NBA Championship winners list by year: Full list of NBA champions since 1946

The NBA started back in 1946 and there have been a total of 21 different champion teams to date. The first NBA championship was won by the Philadelphia Warriors and the most recent one was clinched by the Los Angeles Lakers. With the current 2020-21 NBA regular season coming to an end, here's a look at the NBA Championship winners list by year since its inception. 

Which franchise has won most NBA Championships? NBA Champions full list

By clinching the 2020 NBA title, the Los Angeles Lakers took their overall tally to 17 championships. This put them on level for the most NBA championships of all time with the Boston Celtics. Both franchises have accounted for 34 of the 74 championships (45.9%) in NBA history.

Only three franchises have ever won three titles in a row — the Boston Celtics (eight straight from 1959 to 1966), the Chicago Bulls (twice), and the Los Angeles Lakers (twice). Nine teams have one NBA championship to their name — the Toronto Raptors (2019), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016), the Dallas Mavericks (2011), the Seattle Supersonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (1979), Baltimore/Washington Bullets/Washington Wizards (1978), the Portland Trail Blazers (1977), the Milwaukee Bucks (1971), St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1958), the Baltimore Bullets (1948; folded in 1954), and Rochester/Cincinnati Royals/Kansas City/Sacramento Kings (1951).

Full NBA winners list: 

• 1947- Philadelphia Warriors
• 1948 - Baltimore Bullets
• 1949 - Minneapolis Lakers
• 1950 - Minneapolis Lakers
• 1951 - Rochester Royals
• 1952 - Minneapolis Lakers
• 1953 - Minneapolis Lakers
• 1954 - Minneapolis Lakers
• 1955 - Syracuse Nationals
• 1956 - Philadelphia Warriors
• 1957 - Boston Celtics
• 1958 - St. Louis Hawks
• 1959 - Boston Celtics
• 1960 - Boston Celtics
• 1961 - Boston Celtics
• 1962 - Boston Celtics
• 1963 - Boston Celtics
• 1964 - Boston Celtics
• 1965 - Boston Celtics
• 1967 - Philadelphia 76ers
• 1968 - Boston Celtics
• 1969 - Boston Celtics
• 1970 - New York Knicks
• 1971 - Milwaukee Bucks
• 1972 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 1973 - New York Knicks
• 1974 - Boston Celtics
• 1975 - Golden State Warriors
• 1976 - Boston Celtics
• 1977 - Portland Trail Blazers
• 1978 - Washington Bullets
• 1979 - Seattle SuperSonics
• 1980 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 1981 - Boston Celtics
• 1982 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 1983 - Philadelphia 76ers
• 1984 - Boston Celtics
• 1985 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 1986 - Boston Celtics
• 1987 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 1988 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 1989 - Detroit Pistons
• 1990 - Detroit Pistons
• 1991 - Chicago Bulls
• 1992 - Chicago Bulls
• 1993 - Chicago Bulls
• 1994 - Houston Rockets
• 1995 - Houston Rockets
• 1996 - Chicago Bulls
• 1997 - Chicago Bulls
• 1998 - Chicago Bulls
• 1999 - San Antonio Spurs
• 2000 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 2001 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 2002 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 2003 - San Antonio Spurs
• 2004 - Detroit Pistons
• 2005 - San Antonio Spurs
• 2006 - Miami Heat
• 2007 - San Antonio Spurs
• 2008 - Boston Celtics
• 2009 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 2010 - Los Angeles Lakers
• 2011 - Dallas Mavericks
• 2012 - Miami Heat
• 2013 - Miami Heat
• 2014 - San Antonio Spurs
• 2015 - Golden State Warriors
• 2016 - Cleveland Cavaliers
• 2017 - Golden State Warriors
• 2018 - Golden State Warriors
• 2019 - Toronto Raptors
• 2020 - Los Angeles Lakers

Image Credits - nba.com