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NBA Team Facts and Franchise History
NBA Team Facts and Franchise History
Explore NBA team facts, franchise history, championships, expansion,
relocations, defunct teams, winning records and the cities that have
hosted NBA basketball throughout league history.
NBA Team Facts
| Fact |
Team / Total |
Details |
| Current NBA Teams |
30 |
The NBA currently consists of 30 franchises.
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| Oldest Franchise Roots |
Sacramento Kings |
The franchise traces its roots to the Rochester Seagrams,
organized in 1923.
|
| Oldest Continuous NBA Teams |
Boston Celtics / New York Knicks |
Both were charter members of the BAA in 1946 and have remained
in their original cities ever since.
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| Newest Expansion Franchise |
Charlotte |
The Charlotte Bobcats began play during the 2004-05 NBA season.
The franchise later reclaimed the Hornets name.
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| Most Recent Franchise Relocation |
Seattle to Oklahoma City |
The Seattle SuperSonics relocated and became the Oklahoma City
Thunder in 2008.
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| Most NBA Championships |
Boston Celtics — 18 |
Boston won its 18th NBA championship in 2024.
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| Current Franchises With a Championship |
20 |
Twenty of the NBA's 30 current franchises have won at least one
BAA or NBA championship.
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| Current Franchises Without a Championship |
10 |
Ten current franchises have never won an NBA championship.
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| Most Finals Appearances Without a Title |
Phoenix Suns — 3 |
Phoenix reached the NBA Finals in 1976, 1993 and 2021 without
winning the championship.
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Franchise history can be complicated by relocations and name changes.
An expansion franchise, a relocated franchise and a renamed team are not
necessarily the same thing. NBA Hoops Online separates these histories
where appropriate.
Explore NBA Team History
NBA Championships and Playoffs
NBA Team Wins and Records
NBA Team Game Records
Cities That Have Hosted Multiple NBA Franchises or Identities
| City |
NBA Teams / Franchise Identities |
| Chicago |
Chicago Stags, Chicago Packers/Zephyrs, Chicago Bulls
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| Indianapolis |
Indianapolis Jets, Indianapolis Olympians, Indiana Pacers
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| Baltimore |
Original Baltimore Bullets, later Baltimore Bullets
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| Charlotte |
Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets
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| Cleveland |
Cleveland Rebels, Cleveland Cavaliers
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| Denver |
Original Denver Nuggets, current Denver Nuggets franchise
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| Detroit |
Detroit Falcons, Detroit Pistons
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| Los Angeles |
Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers
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| New Orleans |
New Orleans Jazz, New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans
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| New York City |
New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets
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| Oklahoma City |
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder
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| Philadelphia |
Philadelphia Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers
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| Toronto |
Toronto Huskies, Toronto Raptors
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| Washington |
Washington Capitols, Washington Bullets/Wizards
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This list counts historically distinct franchises or major franchise
identities that played NBA or BAA games in the same metropolitan city.
Temporary homes and franchise-history reassignment can make some cases
more complicated than a simple team count.
Defunct and Early NBA Teams
The NBA's current 30-team structure is the result of decades of expansion,
relocation, contraction and franchise name changes. Early professional
basketball included teams such as the Chicago Stags, Providence Steamrollers,
Toronto Huskies, Washington Capitols, Anderson Packers and Waterloo Hawks.
Many of those franchises disappeared during the NBA's early years.
Other teams survived by relocating or changing names. The Rochester Royals
eventually became the Sacramento Kings, the Minneapolis Lakers became the
Los Angeles Lakers, the Fort Wayne Pistons moved to Detroit, and the Seattle
SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City.
Because relocated franchises generally retain their historical lineage,
the age of a franchise is different from the amount of time that team has
played in its current city.
View the complete history of defunct NBA teams >
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