List of NBA franchise post-season droughts

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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 the NBA Finals appearance drought and the NBA championships win drought. 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, 14 have never won the NBA championship. The oldest such franchise is the Suns (43 seasons), while the Royals/Kings and the Hawks have even longer championship droughts (60 and 53 seasons, respectively). Only 7 franchises have never been to the NBA Finals, the oldest of which is the Braves/Clippers (41 seasons), and again the Kings and the Hawks have appearance droughts that are even longer (60 and 50 seasons, respectively). The longest a franchise has gone without appearing in the playoffs at all is 15 seasons, for the Braves/Clippers from 1977 to 1991.

Of the 17 franchises that have won an NBA championship, 9 have droughts of 28 seasons or more, which is to say that the past 28 championships have been shared among only 8 franchises: the Lakers (8), the Bulls (6), the Spurs (4), the Celtics (3), the Pistons (3), the Rockets (2), the Heat (1), and the Mavericks (1). By contrast, the other three major North American sports have each had at least 13 franchises become champions over the same period of time.[1][2][3] Similarly, the past 32 championships have been shared among only 9 franchises: the eight listed above, and the 76ers.

Contents

[edit] Active droughts

[edit] NBA Playoffs appearance droughts

Appearance droughts up to and including the 2011 NBA Playoffs
Drought Team Last appearance
in NBA Playoffs		 Reference
7 seasons Minnesota Timberwolves 2004 [4]
5 seasons Los Angeles Clippers 2006 [5]
5 seasons Sacramento Kings 2006 [6]
4 seasons Golden State Warriors 2007 [7]
4 seasons New Jersey Nets 2007 [8]
3 seasons Toronto Raptors 2008 [9]
3 seasons Washington Wizards 2008 [10]
2 seasons Detroit Pistons 2009 [11]
2 seasons Houston Rockets 2009 [12]
1 season Charlotte Bobcats 2010 [13]
1 season Cleveland Cavaliers 2010 [14]
1 season Milwaukee Bucks 2010 [15]
1 season Phoenix Suns 2010 [16]
1 season Utah Jazz 2010 [17]

[edit] NBA Finals appearance droughts

Appearance droughts up to and including the 2011 NBA Playoffs
Drought Team Last appearance
in NBA Finals		 Reference
60 seasons Sacramento Kings[c] 1951 [6]
50 seasons Atlanta Hawks[d] 1961 [18]
41 seasons Los Angeles Clippers —[e] [5]
37 seasons Milwaukee Bucks 1974 [15]
36 seasons Golden State Warriors 1975 [7]
35 seasons Denver Nuggets —[f] [19]
32 seasons Washington Wizards[g] 1979 [10]
23 seasons New Orleans Hornets —[h] [20]
22 seasons Minnesota Timberwolves —[i] [4]
19 seasons Portland Trail Blazers 1992 [21]
18 seasons Phoenix Suns 1993 [16]
16 seasons Houston Rockets 1995 [12]
16 seasons Memphis Grizzlies —[j] [22]
16 seasons Toronto Raptors —[k] [9]
15 seasons Oklahoma City Thunder[l] 1996 [23]
13 seasons Chicago Bulls 1998 [24]
13 seasons Utah Jazz 1998 [17]
12 seasons New York Knicks 1999 [25]
11 seasons Indiana Pacers 2000 [26]
10 seasons Philadelphia 76ers 2001 [27]
8 seasons New Jersey Nets 2003 [8]
6 seasons Detroit Pistons 2005 [11]
4 seasons Cleveland Cavaliers 2007 [14]
4 seasons San Antonio Spurs 2007 [28]
2 seasons Orlando Magic 2009 [29]
1 season Boston Celtics 2010 [30]
1 season Los Angeles Lakers 2010 [31]

