed to mean).

They spent the next half-century establishing a reputation for general regular season excellence with [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut little to show for it in the postseason]], reaching just four Conference Finals ('78, '85, '09, '20) prior to 2023 and losing each. This trend for postseason ineptitude was especially painful considering the Nuggets visited the playoffs more than ''any'' team in North American pro sports that hadn't won a single championship. Throughout the '80s and early '90s, the Nuggets were recognized for their [[GlassCannon high-scoring offense led by Alex English and their so-so defense]].[[note]]Critics called the Nuggets the "Enver Nuggets" due to their lackluster D, which once included a game where the Nuggets allowed a team to score 107 points ''in the first half alone''.[[/note]]

The Blazers are both the only Big Four sports team in Portland and, with the moving of the rival [=SuperSonics=], the only NBA team in the Pacific Northwest (they actually share owners with the Seattle Seahawks of the UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague, the only football team in the region). Their colors are red, black and silver, and their "pinwheel" logo is meant to be an abstract illustration of a 5-on-5 player matchup (yes, really -- what can we say, it's Portland).

After nearly 40 years based in Detroit's northern suburbs, the team returned to the city proper in 2017 to share the arena built by the NHL's Red Wings. Their colors are blue and red, a look that dates back to TheEighties Bad Boys era. They did briefly change their colors to teal and brick red during the wildly weird [[TheNineties '90s]] era; Detroit fans remain split on that look.

...Oh, right; if you're wondering what UsefulNotes/{{Mormon|ism}} UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} ((where, [[Film/{{BASEketball}} according to some sources]], music is forbidden), has to do with {{Jazz}}, this is yet another team with an ArtifactTitle. The franchise started in New Orleans in 1974, with the name Jazz obviously alluding to the city as the place where the genre was born. They also further cemented a connection with local culture by adopting the Mardi Gras shades of purple, green and gold as team colors.[[note]]Eventually purple got replaced with blue, and green got phased out, and black was added, first as an alternate color, then becoming a primary one.[[/note]] Despite boasting local hero Maravich (who'd played college ball up the road at LSU), the New Orleans Jazz struggled on the court and in the financial ledgers, and after the 1978-79 season they packed up and moved to Salt Lake City.[[note]]While Salt Lake might seem like a weird random location for an NBA team to relocate, there were several reasons why it got chosen. For one thing, team co-owner Sam Battistone was Mormon and his wife was from Utah. For another, the Utah Stars had been one of the top-drawing ABA teams, and their former arena, the Salt Palace, was still fairly new and, boasting almost 12,000 seats, was in line with NBA standards. Also, the four local Division I college basketball teams (BYU, Utah, Utah State and Weber State) all drew huge crowds, and Salt Lake had just come off of a wildly successful stint hosting the NCAA Final Four at the University of Utah, culminating with the much-hyped championship game matchup of Magic Johnson and Michigan State versus Larry Bird and Indiana State.[[/note]] The move had been fairly rushed (only about six weeks after the regular season ended), and the team's ownership considered the relocation a gamble and were prepared for another move in the near future, so they kept the Jazz name and the Mardi Gras colors despite their incongruity in their new home (a team called the Jazz in Music/LouisArmstrong's hometown, yes; in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's hometown, not so much). After potential moves to Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Miami were nixed and the team committed to Utah for good, the name has become an entrenched part of NBA culture and decades later, few even question it anymore.[[note]]It's even become something of a quirky Utah tradition to append one or two Z's to the end of a professional team name or have a Z somewhere (the WNBA and women's soccer's "Starzz", the former moved away and the latter defunct; the minor league "Orem Owlz", also moved from Utah; the "Blitzz" of a long forgotten soccer league; the minor league hockey Grizzlies; and the minor league baseball team of ''Film/MajorLeague: Back to the Minors'', the "Buzz", since renamed the Stingers and then the Bees).[[/note]] When Tom Benson acquired the New Orleans Pelicans in 2012, he attempted to reclaim the Jazz name for New Orleans, but the Jazz owners weren't interested in giving it up.

One of the oldest, most storied, and most successful teams in the history of the NBA. Founded in 1946 as one of the league's original teams, the Celtics have recorded the most wins of any NBA team and have won 17 championships, long the most in the league.

