List of NBA franchise post-season droughts

This is a list of National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise post-season appearance droughts. This list includes the all-time and the active consecutive non-playoffs. Aside from the NBA playoff appearance droughts, this list also includes droughts of series wins, appearances in the NBA Finals and NBA championship wins. The teams which have never made an NBA Playoffs appearance, an NBA Finals appearance and have never won an NBA championship are listed from the year they entered the league.

Of the 30 current NBA franchises, 12 have never won the NBA championship. The oldest such franchise is the Suns (48 seasons), while the Royals/Kings and the Hawks have even longer championship droughts (65 and 58 seasons, respectively). Seven (7) franchises have never been to the NBA Finals, the highest number among the major North American sports.^[1] The oldest such team is the Braves/Clippers franchise (45 seasons); the Kings and the Hawks have appearance droughts that are even longer (65 and 58 seasons, respectively). The longest a franchise has gone without appearing in the playoffs at all is 15 seasons: the Braves/Clippers franchise from 1977 to 1991.

Of the 18 franchises that have won an NBA championship, 8 have droughts of 33 seasons or more, which is to say that the past 33 championships have been shared among only 10 franchises: the Lakers (8), the Bulls (6), the Spurs (5), the Celtics (3), the Pistons (3), the Heat (3), the Rockets (2), the Mavericks (1), the Warriors (1), and the Cavaliers (1). By contrast, the other three major North American sports have each had at least 15 franchises become champions over the same period of time.^[2][3]

Active droughts

NBA Playoffs appearance droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2016 playoffs.

Playoff picture at NBA.com^[4]

^	Longest drought in team history
†	Tied for longest drought in team history

Seasons	Team	Last earned appearance in NBA playoffs	Reference
12	Minnesota Timberwolves^	2004 Western Finals	[5]
10	Sacramento Kings ^	2006 First Round	[6]
6	Phoenix Suns ^	2010 Western Finals	[7]
4	Philadelphia 76ers	2012 Eastern Semifinals	[8]
4	Orlando Magic †	2012 First Round	[9]
4	Utah Jazz	2012 First Round	[10]
3	Los Angeles Lakers ^	2013 First Round	[11]
3	Denver Nuggets	2013 First Round	[12]
3	New York Knicks	2013 Eastern Semifinals	[13]
1	Brooklyn Nets	2015 First Round	[14]
1	Milwaukee Bucks	2015 First Round	[15]
1	New Orleans Pelicans	2015 First Round	[16]
1	Washington Wizards	2015 Eastern Semifinals	[17]
1	Chicago Bulls	2015 Eastern Semifinals	[18]
2016 Playoff teams
–	Charlotte Hornets	2016 First Round	[19]
–	Boston Celtics	2016 First Round	[20]
–	Indiana Pacers	2016 First Round	[21]
–	Detroit Pistons	2016 First Round	[22]
–	Memphis Grizzlies	2016 First Round	[23]
–	Dallas Mavericks	2016 First Round	[24]
–	Houston Rockets	2016 First Round	[25]
–	Los Angeles Clippers	2016 First Round	[26]
–	Atlanta Hawks	2016 Eastern Semifinals	[27]
–	Miami Heat	2016 Eastern Semifinals	[28]
–	San Antonio Spurs	2016 Western Semifinals	[29]
–	Portland Trail Blazers	2016 Western Semifinals	[30]
–	Toronto Raptors	2016 Eastern Finals	[31]
–	Oklahoma City Thunder	2016 Western Finals	[32]
–	Cleveland Cavaliers	2016 NBA Finals	[33]
–	Golden State Warriors	2016 NBA Finals	[34]

NBA Playoffs series win droughts

Droughts updated through the 2016 playoffs.'