[edit] NBA championships win droughts

Win droughts up to and including the 2011 NBA Playoffs
Drought Team Last NBA championships win Reference
60 seasons Sacramento Kings[m] 1951 [6]
53 seasons Atlanta Hawks[n] 1958 [18]
43 seasons Phoenix Suns —[o] [16]
41 seasons Cleveland Cavaliers —[p] [14]
41 seasons Los Angeles Clippers —[q] [5]
40 seasons Milwaukee Bucks 1971 [15]
38 seasons New York Knicks 1973 [25]
37 seasons Utah Jazz —[r] [17]
36 seasons Golden State Warriors 1975 [7]
35 seasons Denver Nuggets —[s] [19]
35 seasons Indiana Pacers —[t] [26]
35 seasons New Jersey Nets —[u] [8]
34 seasons Portland Trail Blazers 1977 [21]
33 seasons Washington Wizards[v] 1978 [10]
32 seasons Oklahoma City Thunder[w] 1979 [23]
28 seasons Philadelphia 76ers 1983 [27]
23 seasons New Orleans Hornets —[x] [20]
22 seasons Minnesota Timberwolves —[y] [4]
22 seasons Orlando Magic —[z] [29]
16 seasons Houston Rockets 1995 [12]
16 seasons Memphis Grizzlies —[aa] [22]
16 seasons Toronto Raptors —[bb] [9]
13 seasons Chicago Bulls 1998 [24]
7 seasons Detroit Pistons 2004 [11]
7 seasons Charlotte Bobcats —[cc] [13]
5 seasons Miami Heat 2006 [32]
4 seasons San Antonio Spurs 2007 [28]
3 seasons Boston Celtics 2008 [30]
1 season Los Angeles Lakers 2010 [31]
  • m The franchise last won an NBA championship in 1951 as the Rochester Royals.
  • n The franchise last won an NBA championship in 1958 as the St. Louis Hawks.
  • o The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1968–69 season.
  • p The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1970–71 season.
  • q The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1970–71 season.
  • r The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1974–75 season.
  • s The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1976–77 season.
  • t The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1976–77 season.
  • u The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1976–77 season.
  • v The franchise last won an NBA championship in 1978 as the Washington Bullets.
  • w The franchise last won an NBA championship in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics.
  • x The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1988–89 season.
  • y The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1989–90 season.
  • z The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1989–90 season.
  • aa The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1995–96 season.
  • bb The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 1995–96 season.
  • cc The franchise has never won an NBA championship since it entered the league in the 2004–05 season.

[edit] All-time droughts

[edit] NBA Playoffs appearance droughts

Appearance droughts up to and including the 2011 NBA Playoffs
Streak Team NBA Playoffs
appearance droughts		 Reference
&1000000000000001500000015 seasons Buffalo Braves
San Diego Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers		 1977–1978
1979–1984
1985–1991		 [5]
&1000000000000001200000012 seasons Golden State Warriors 1995–2006 [7]
&1000000000000001000000010 seasons Dallas Mavericks 1991–2000 [33]
&100000000000000090000009 seasons Golden State Warriors 1978–1986 [7]
&100000000000000090000009 seasons Sacramento Kings 1987–1995 [6]
&100000000000000090000009 seasons New Orleans Jazz
Utah Jazz		 1975–1979
1980–1983		 [17]
&100000000000000080000008 seasons Atlanta Hawks 2000–2007 [18]
&100000000000000080000008 seasons Denver Nuggets 1996–2003 [19]
&100000000000000080000008 seasons Los Angeles Clippers 1998–2005 [5]
&100000000000000080000008 seasons Vancouver Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies		 1996–2001
2002–2003		 [22]
&100000000000000080000008 seasons Washington Bullets 1989–1996 [10]

[edit] Cities awaiting their first NBA championship

This list includes cities with current NBA franchises which have never won an NBA championship, sorted by the number of seasons the city was represented in the NBA.