However, despite their regular season dominance, they have [[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut no championships to show for it]]. The team have only made the Finals twice ('97-'98), losing both to Michael Jordan's Bulls, and came up short in three other Conference Finals in the Stockton-Malone era. Their last Conference Finals visit came in '07, late in Sloan's career, and they have yet to come any closer to contending for a title. Donovan Mitchell and three-time [=DPotY=] Rudy Gobert returned the Jazz to strength in the early 2020s until both were traded in the 2022 offseason. Needless to say, a championship still eludes them.

...Oh, right; if you're wondering what UsefulNotes/{{Mormon|ism}} UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} has to do with jazz (where [[Film/{{BASEketball}} music is forbidden]]), this is yet another team with an ArtifactTitle. The franchise started in New Orleans in 1974 and moved to Salt Lake City in 1979. The team's then-owner didn't change the name and kept their Mardi Gras-inspired colors of blue, green, and gold because he thought the move would be temporary, but after all these years few question it anymore.[[note]]It's even become something of a quirky Utah tradition to append one or two Z's to the end of a professional team name or have a Z somewhere (the WNBA and women's soccer's "Starzz", the former moved away and the latter defunct; the minor league "Orem Owlz", also moved from Utah; the "Blitzz" of a long forgotten soccer league; the minor league hockey Grizzlies; and the minor league baseball team of ''Film/MajorLeague: Back to the Minors'', the "Buzz", since renamed the Stingers and then the Bees).[[/note]] When Tom Benson acquired the New Orleans Pelicans in 2012, he attempted to reclaim the Jazz name for New Orleans, but the Jazz owners weren't interested in giving it up.

* Indiana Mad Ants (Pacers): Originally based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the PunnyName refers to the city's namesake, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. The Mad Ants have always been affiliated with the Pacers, but only in 2015 became a solo connection by the Pacers buying the team. In 2023, the Pacers announced that the Mad Ants would move from Fort Wayne to the Indianapolis metro area, with a new arena planned to open in the northeast suburb of Noblesville and a new mascot by the 2024-25 season; in the interim, the Mad Ants will share their parent team's venue of Gainbridge Fieldhouse. That also makes them the third G League team sharing with a WNBA team, since the Indiana Fever also plays there.

[[caption-width-right:1000:[[labelnote:Map of NBA teams in the 2024-25 season]]:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nba_map_24_25.png The Los Angeles Clippers plan this offseason to move out of the [=Crypto.com=] Arena in Downtown LA, with whom they share with the Lakers, to their own arena: the Intuit Center in Inglewood.[[/labelnote]]]]

[[folder:NBA Champions]]
In the NBA, there have been many different champions and there have been many different rules in the NBA over the years. However, over half of the championships were won by either the Boston Celtics or the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers. Furthermore, of the last 30+ seasons, only nine teams have won championships, as compared to 16 and 17 in the NFL and MLB, denoting greater trends in dominance in this league.

While the NBA doesn't consider the championships that were won in the NBL or the ABA as "real" championships, we do.[[note]]The NBA officially recognizes the BAA start date of 1946 as their first year for the record.[[/note]] Here's what had happened over the years in the NBA and its absorbed leagues.

'''The NBL & BAA Years''' (Note: '''bolded''' years represent the NBL; ''italic'' years represent the BAA.)
* '''1937-38''': Akron Goodyear Wingfoots won over the Oshkosh All-Stars 2-1.
* '''1938-39''': Akron Firestone Non-Skids won over the Oshkosh All-Stars 3-2.
* '''1939-1940''': Akron Firestone Non-Skids won over the Oshkosh All-Stars 3-2.
* '''1940-41''': The Oshkosh All-Stars swept the '''''Sheboygan Red Skins''''' 3-0.
* '''1941-42''': The Oshkosh All-Stars won over the '''Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons''' 2-1.
* '''1942-43''': '''''Sheboygan Red Skins''''' won over the '''Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons''' 2-1.
* '''1943-44''': '''Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons''' swept the '''''Sheboygan Red Skins''''' 3-0.
* '''1944-45''': '''Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons''' won over the '''''Sheboygan Red Skins''''' 3-2.
* '''1945-46''': '''Rochester Royals''' swept the '''''Sheboygan Red Skins''''' 3-0.
* '''1946-47''': Chicago American Gears won over the '''Rochester Royals''' 3-2.
* ''1946-47'': Philadelphia Warriors won over the ''Chicago Stags'' 4-1.
* '''1947-48''': '''Minneapolis Lakers''' won over the '''Rochester Royals''' 3-1.
* ''1947-48'': ''Baltimore Bullets'' won over the Philadelphia Warriors 4-2.
* '''1948-49''': '''''Anderson Duffey Packers''''' swept the Oshkosh All-Stars 3-0.
* ''1948-49'': Minneapolis Lakers won over the ''Washington Capitols'' 4-2.