Playoff picture at NBA.com^[4]

0^0	Longest drought in team history
0†0	Tied for Longest drought in team history
0♦0	Most consecutive series losses in team history
0§0	Equals most consecutive series losses in team history

Current Playoff series Loss Streak

Team	Last series win in NBA Playoffs	Seasons Since Win	Losing Streak	Series Losses – Teams	Ref
Milwaukee Bucks ^	2001 Eastern Semifinals	15	7 ♦	2001 Philadelphia 2003 New Jersey Nets 00 2004 Detroit 2006 Detroit 2010 Atlanta 2013 Miami 2015 Chicago	[15]
Charlotte Hornets ^	2002 Eastern First Round	12^[a]	4 ♦	2002 New Jersey Nets 2010 Orlando 2014 Miami 2016 Miami	[19]
Sacramento Kings	2004 Western First Round	12	3	2004 Minnesota 2005 Seattle 2006 San Antonio	[6]
Minnesota Timberwolves	2004 Western Semifinals	12	1	2004 Los Angeles Lakers	[5]
New Orleans Pelicans ^	2008 Western First Round	8	4 ♦	2008 San Antonio 2009 Denver 2011 Los Angeles Lakers 2015 Golden State	[16]
Detroit Pistons	2008 Eastern Semifinals	8	3	2008 Boston 2009 Cleveland 2016 Cleveland	[22]
Denver Nuggets	2009 Western Semifinals	7	5	2009 Los Angeles Lakers 2010 Utah 2011 Oklahoma City 2012 Los Angeles Lakers 2013 Golden State	[12]
Utah Jazz	2010 Western First Round	6	2	2010 Los Angeles Lakers 2012 San Antonio	[10]
Orlando Magic	2010 Eastern Semifinals	6	3	2010 Boston 2011 Atlanta 2012 Indiana	[9]
Phoenix Suns	2010 Western Semifinals	6	1	2010 Los Angeles Lakers	[7]
Dallas Mavericks	2011 Finals	5	4 ♦	2012 Oklahoma City 2014 San Antonio 2015 Houston 2016 Oklahoma City	[24]
Philadelphia 76ers	2012 Eastern First Round	4	1	2012 Boston	[8]
Los Angeles Lakers ^†	2012 Western First Round	4	2	2012 Oklahoma City 2013 San Antonio	[11]
Boston Celtics	2012 Eastern Semifinals	4	4 ♦	2012 Miami 2013 New York 2015 Cleveland 2016 Atlanta	[20]
New York Knicks	2013 Eastern First Round	3	1	2013 Indiana	[13]
Brooklyn Nets	2014 Eastern First Round	2	2	2014 Miami 2015 Atlanta	[14]
Indiana Pacers	2014 Eastern Semifinals	2	2	2014 Miami 2016 Toronto	[21]
Chicago Bulls	2015 Eastern First Round	1	1	2015 Cleveland	[18]
Washington Wizards	2015 Eastern First Round	1	1	2015 Atlanta	[17]
Memphis Grizzlies	2015 Western First Round	1	2	2015 Golden State 2016 San Antonio Spurs	[23]
Los Angeles Clippers	2015 Western First Round	1	2	2015 Houston 2016 Portland	[26]
Houston Rockets	2015 Western Semifinals	1	2	2015 Golden State 2016 Golden State	[25]
	2016 Playoff Series	Winners
Atlanta Hawks	2016 Eastern First Round	—	1	2016 Cleveland	[27]
Portland Trail Blazers	2016 Western First Round	—	1	2016 Golden State	[30]
San Antonio Spurs	2016 Western First Round	—	1	2016 Oklahoma City	[29]
Miami Heat	2016 Eastern First Round	—	1	2016 Toronto	[28]
Toronto Raptors	2016 Eastern Semifinals	—	1	2016 Cleveland	[31]
Oklahoma City Thunder	2016 Western Semifinals	—	1	2016 Golden State	[29]
Golden State Warriors	2016 Western Finals	—	1	2016 Cleveland	[34]
Cleveland Cavaliers	2016 NBA Finals	—	0	4 series win streak	[33]
Team	Last series win in NBA Playoffs	Seasons Since win	Losing Streak	Series Losses – Teams	Ref

^a Charlotte was inactive for 2 years following the 2001–02 season.