Win droughts up to and including the 2011 NBA Playoffs
City Drought Franchise(s) (seasons played) NBA Finals
appearance
Atlanta, Georgia &1000000000000004300000043 seasons Atlanta Hawks (1968–2011) —
Phoenix, Arizona &1000000000000004300000043 seasons Phoenix Suns (1968–2011) 1976, 1993
Cleveland, Ohio &1000000000000004200000042 seasons Cleveland Rebels (1946–1947)
Cleveland Cavaliers (1970–2011)		 2007
Indianapolis, Indiana &1000000000000004000000040 seasons Indianapolis Jets (1948–1949)
Indianapolis Olympians (1949–1953)
Indiana Pacers (1976–2011)		 2000
Denver, Colorado &1000000000000003600000036 seasons Denver Nuggets (original) (1949–1950)
Denver Nuggets (1976–2011)		 —
Salt Lake City, Utah &1000000000000003200000032 seasons Utah Jazz (1979–2011) 1997, 1998
Sacramento, California &1000000000000002600000026 seasons Sacramento Kings (1985–2011) —
Orlando, Florida &1000000000000002200000022 seasons Orlando Magic (1989–2011) 1995, 2009
Charlotte, North Carolina &1000000000000002100000021 seasons Charlotte Hornets (1988–2002)
Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2011)		 —
Toronto, Ontario &1000000000000001700000017 seasons Toronto Huskies (1946–1947)
Toronto Raptors (1995–2011)		 —
New Orleans, Louisiana &1000000000000001400000014 seasons New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979)
New Orleans Hornets (2002–2011)		 —
Memphis, Tennessee &1000000000000001000000010 seasons Memphis Grizzlies (2001–2011) —
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma &100000000000000050000005 seasons New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005–2007)
Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–2011)		 —

[edit] References

General
Specific
  1. ^ "Stanley Cup Playoffs". TSN. CTV Global Media. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=5548. Retrieved July 26, 2010. 
  2. ^ "Super Bowl History". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises LLC. http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history. Retrieved July 26, 2010. 
  3. ^ "Baseball-Reference Playoff and World Series Index". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/. Retrieved July 26, 2010. 
  4. ^ a b c "Minnesota Timberwolves". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIN/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  5. ^ a b c d e "Los Angeles Clippers". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  6. ^ a b c d "Sacramento Kings". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAC/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  7. ^ a b c d e "Golden State Warriors". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/GSW/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  8. ^ a b c "New Jersey Nets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NJN/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  9. ^ a b c "Toronto Raptors". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/TOR/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  10. ^ a b c d "Washington Wizards". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  11. ^ a b c "Detroit Pistons". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DET/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  12. ^ a b c "Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  13. ^ a b "Charlotte Bobcats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHA/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  14. ^ a b c "Cleveland Cavaliers". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  15. ^ a b c "Milwaukee Bucks". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIL/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  16. ^ a b c "Phoenix Suns". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHO/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  17. ^ a b c d "Utah Jazz". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/UTA/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  18. ^ a b c "Atlanta Hawks". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ATL/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  19. ^ a b c "Denver Nuggets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DEN/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  20. ^ a b "New Orleans Hornets". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NOH/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  21. ^ a b "Portland Trail Blazers". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/POR/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  22. ^ a b c "Memphis Grizzlies". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MEM/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  23. ^ a b "Oklahoma City Thunder". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/OKC/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  24. ^ a b "Chicago Bulls". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  25. ^ a b "New York Knicks". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NYK/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  26. ^ a b "Indiana Pacers". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/IND/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  27. ^ a b "Philadelphia 76ers". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  28. ^ a b "San Antonio Spurs". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  29. ^ a b "Orlando Magic". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  30. ^ a b "Boston Celtics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  31. ^ a b "Los Angeles Lakers". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  32. ^ "Miami Heat". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 
  33. ^ "Dallas Mavericks". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/. Retrieved October 11, 2009. 

[edit] See also
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
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