'''After the BAA-NBL Merger: Minneapolis Domination'''
* ''1949-1950'': Minneapolis Lakers won over the Syracuse Nationals 4-2.
* ''1950-51'': Rochester Royals won over the New York Knicks 4-3.
* ''1951-52'': Minneapolis Lakers won over the New York Knicks 4-3.
* ''1952-53'': Minneapolis Lakers won over the New York Knicks 4-1.
* ''1953-54'': Minneapolis Lakers won over the Syracuse Nationals 4-3.

'''The Shot-Clock Years: Boston Domination'''
* ''1954-55'': Syracuse Nationals won over the Fort Wayne Pistons 4-3.
* ''1955-56'': Philadelphia Warriors won over the Fort Wayne Pistons 4-1.
* ''1956-57'': Boston Celtics won over the St. Louis Hawks 4-3.
* ''1957-58'': St. Louis Hawks won over the Boston Celtics 4-2.
* ''1958-59'': Boston Celtics swept the Minneapolis Lakers 4-0.
* ''1959-1960'': Boston Celtics won over the St. Louis Hawks 4-3.
* ''1960-61'': Boston Celtics won over the St. Louis Hawks 4-1.
* ''1961-62'': Boston Celtics won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3.
* ''1962-63'': Boston Celtics won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2.
* ''1963-64'': Boston Celtics won over the San Francisco Warriors 4-1
* ''1964-65'': Boston Celtics won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1.
* ''1965-66'': Boston Celtics won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3.
* ''1966-67'': Philadelphia 76ers won over the San Francisco Warriors 4-2.

'''NBA-ABA Rivalry''' (ABA years are '''bolded''', ABA teams that joined the NBA are ''italicized''.)
* ''1967-68'': Boston Celtics won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2.
* '''1967-68''': Pittsburgh Pipers won over the New Orleans Buccaneers 4-3.
* ''1968-69'': Boston Celtics won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3.
* '''1968-69''': Oakland Oaks won over the ''Indiana Pacers'' 4-1.
* ''1969-1970'': New York Knicks won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3.
* '''1969-1970''': ''Indiana Pacers'' won over the Los Angeles Stars 4-2.
* ''1970-71'': Milwaukee Bucks swept the Baltimore Bullets 4-0.
* '''1970-71''': Utah Stars won over the Kentucky Colonels 4-3.
* ''1971-72'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the New York Knicks 4-1.
* '''1971-72''': ''Indiana Pacers'' won over the ''New York Nets'' 4-2.
* ''1972-73'': New York Knicks won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1.
* '''1972-73''': ''Indiana Pacers'' won over the Kentucky Colonels 4-3.
* ''1973-74'': Boston Celtics won over the Milwaukee Bucks 4-3.
* '''1973-74''': ''New York Nets'' won over the Utah Stars 4-1.
* ''1974-75'': Golden State Warriors swept the Washington Bullets 4-0
* '''1974-75''': Kentucky Colonels won over the ''Indiana Pacers'' 4-1.
* ''1975-76'': Boston Celtics won over the Phoenix Suns 4-2.
* '''1975-76''': ''New York Nets'' won over the ''Denver Nuggets'' 4-2.
* ''1976-77'': Portland Trail Blazers won over the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2. (The year of the NBA-ABA merger)
* ''1977-78'': Washington Bullets won over the Seattle [=SuperSonics=] 4-3.
* ''1978-79'': Seattle [=SuperSonics=] won over the Washington Bullets 4-1.