NBA Division Championship droughts

Updated through the 2015–16 season.

0^0	Longest drought in team history
0†0	Tied for Longest drought in team history
0♦0	2015–16 Division Champion

Left click once on Seasons since win column heading then once on Division column heading
to show teams listed in order of division championships.

Franchise	Most recent title	Division	Seasons since win
Washington Wizards ^	1978–79	Southeast	37
Charlotte Hornets ^	None	Southeast	26
Memphis Grizzlies ^	None	Southwest	21
Philadelphia 76ers ^	2000–01	Atlantic	15
Milwaukee Bucks †	2000–01	Central	15
Sacramento Kings	2002–03	Pacific	13
Minnesota Timberwolves	2003–04	Northwest	12
Brooklyn Nets	2005–06	Atlantic	10
Phoenix Suns	2006–07	Pacific	9
New Orleans Pelicans ^	2007–08	Southwest	8
Utah Jazz	2007–08	Northwest	8
Detroit Pistons	2007–08	Central	8
Orlando Magic	2009–10	Southeast	6
Dallas Mavericks	2009–10	Southwest	6
Denver Nuggets	2009–10	Northwest	6
Los Angeles Lakers	2011–12	Pacific	4
Boston Celtics	2011–12	Atlantic	4
Chicago Bulls	2011–12	Central	4
New York Knicks	2012–13	Atlantic	3
Indiana Pacers	2013–14	Central	2
Los Angeles Clippers	2013–14	Pacific	2
Houston Rockets	2014–15	Southwest	1
Portland Trail Blazers	2014–15	Northwest	1
Atlanta Hawks	2014–15	Southeast	1
Miami Heat ♦	2015–16	Southeast	—
Toronto Raptors ♦	2015–16	Atlantic	—
Cleveland Cavaliers ♦	2015–16	Central	—
Oklahoma City Thunder ♦	2015–16	Northwest	—
Golden State Warriors ♦	2015–16	Pacific	—
San Antonio Spurs ♦	2015–16	Southwest	—

NBA Conference Finals appearance droughts

^	Longest drought in team history
†	Tied for longest drought in team history

Seasons	Team	Last appearance in Conference Finals	Result	Reference
46	Los Angeles Clippers ^	Never	—	[26]
37	Washington Wizards ^^[c]	1979	Won vs. San Antonio	[17]
26	Charlotte Hornets ^	Never	—	[19]
16	Portland Trail Blazers ^	2000	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[30]
16	New York Knicks	2000	Lost vs. Indiana	[13]
15	Milwaukee Bucks ^	2001	0Lost vs. Philadelphia0	[15]
15	Philadelphia 76ers †	2001	Won vs. Milwaukee	[8]
14	Sacramento Kings	2002	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[6]
14	New Orleans Pelicans ^	Never	—	[16]
13	Brooklyn Nets ^[d]	2003	Won vs. Detroit	[14]
12	Minnesota Timberwolves	2004	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[5]
9	Utah Jazz	2007	Lost vs. San Antonio	[10]
8	Detroit Pistons	2008	Lost vs. Boston	[22]
7	Denver Nuggets	2009	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[12]
6	Orlando Magic	2010	Lost vs. Boston	[9]
6	Phoenix Suns	2010	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[7]
6	Los Angeles Lakers †	2010	Won vs. Phoenix	[11]
5	Chicago Bulls	2011	Lost vs. Miami	[18]
5	Dallas Mavericks	2011	0Won vs. Oklahoma City0	[24]
4	Boston Celtics	2012	Lost vs. Miami	[20]
3	Memphis Grizzlies	2013	Lost vs. San Antonio	[23]
2	Miami Heat	2014	Won vs. Indiana	[28]
2	Indiana Pacers	2014	Lost vs. Miami	[21]
2	San Antonio Spurs	2014	Won vs. Oklahoma City	[29]
1	Atlanta Hawks	2015	Lost vs. Cleveland	[27]
1	Houston Rockets	2015	Lost vs. Golden State	[25]
	2016 Conference Finalists
—	Toronto Raptors	2016	Lost vs. Cleveland	[31]
—	Oklahoma City Thunder	2016	Lost vs. Golden State	[32]
—	Cleveland Cavaliers	2016	Won vs. Toronto	[33]
—	Golden State Warriors	2016	Won vs. Oklahoma City	[34]

