# What is the greatest NBA franchise of all time?

> Banner counts say one thing, global reach says another, and the small markets keep interrupting both.

*By YPB Team · Published August 24, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-greatest-nba-franchise-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Boston Celtics** — score 1000/1000
   Eighteen championships, more than any franchise in NBA history, including eight in a row from 1959 to 1966.
2. **Los Angeles Lakers** — score 840/1000
   Seventeen championships across Minneapolis, Showtime and the Kobe-Shaq three-peat.
3. **Chicago Bulls** — score 595/1000
   Six titles in eight years in the 1990s, all of them with Michael Jordan.
4. **Phoenix Suns** — score 550/1000
   Three Finals appearances and still the longest wait for a first championship.
5. **New York Knicks** — score 498/1000
   Two early-1970s titles and, in 2026, a third after a 53-year wait.
6. **Dallas Mavericks** — score 498/1000
   One championship, in 2011, when Dirk Nowitzki beat the Heat superteam.
7. **Toronto Raptors** — score 498/1000
   The 2019 champions and the only title won outside the United States.
8. **Denver Nuggets** — score 440/1000
   A first championship in 2023, built around Nikola Jokic.
9. **Houston Rockets** — score 372/1000
   Back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995 behind Hakeem Olajuwon.
10. **Philadelphia 76ers** — score 293/1000
   Three championships, won with Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving and Moses Malone.
11. **Miami Heat** — score 293/1000
   Three championships and four straight Finals in the LeBron James years.
12. **Detroit Pistons** — score 293/1000
   Three titles: the Bad Boys back-to-back and the 2004 upset of a stacked Lakers side.
13. **Cleveland Cavaliers** — score 293/1000
   One title, in 2016, the only Finals comeback from 3-1 down.
14. **Seattle SuperSonics** — score 200/1000
   Champions in 1979, relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 and still mourned.
15. **Golden State Warriors** — score 200/1000
   Seven championships, four of them in the Stephen Curry era.
16. **Portland Trail Blazers** — score 200/1000
   One championship, in 1977, and the Blazermania that followed it.
17. **Oklahoma City Thunder** — score 200/1000
   A homegrown young core that turned into a champion in 2025.
18. **San Antonio Spurs** — score 200/1000
   Five titles over 15 years under Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan.
19. **Utah Jazz** — score 88/1000
   No title, but two Finals runs with John Stockton and Karl Malone against the Bulls.
20. **Milwaukee Bucks** — score 88/1000
   Two titles half a century apart, 1971 with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and 2021 with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Tags: usa, franchises, basketball, nba, teams