'''The 80s: Larry Bird Vs. Magic Johnson'''
* ''1979-1980'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2.
* ''1980-81'': Boston Celtics won over the Houston Rockets 4-2.
* ''1981-82'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Philadelphia 76ers 4-2.
* ''1982-83'': Philadelphia 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0.
* ''1983-84'': Boston Celtics won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-3.
* ''1984-85'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Boston Celtics 4-2.
* ''1985-86'': Boston Celtics won over the Houston Rockets 4-2.
* ''1986-87'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Boston Celtics 4-2.
* ''1987-88'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Detroit Pistons 4-3.
* ''1988-89'': Detroit Pistons swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0.
* ''1989-1990'': Detroit Pistons won over the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1.

'''The 90s: The Reign of UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan'''
* ''1990-91'': Chicago Bulls won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1.
* ''1991-92'': Chicago Bulls won over the Portland Trail Blazers 4-2.
* ''1992-93'': Chicago Bulls won over the Phoenix Suns 4-2.
* ''1993-94'': Houston Rockets won over the New York Knicks 4-3.
* ''1994-95'': Houston Rockets swept the Orlando Magic 4-0.
* ''1995-96'': Chicago Bulls won over the Seattle [=SuperSonics=] 4-2.
* ''1996-97'': Chicago Bulls won over the Utah Jazz 4-2.
* ''1997-98'': Chicago Bulls won over the Utah Jazz 4-2.

'''The 2000s: Kobe, Tim and the Wild West'''
* ''(1998-)99'': San Antonio Spurs won over the New York Knicks 4-1[[labelnote:*]]The "Lockout" season which cut the season down from 82 games per team to 50.[[/labelnote]]
* ''1999-2000'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Indiana Pacers 4-2.
* ''2000-01'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Philadelphia 76ers 4-1.
* ''2001-02'': Los Angeles Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets 4-0.
* ''2002-03'': San Antonio Spurs won over the New Jersey Nets 4-2.
* ''2003-04'': Detroit Pistons won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1.
* ''2004-05'': San Antonio Spurs won over the Detroit Pistons 4-3.
* ''2005-06'': Miami Heat won over the Dallas Mavericks 4-2.
* ''2006-07'': San Antonio Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0.
* ''2007-08'': Boston Celtics won over the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2.
* ''2008-09'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Orlando Magic 4-1.
* ''2009-2010'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Boston Celtics 4-3.

'''The 2010s: UsefulNotes/LeBronJames vs. UsefulNotes/StephenCurry'''
* ''2010-11'': Dallas Mavericks won over the Miami Heat 4-2.
* ''2011-12'': Miami Heat won over the Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1.[[labelnote:*]]Another lockout cut the season from 82 games per team to 66 games.[[/labelnote]]
* ''2012-13'': Miami Heat won over the San Antonio Spurs 4-3.
* ''2013-14'': San Antonio Spurs won over the Miami Heat 4-1.
* ''2014-15'': Golden State Warriors won over the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2.
* ''2015-16'': Cleveland Cavaliers won over the Golden State Warriors 4-3.
* ''2016-17'': Golden State Warriors won over the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1.
* ''2017-18'': Golden State Warriors swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0.
* ''2018-19'': Toronto Raptors won over the Golden State Warriors 4-2.
* ''2019-20'': Los Angeles Lakers won over the Miami Heat 4-2.[[labelnote:*]]Due to the Usefulnotes/COVID19Pandemic interrupting the season, the amount of games played varied for each team competing in what was known as the 2020 NBA Bubble in Ride/WaltDisneyWorld's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex; the 16 in the playoffs managed 71 to 73.[[/labelnote]]

'''The 2020s: A New Generation Rises'''
* ''2020–21'': Milwaukee Bucks won over the Phoenix Suns 4–2.[[labelnote:*]]By extension with the previous season, the overall length of this season officially went down to 72 games for each team that season, with them returning to 82 games again the season after that.[[/labelnote]]
* ''2021–22'': Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 4–2.
* ''2022–23'': Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 4–1.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:NBA Cup Champions]]
As noted above, the 2023–24 season was the first for the NBA Cup.
* ''2023–24'': Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 123–109.
[[/folder]]

->'''Year Established:''' 1988[[note]]De jure, de facto they were formed in 2004.[[/note]]\\

'''Prior Names/Locations:''' Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002)[[note]]De facto, de jure this team was part of the modern Charlotte Hornets.[[/note]], New Orleans Hornets (2002-05, 2007-13), New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005-07)\\