NBA Finals appearance droughts

Seasons	Team	Last appearance in NBA Finals	Result	Reference
65	Sacramento Kings^[a]	1951	Won vs. New York	[6]
55	Atlanta Hawks^[b]	1961	Lost vs. Boston	[27]
46	Los Angeles Clippers	Never	—	[26]
42	Milwaukee Bucks	1974	Lost vs. Boston	[15]
40	Denver Nuggets	Never	—	[12]
37	Washington Wizards^[c]	1979	Lost vs. Seattle	[17]
27	Minnesota Timberwolves	Never	—	[5]
26	Charlotte Hornets	Never	—	[19]
24	Portland Trail Blazers	1992	Lost vs. Chicago	[30]
23	Phoenix Suns	1993	Lost vs. Chicago	[7]
21	Toronto Raptors	Never	—	[31]
21	Houston Rockets	1995	Won vs. Orlando	[25]
21	Memphis Grizzlies	Never	—	[23]
18	Utah Jazz	1998	Lost vs. Chicago	[10]
18	Chicago Bulls	1998	Won vs. Utah	[18]
17	New York Knicks	1999	Lost vs. San Antonio	[13]
16	Indiana Pacers	2000	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[21]
15	Philadelphia 76ers	2001	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[8]
14	New Orleans Pelicans	Never	—	[16]
13	Brooklyn Nets^[d]	2003	Lost vs. San Antonio	[14]
11	Detroit Pistons	2005	Lost vs. San Antonio	[22]
7	Orlando Magic	2009	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[9]
6	Boston Celtics	2010	Lost vs. Los Angeles Lakers	[20]
6	Los Angeles Lakers	2010	Won vs. Boston	[11]
5	Dallas Mavericks	2011	Won vs. Miami	[24]
4	Oklahoma City Thunder	2012	Lost vs. Miami	[32]
2	Miami Heat	2014	Lost vs. San Antonio	[28]
2	San Antonio Spurs	2014	Won vs. Miami	[29]
	2016 Finalists
—	Golden State Warriors	2016	Lost vs. Cleveland	[34]
—	Cleveland Cavaliers	2016	Won vs. Golden State	[33]

• ^a The Sacramento Kings last appeared in the 1951 NBA Finals as the Rochester Royals.
• ^b The Atlanta Hawks last appeared in the 1961 NBA Finals as the St. Louis Hawks.
• ^c The Washington Wizards last appeared in the 1979 Conference Finals and NBA Finals as the Washington Bullets.
• ^d The Brooklyn Nets last appeared in the 2003 Conference Finals and NBA Finals as the New Jersey Nets.

NBA championship title droughts

Seasons	Team	Last NBA championship	Reference
65	Sacramento Kings^[a]	1951	[6]
58	Atlanta Hawks^[b]	1958	[27]
48	Phoenix Suns	Never	[7]
46	Los Angeles Clippers	Never	[26]
45	Milwaukee Bucks	1971	[15]
43	New York Knicks	1973	[13]
42	Utah Jazz	Never	[10]
40	Denver Nuggets	Never	[12]
40	Brooklyn Nets	Never	[14]
40	Indiana Pacers	Never	[21]
39	Portland Trail Blazers	1977	[30]
38	Washington Wizards^[c]	1978	[17]
37	Oklahoma City Thunder^[d]	1979	[32]
33	Philadelphia 76ers	1983	[8]
27	Orlando Magic	Never	[9]
27	Minnesota Timberwolves	Never	[5]
26	Charlotte Hornets	Never	[19]
21	Houston Rockets	1995	[25]
21	Memphis Grizzlies	Never	[23]
21	Toronto Raptors	Never	[31]
18	Chicago Bulls	1998	[18]
14	New Orleans Pelicans	Never	[16]
12	Detroit Pistons	2004	[22]
8	Boston Celtics	2008	[20]
6	Los Angeles Lakers	2010	[11]
5	Dallas Mavericks	2011	[24]
3	Miami Heat	2013	[28]
2	San Antonio Spurs	2014	[29]
1	Golden State Warriors	2015	[34]
	Defending	NBA champion
—	Cleveland Cavaliers	2016	[33]

