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List of NBA franchise postseason 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 droughts of series wins, appearances in the NBA Finals and NBA championship wins. The oldest such franchise is the Suns (51 seasons), while the Royals/Kings and the Hawks have even longer championship droughts (68 and 61 seasons, respectively). Six franchises have never been to the NBA Finals, the highest number among the major North American sports.[1] The oldest such team is the Braves/Clippers franchise (49 seasons); the Kings and the Hawks have appearance droughts that are even longer (69 and 59 seasons, respectively). The longest a franchise has gone without appearing in the playoffs at all is 15 seasons: the Braves/Clippers franchise from 1977 to 1991.

Of the 19 franchises that have won an NBA championship, 8 have droughts of 36 seasons or more, which is to say that the past 36 championships have been shared among only 11 franchises: the Lakers (8), Bulls (6), Spurs (5), Celtics (3), Pistons (3), Heat (3), Warriors (3), Rockets (2), Mavericks (1), Cavaliers (1), and Raptors (1). By contrast, the other three major North American sports have each had at least 16 franchises become champions over the same period of time.[2][3]

Active droughts

NBA Playoffs appearance droughts

Appearance droughts updated through 2018-19 regular season.
Playoff picture at NBA.com[4]
^ Longest drought in team history
Seasons Team Last appearance
in NBA playoffs 		Reference
18 Sacramento Kings ^ 2006 First Round [5]
14 Phoenix Suns ^ 2010 Western Finals [6]
11 New York Knicks 2013 Eastern Semifinals [7]
8 Dallas Mavericks 2016 First Round [8]
8 Charlotte Hornets 2016 First Round [9]
7 Chicago Bulls 2017 First Round [10]
7 Atlanta Hawks 2017 First Round [11]
7 Memphis Grizzlies 2017 First Round [12]
6 Minnesota Timberwolves 2018 First Round [13]
6 Washington Wizards 2018 First Round [14]
6 New Orleans Pelicans 2018 Western Semifinals [15]
6 Cleveland Cavaliers 2018 NBA Finals [16]
5 Brooklyn Nets 2019 First Round [17]
5 Orlando Magic 2019 First Round [18]
5 Detroit Pistons 2019 First Round [19]
5 San Antonio Spurs 2019 First Round [20]
5 Portland Trail Blazers 2019 Western Finals [21]
5 Golden State Warriors 2019 NBA Finals [22]
2020 Playoff teams
4 Milwaukee Bucks 2020 First Round [23]
4 Toronto Raptors 2020 First Round [24]
4 Los Angeles Lakers 2020 First Round [25]
4 Boston Celtics 2020 First Round [26]
4 Miami Heat 2020 First Round [27]
4 Indiana Pacers 2019 First Round [28]
4 Philadelphia 76ers 2019 Eastern Semifinals [29]
4 Los Angeles Clippers 2019 First Round [30]
4 Denver Nuggets 2019 Western Semifinals [31]
4 Utah Jazz 2019 First Round [32]
4 Oklahoma City Thunder 2019 First Round [33]
4 Houston Rockets 2019 Western Semifinals [34]

All-time droughts

Closest approaches without winning

Updated through the 2019 playoffs.


Last team to leave list – Toronto Raptors 2019
Team Conference Quarter-Final appearances Conference Semi-Final appearances Conference Final appearances NBA Final appearances Fewest wins short of NBA Championship
Brooklyn Nets 20 7 2 2 02 wins short : 2003
Indiana Pacers 26 10 8 1 02 wins short : 2000
Phoenix Suns 26 18 9 2 02 wins short : 1976, 1993
Utah Jazz 28 16 6 2 02 wins short : 1997, 1998
Orlando Magic 15 5 4 2 03 wins short : 2009
Denver Nuggets 23 9 3 06 wins short : 1978, 2009
Minnesota Timberwolves 9 1 1 06 wins short : 2004
Memphis Grizzlies 10 3 1 08 wins short : 2013
Los Angeles Clippers 12 7 9 wins short : 1975, 2006, 2015
New Orleans Pelicans 7 2 9 wins short : 2008
Charlotte Hornets 10 4 9 wins short : 2001

Longest post-season droughts in team history

Updated through the 2019 playoffs.

0^0 Denotes active drought

Longest NBA Playoffs appearance droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2018-19 season.
^ Denotes active drought
Streak Team NBA Playoffs
appearance droughts 		Reference
15 seasons Los Angeles Clippers[a] 1977–1991 [30]
13 seasons Minnesota Timberwolves 2005–2017 [13]
13 seasons Sacramento Kings ^ 2007–2019 [5]
12 seasons Golden State Warriors 1995–2006 [22]
10 seasons Dallas Mavericks 1991–2000 [8]
9 seasons Utah Jazz[b] 1975–1983 [32]
9 seasons Golden State Warriors 1978–1986 [22]
9 seasons Sacramento Kings 1987–1995 [5]
9 seasons Phoenix Suns 2011–2019 [6]
8 seasons Washington Bullets 1989–1996 [14]
8 seasons Denver Nuggets 1996–2003 [31]
8 seasons Memphis Grizzlies[c] 1996–2003 [12]
8 seasons Los Angeles Clippers 1998–2005 [30]
8 seasons Atlanta Hawks 2000–2007 [11]
  • a Streak included Buffalo Braves 1977–78 seasons, and San Diego Clippers 1979–84 seasons.
  • b Streak included New Orleans Jazz 1975–79 seasons.
  • c Streak included Vancouver Grizzlies 1996–2001 seasons.

