Walter A. Brown Trophy

File:Walter A. Brown Trophy.JPG

The Walter A. Brown Trophy displayed at the Basketball Hall of Fame

Template:FixBunching The Walter A. Brown Trophy was awarded to the National Basketball Association (NBA) (the Basketball Association of America (BAA) from 1946 to 1949) team who won the NBA Finals at the conclusion of each NBA season from 1949 to 1977. The trophy was kept by the winning team for one year and given to the winning team of the following year's finals, unless the previous team won again, much like the NHL's Stanley Cup, which continues that tradition to this day. The inaugural winner of the trophy was the Philadelphia Warriors, who defeated the Chicago Stags. The trophy was formerly referred to as the NBA Finals trophy, but it was renamed in 1964 after Walter A. Brown, in honor of the original owner of the Boston Celtics who was instrumental in merging the BAA and the National Basketball League into the NBA in 1949.

A new trophy design was created for the 1977 NBA Finals, though it retained the Walter A. Brown title. Unlike the original championship trophy, the new trophy was given permanently to the winning team and a new one was made every year. The trophy was renamed in 1984 to honor former NBA commissioner Larry O'Brien. The Boston Celtics won the trophy 13 times, the most in league history. From 1957 to 1969, they won the NBA Finals 12 out of 13 times, eight of them consecutively. The final recipient of the trophy was the Philadelphia 76ers, who defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals.

Key

and Bold	Winning team of the NBA Finals
†	Had tied the best regular season record for that season

Winners

See also: Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy, NBA Finals, and List of NBA champions

Year	Western Champion	Result	Eastern Champion	Reference
Basketball Association of America Finals
1947	Chicago Stags	1–4	Philadelphia Warriors
1948	Baltimore Bullets	4–2	Philadelphia Warriors
1949[A]	Minneapolis Lakers	4–2	Washington Capitols
National Basketball Association Finals
1950	Minneapolis Lakers	4–2	Syracuse Nationals†
1951	Rochester Royals	4–3	New York Knicks
1952	Minneapolis Lakers	4–3	New York Knicks
1953	Minneapolis Lakers†	4–1	New York Knicks
1954	Minneapolis Lakers†	4–3	Syracuse Nationals
1955	Ft. Wayne Pistons	3–4	Syracuse Nationals†
1956	Ft. Wayne Pistons	1–4	Philadelphia Warriors†
1957	St. Louis Hawks	3–4	Boston Celtics†
1958	St. Louis Hawks	4–2	Boston Celtics†
1959	Minneapolis Lakers	0–4	Boston Celtics†
1960	St. Louis Hawks	3–4	Boston Celtics†
1961	St. Louis Hawks	1–4	Boston Celtics†
1962	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	Boston Celtics†
1963	Los Angeles Lakers	2–4	Boston Celtics†
1964[B]	San Francisco Warriors	1–4	Boston Celtics†
1965	Los Angeles Lakers	1–4	Boston Celtics†
1966	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	Boston Celtics
1967	San Francisco Warriors	2–4	Philadelphia 76ers†
1968	Los Angeles Lakers	2–4	Boston Celtics
1969	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	Boston Celtics
1970	Los Angeles Lakers	3–4	New York Knicks†
1971	Milwaukee Bucks†	4–0	Baltimore Bullets
1972	Los Angeles Lakers†	4–1	New York Knicks
1973	Los Angeles Lakers	1–4	New York Knicks
1974	Milwaukee Bucks†	3–4	Boston Celtics
1975	Golden State Warriors	4–0	Washington Bullets†
1976	Phoenix Suns	2–4	Boston Celtics
1977[C]	Portland Trail Blazers	4–2	Philadelphia 76ers
1978	Seattle SuperSonics	3–4	Washington Bullets
1979	Seattle SuperSonics	4–1	Washington Bullets†
1980	Los Angeles Lakers	4–2	Philadelphia 76ers
1981	Houston Rockets	2–4	Boston Celtics†
1982	Los Angeles Lakers	4–2	Philadelphia 76ers
1983	Los Angeles Lakers	0–4	Philadelphia 76ers†

Notes

• ^A During the 1949–50 season, the league consisted of three divisions. The Minneapolis Lakers were in the Central Division.
• ^B The trophy was renamed for Walter A. Brown.
• ^C The trophy was replaced by a new design.