• ^a The Sacramento Kings last won an NBA championship in 1951 as the Rochester Royals.
• ^b The Atlanta Hawks last won an NBA championship in 1958 as the St. Louis Hawks.
• ^c The Washington Wizards last won an NBA championship in 1978 as the Washington Bullets.
• ^d The Oklahoma City Thunder last won an NBA championship in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics.

All-time droughts

Closest approaches without winning

Updated through the 2016 playoffs.

Team	Conference Quarter-Final Appearances^1	Conference Semi-Final Appearances^2	Conference Final Appearances^3	NBA Final Appearances	Fewest Wins Short of NBA Championship
Brooklyn Nets	19	7	2	2	2 wins short : 2003
Indiana Pacers	23	10	8	1	2 wins short : 2000
Phoenix Suns	26	18	9	2	2 wins short : 1976, 1993
Utah Jazz	25	14	6	2	2 wins short : 1997, 1998
Orlando Magic	14	5	4	2	3 wins short : 2009
Toronto Raptors	8	2	1		6 wins short : 2016
Minnesota Timberwolves	8	1	1		6 wins short : 2004
Denver Nuggets^4	22	8	3		6 wins short : 1978, 2009
Memphis Grizzlies	9	3	1		8 wins short : 2013
Los Angeles Clippers	10	7			9 wins short : 1975, 2006, 2015
New Orleans Pelicans^5	6	1			9 wins short : 2008
Charlotte Hornets^5	10	4			9 wins short : 2002

Longest post-season droughts in team history

Updated through the 2016 playoffs.

0^0	Denotes active streak

Team Longest streak with no post-season appearances Seasons Los Angeles Clippers 1976–77 through 1990–91 15 Golden State Warriors 1994–95 through 2005–06 12 Minnesota Timberwolves ^ 2004–05 through 2015–16 12 Dallas Mavericks 1990–91 through 1999–2000 10 Sacramento Kings ^ 2006–07 through 2015–16 10 Utah Jazz 1974–75 through 1982–83 9 Washington Wizards 1988–89 through 1995–96 8 Memphis Grizzlies 1995–96 through 2002–03 8 Denver Nuggets 1995–96 through 2002–03 8 Atlanta Hawks 1999–2000 through 2006–07 8 New York Knicks 1959–60 through 1965–66 7 Oklahoma City Thunder 1967–68 through 1973–74 7 Milwaukee Bucks 1991–92 through 1997–98 7 Philadelphia 76ers 1991–92 through 1997–98 7 Cleveland Cavaliers 1998–99 through 2004–05 7 Portland Trail Blazers 1970–71 through 1975–76 6 Detroit Pistons 1977–78 through 1982–83 2009–10 through 2014–15 6 Boston Celtics 1995–96 through 2000–01 6 Chicago Bulls 1998–99 through 2003–04 6 Phoenix Suns ^ 2010–11 through 2015–16 6 Houston Rockets 1969–70 through 1973–74 5 Indiana Pacers 1981–82 through 1985–86 5 Brooklyn Nets 1986–87 through 1990–91 & 2007–08 through 2011–12 5 Charlotte Hornets ^ 2004–05 through 2008–09 5 Toronto Raptors ^ 2008–09 through 2012–13 5 Orlando Magic ^ 1989–90 through 1992–93 2012–13 through 2015–16 4 Miami Heat 1988–89 through 1990–91 3 New Orleans Pelicans ^ 2004–05 through 2006–07 2011–12 through 2013–14 3 Los Angeles Lakers ^ 2013–14 through 2015–16 3 San Antonio Spurs 1983–84 1986–87 1988–89 1996–97 1

