The 10 Teams That Have Never Won an NBA Championship

When a league has championship powerhouses like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, it is easy to take greatness for granted. But as some franchises establish themselves as perennial contenders, others have failed to capture the crown.

The NBA Finals have made great players into legends, but many have never even had the chance to play for a ring as a result of franchise futility. In fact, there are still 10 teams as of 2024 who have yet to win an NBA Championship, including several who haven’t even made the last round.

Orlando Magic

It looked like the Orlando Magic were destined to win a championship at some point in the 1990s. NBA Draft Lottery luck led to them landing both Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway, and in 1995, they would do away with Michael Jordan’s Bulls and even make the NBA Finals. Despite losing to the Houston Rockets, a ring seemed imminent.

Instead, Shaq would jump to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando never recovered. Dwight Howard would eventually return the franchise to the NBA Finals in 2009, but the Magic fell to the Lakers in five games. They have not replicated that success since.

Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have had some of the most talented players of the generation in their primes, yet have not been able to close the deal on securing an NBA Championship.

Jason Kidd took the (New Jersey) Nets to the NBA Finals in consecutive seasons in 2002 and 2003, but they fell to the Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. The Nets would trade for Vince Carter shortly after, but could not get back to the finals during his time with the team. Not even a super team of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving could get Brooklyn a championship in 2021, when they were ousted in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals by the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.

Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns fans have had to deal with their fair share of heartbreak over the years, as Phoenix has come close on multiple occasions to finally securing its elusive ring.

The Suns made the NBA Finals three times, and came close to winning each time. Their six-game loss to the Boston Celtics in 1976 saw them take Game 5 to triple-overtime. Charles Barkley led them to the finals against Jordan’s Bulls in 1993 on the heels of a 62-win season, where they also lost in six games. Then in 2021, that same Giannis-led Bucks team that knocked off the Nets also did the same to Phoenix in six.

The last one may have been the most painful for their fans, as Phoenix led the series, 2-0.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers had one of the most prolific shooters in NBA history in Reggie Miller, but not even he could deliver the franchise its first world title.

The 1999-2000 Pacers started the season at 7-7, but would win 15 of 17 and eventually finish at the top of the Eastern Conference. They’d reach the NBA Finals, where they would run into Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers. Even after winning 56 games, Indiana would not be able to match LA’s prowess in the paint, and would lose the series, 4-2. Indy hasn’t been back to the NBA Finals since.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz is a franchise not unfamiliar with heartbreak of its own come June.

Utah seemed primed to take down Michael Jordan’s Bulls dynasty twice in the late 1990s, with a stacked unit consisting of the likes of Karl Malone and John Stockton. The 1996-97 team finished with 64 regular season wins, but lost to Chicago in six games (which included Jordan’s infamous “Flu Game”) in the NBA Finals. The Jazz would follow up that effort with 62 wins, but once again lose in six to the Bulls.

Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers have played in the shadow of the Lakers for decades, but have never been able to reach the success of the storied franchise.

That’s not to say the Clippers haven’t had championship-caliber teams. The 2020 acquisitions of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were supposed to put the Clippers on the doorstep of an NBA Championship, but things did not come to fruition. They managed to take the Suns to six games in the 2021 Western Conference Finals, but injuries to Leonard hampered their chances of reaching the final round. To this day, Los Angeles has never made an NBA Finals appearance.

Memphis Grizzlies

Though the Memphis Grizzlies have made the NBA Playoffs 13 times, they’ve never quite been able to break through to championship contention.

The closest they came was during the 2012-2013 season, when a squad led by Pau Gasol and Zach Randolph blew past the Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder en-route to the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs team hungry for another championship, and promptly got swept. Memphis made the playoffs every year from 2010 through 2017, but came up with nothing to show for the stretch.

Charlotte Hornets

If we’re not counting the lineage of the original Charlotte Hornets with the current Charlotte Hornets, the fact remains the same: the city of Charlotte has never hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

The team has never made it out of the conference semifinals, and has only made a playoff appearance five times since the turn of the millennium. Not even a run with Michael Jordan as the owner of the franchise could turn fortunes for Charlotte, as it remains chasing its first playoff appearance since 2015-2016.

New Orleans Pelicans

Even if you do include the old lineage for the Hornets, they still do not have a championship to show.

They found immediate success upon relocation to New Orleans (as the Hornets) from 2002-2004, when they would make the playoffs in consecutive seasons. But the team has never made it past the conference semifinals, and got ousted by the dynasty Golden State Warriors in their most recent appearance in 2017-2018.

New Orleans has made the playoffs two of the last three seasons though, so a ring may not be too far in the distance.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The 2023-2024 season looked like a prime opportunity for Minnesota to make its first NBA Finals appearance, but a hot Dallas Mavericks team put a stop to Anthony Edwards and the Wolves in their pursuit.

Instead, they remain on the hunt for their first chance to play for a championship. The 2004 Western Conference Finals saw Minnesota and league MVP Kevin Garnett take Shaq and Kobe to six games, but that would be the peak of their success at the time. Minnesota’s current core remains young and full of talent, though, and an NBA Finals could be in play in the near future for the franchise.