Team Longest streak with no post-season series wins Seasons Los Angeles Clippers 1976–77 through 2004–05 29 Washington Wizards 1982–83 through 2003–04 22 Sacramento Kings 1981–82 through 1999–2000 19 Indiana Pacers 1976–77 through 1992–93 17 Brooklyn Nets 1984–85 through 2000–01 17 New York Knicks 1953–54 through 1967–68 15 Cleveland Cavaliers 1976–77 through 1990–91 15 Golden State Warriors 1991–92 through 2005–06 15 Memphis Grizzlies 1995–96 through 2009–10 15 Milwaukee Bucks ^ 2001–02 through 2015–16 15 Minnesota Timberwolves 1989–90 through 2002–03 14 Denver Nuggets 1994–95 through 2007–08 14 Toronto Raptors 2001–02 through 2014–15 14 Detroit Pistons 1962–63 through 1974–75 13 Portland Trail Blazers 2000–01 through 2012–13 13 Dallas Mavericks 1988–89 through 1999–2000 12 Charlotte Hornets ^ 2004–05 through 2015–16 12 Orlando Magic 1996–97 through 2006–07 11 Houston Rockets 1997–98 through 2007–08 11 Utah Jazz 1974–75 through 1982–83 9 Boston Celtics 1992–93 through 2000–01 9 Atlanta Hawks 1999–2000 through 2007–08 9 Philadelphia 76ers 1968–69 through 1975–76 & 2003–04 through 2010–11 8 Miami Heat 1988–89 through 1995–96 8 Chicago Bulls 1998–99 through 2005–06 8 New Orleans Pelicans ^ 2008–09 through 2015–16 8 Oklahoma City Thunder 1967–68 through 1973–74 7 Phoenix Suns 1968–69 through 1974–75 7 San Antonio Spurs 1983–84 through 1988–89 6 Los Angeles Lakers ^ 2012–13 through 2015–16 4

Longest NBA Playoffs appearance droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2015–16 NBA season.

^	Denotes active streak

Streak	Team	NBA Playoffs appearance droughts	Reference
15 seasons	Los Angeles Clippers^[a]	1977–1991	[26]
12 seasons	Golden State Warriors	1995–2006	[34]
12 seasons	Minnesota TimberwolvesMinnesota Timberwolves ^	2005–2016	[5]
10 seasons	Dallas Mavericks	1991–2000	[24]
10 seasons	Sacramento Kings ^	2007–2016	[6]
9 seasons	Utah Jazz^[b]	1975–1983	[10]
9 seasons	Golden State Warriors	1978–1986	[34]
9 seasons	Sacramento Kings	1987–1995	[6]
8 seasons	Washington Bullets	1989–1996	[17]
8 seasons	Denver Nuggets	1996–2003	[12]
8 seasons	Memphis Grizzlies^[c]	1996–2003	[23]
8 seasons	Los Angeles Clippers	1998–2005	[26]
8 seasons	Atlanta Hawks	2000–2007	[27]

• ^a Streak included Buffalo Braves 1977–78 seasons, and San Diego Clippers 1979–84 seasons.
• ^b Streak included New Orleans Jazz 1975–79 seasons.
• ^c Streak included Vancouver Grizzlies 1996–2001 seasons.

Longest Conference finals droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2015–16 season. The current Conference Finals format introduced in 1971.

^	Denotes active streak
†	Year the team joined the NBA

Seasons	Team	NBA Conference Finals appearance droughts	Subsequent appearance in Conference Finals	Reference
46	Los Angeles Clippers ^ ^[a]	001971 ^†0– 2016	Active drought	[26]
44	Atlanta Hawks	1971 – 2014	2015	[27]
38	Golden State Warriors	1977 – 2014	2015	[34]
37	Washington Wizards ^^[b]	1980 – 2016	Active drought	[17]
26	Charlotte Hornets ^ ^[c]	001989 ^†0– 2016	Active drought	[19]
25	New Jersey Nets ^[d]	001977 ^†0– 2001	2002	[14]
23	Denver Nuggets	1986 – 2008	2009	[12]
20	Toronto Raptors	01996 ^† – 2015	2016	[31]
20	Sacramento Kings ^[e]	1982 – 2001	2002	[6]

• ^a Streak includes seasons as Buffalo Braves and San Diego Clippers.
• ^b Team last qualified for the Conference Finals as Washington Bullets.
• ^c Franchise inactive for two seasons between 2002 and 2004.
• ^d Current Brooklyn Nets; includes 1 season as New York Nets.
• ^e Includes 4 seasons as Kansas City Kings.

Finals droughts

NBA Finals in which neither team had previously won a championship

In these instances, the matchup ensured that one team would win the first NBA championship in its history.

Season	Won	Lost
2006*	Miami Heat	Dallas Mavericks
1978	Washington Bullets	Seattle SuperSonics (OKC)
1971*	Milwaukee Bucks	Baltimore Bullets (WSH)
1957*	Boston Celtics	St. Louis Hawks (ATL)
1955	Syracuse Nationals (PHI)	Fort Wayne Pistons (DET)^
1951*	Rochester Royals (SAC)^	New York Knicks
1949*	Minneapolis Lakers (LAL)^	Washington Capitols†
1947*	Philadelphia Warriors (GSW)	Chicago Stags†

• *- In these cases, each team was making its first NBA Finals appearance.
• ^- Team had previously appeared in the National Basketball League finals before said league was merged for the NBA's formation.
• †- Defunct franchise.
• Abbreviation in parentheses – Current location of NBA franchise.

NBA Finals in which neither franchise had won a championship in 20-plus seasons

Teams that had never won the NBA championship are included, even if they were less than 20 seasons old at the time.

Season	Won	Drought (seasons)	Lost	Drought (seasons)
2015	Golden State Warriors	39	Cleveland Cavaliers	44*
2006	Miami Heat	17*	Dallas Mavericks	25*
1999	San Antonio Spurs	22*	New York Knicks	25
1994	Houston Rockets	26*	New York Knicks	20
1978	Washington Bullets	16*	Seattle SuperSonics	10*
1971	Milwaukee Bucks	2*	Baltimore Bullets	9*
1957	Boston Celtics	10*	St. Louis Hawks	7*
1955	Syracuse Nationals	5*	Fort Wayne Pistons	6*
1951	Rochester Royals	2*	New York Knicks	4*
1949*	Minneapolis Lakers	0*	Washington Capitols	2*
1947	Philadelphia Warriors	0*	Chicago Stags	0*

Numbers marked with * indicates that the number is counted from either the franchise's first year in the NBA or the first year of the league (1946, then known as the BAA).

Cities awaiting their first NBA championship

This list includes current active NBA cities that have never had their franchise(s) win an NBA championship, sorted by the number of seasons the city was represented in the NBA.

Last city to leave list – Cleveland 2016

City	Drought	Franchise(s) (seasons played)	NBA Finals appearance
Phoenix, Arizona	49 seasons	Phoenix Suns (1968–2016)	1976, 1993
Atlanta, Georgia	49 seasons	Atlanta Hawks (1968–2016)	—
Indianapolis, Indiana	41 seasons	Indiana Pacers (1976–2016)	2000
Denver, Colorado	41 seasons	Denver Nuggets (1976–2016)	—
Salt Lake City, Utah	38 seasons	Utah Jazz (1979–2016)	1997, 1998
Sacramento, California	32 seasons	Sacramento Kings (1985–2016)	—
Charlotte, North Carolina	29 seasons	Charlotte Hornets (original) (1988–2002) Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets (2004–2016)	—
Orlando, Florida	28 seasons	Orlando Magic (1989–2016)	1995, 2009
Toronto, Canada	22 seasons	Toronto Raptors (1995–2016)	—
New Orleans, Louisiana	20 seasons	New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979) New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2002–2005; 2007–2016)	—
Memphis, Tennessee	16 seasons	Memphis Grizzlies (2001–2016)	—
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	11 seasons	New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005–2007) Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–2016)	2012

Teams awaiting their first NBA championship

This list includes teams within the current NBA that have never won an NBA championship, sorted by the number of seasons the name and city were represented in the NBA.

Last team to leave list – Cleveland 2016

Current city	Total (seasons played)	Franchise (seasons played)	Last NBA Playoff appearance
Phoenix, Arizona	49 seasons	Phoenix Suns (1968–2016)	2010
Denver, Colorado	41 seasons	Denver Nuggets (1976–2016)	2013
Indianapolis, Indiana	41 seasons	Indiana Pacers (1976–2016)	2016
Salt Lake City, Utah	38 seasons	Utah Jazz§ (1979–2016)	2012
Los Angeles, California	33 seasons	Los Angeles Clippers§ (1984–2016)	2016
Minneapolis, Minnesota	28 seasons	Minnesota Timberwolves (1989–2016)	2004
Orlando, Florida	28 seasons	Orlando Magic (1989–2016)	2012
Toronto, Canada	22 seasons	Toronto Raptors (1995–2016)	2016
Charlotte, North Carolina	17 seasons	Charlotte Hornets† (1988–2002) (2014–2016)	2016
Memphis, Tennessee	16 seasons	Memphis Grizzlies§ (2001–2016)	2016
Brooklyn, New York	5 seasons	Brooklyn Nets§ (2012–2016)	2015
New Orleans, Louisiana	4 seasons	New Orleans Pelicans† (2013–2016)	2015

Notes

• § NBA teams that have relocated from their original city(s).
• † NBA teams that have rebranded from their original concept.
• The Pacers and Nets won the American Basketball Association before moving to the NBA.

See also

• List of NBA franchise post-season streaks
• List of National Basketball Association longest losing streaks
• List of National Basketball Association longest winning streaks
• List of Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise post-season droughts
• List of National Football League (NFL) franchise post-season droughts
• List of National Hockey League (NHL) franchise post-season droughts
• List of Major League Soccer (MLS) club post-season droughts

References

General

• "Team Index". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2009.

Specific

1. Newberry, Paul (May 10, 2015). "NBA: NFL has most parity, NBA is most exclusive club when it comes to winning titles". Associated Press. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
2. Major League Baseball has 18 different franchises that have won championships and have droughts of less than 32 years; the National Football League has 16 such franchises, and the National Hockey League has 15 such franchises.
3. Aldridge, David (June 6, 2015). "Warriors close in on title ... and keep NBA history afloat". NBA.com. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
4. "Playoff picture". NBA.com. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
5. "Minnesota Timberwolves". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
6. "Sacramento Kings". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
7. "Phoenix Suns". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
8. "Philadelphia 76ers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
9. "Orlando Magic". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
10. "Utah Jazz". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
11. "Los Angeles Lakers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
12. "Denver Nuggets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
13. "New York Knicks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
14. "Brooklyn Nets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
15. "Milwaukee Bucks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
16. "New Orleans Pelicans". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
17. "Washington Wizards". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
18. "Chicago Bulls". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
19. "Charlotte Hornets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
20. "Boston Celtics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
21. "Indiana Pacers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
22. "Detroit Pistons". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
23. "Memphis Grizzlies". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
24. "Dallas Mavericks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
25. "Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
26. "Los Angeles Clippers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
27. "Atlanta Hawks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
28. "Miami Heat". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
29. "San Antonio Spurs". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
30. "Portland Trail Blazers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
31. "Toronto Raptors". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
32. "Oklahoma City Thunder". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
33. "Cleveland Cavaliers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
34. "Golden State Warriors". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.