Longest Conference finals droughts

Appearance droughts updated through the 2018-19 regular season. The current Conference Finals format was introduced in 1971.
^ Denotes active drought
† Year the team joined the NBA
Seasons Team NBA Conference Finals
appearance droughts 		Reference
54 Los Angeles Clippers ^ [a] 001971 †0– present [30]
44 Atlanta Hawks 1971 – 2014 [11]
45 Washington Wizards ^[b] 1980 – present [14]
38 Golden State Warriors 1977 – 2014 [22]
34 Charlotte Hornets ^ [c] 001989 †0– present [9]
25 New Jersey Nets [d] 001977 †0– 2001 [17]
23 Denver Nuggets 1986 – 2008 [31]
20 Toronto Raptors 01996 † – 2015 [24]
20 Sacramento Kings [e] 1982 – 2001 [5]
  • a Streak includes seasons as Buffalo Braves and San Diego Clippers.
  • b Team last qualified for the Conference Finals as Washington Bullets.
  • c Franchise inactive for two seasons between 2002 and 2004.
  • d Current Brooklyn Nets; includes one season as New York Nets.
  • e Includes four seasons as Kansas City Kings.

Finals droughts

NBA Finals in which neither team had previously won a championship

In these instances, the matchup ensured that one team would win the first NBA championship in its history.

0*0 Both Teams in 1st NBA Finals appearance
Season Won Lost Number of years till
drought ended
2006* Miami Heat Dallas Mavericks 5
1978 Washington Bullets Seattle SuperSonics (OKC) 1
1971* Milwaukee Bucks Baltimore Bullets (WAS) 7
1957* Boston Celtics St. Louis Hawks (ATL) 1
1955 Syracuse Nationals (PHI) Fort Wayne Pistons (DET)^ 34
1951* Rochester Royals (SAC)^ New York Knicks 19
1949* Minneapolis Lakers (LAL)^ Washington Capitols† defunct 2 years later
1947* Philadelphia Warriors (GSW) Chicago Stags† defunct 3 years later
  • ^- Team had previously appeared in the National Basketball League finals before said league was merged for the NBA's formation.
  • †- Defunct franchise.
  • Abbreviation in parentheses – Current location of NBA franchise.

NBA Finals in which neither franchise had won a championship in 20-plus seasons

Teams that had never won the NBA championship are included, even if they were less than 20 seasons old at the time.

Season Won Drought (seasons) Lost Drought (seasons)
2015 Golden State Warriors 39 Cleveland Cavaliers 44*
2006 Miami Heat 17* Dallas Mavericks 25*
1999 San Antonio Spurs 22* New York Knicks 25
1994 Houston Rockets 26* New York Knicks 20
1978 Washington Bullets 16* Seattle SuperSonics 10*
1971 Milwaukee Bucks 2* Baltimore Bullets 9*
1957 Boston Celtics 10* St. Louis Hawks 7*
1955 Syracuse Nationals 5* Fort Wayne Pistons 6*
1951 Rochester Royals 2* New York Knicks 4*
1949* Minneapolis Lakers 0* Washington Capitols 2*
1947 Philadelphia Warriors 0* Chicago Stags 0*

Numbers marked with * indicates that the number is counted from either the franchise's first year in the NBA or the first year of the league (1946, then known as the BAA).

Teams awaiting their first NBA championship

This list includes teams within the current NBA that have never won an NBA championship—sorted by the number of seasons played in the NBA.

Last team to leave list – Toronto Raptors 2019
Total seasons
(NBA) 		Franchise Last NBA Finals
appearance
56 seasons Phoenix Suns (1969–present) 1993
54 seasons Los Angeles Clippers§ (1971–present) —
50 seasons Utah Jazz§ (1975–present) 1998
48 seasons Denver Nuggets (1977–present) —
48 seasons Indiana Pacers‡ (1977–present) 2000
48 seasons Brooklyn Nets§‡ (1977–present) 2003
35 seasons Minnesota Timberwolves (1990–present) —
35 seasons Orlando Magic (1990–present) 2009
34 seasons Charlotte Hornets† (1989–2002; 2005–present) —
29 seasons Memphis Grizzlies§ (1996–present) —
22 seasons New Orleans Pelicans† (2003–present) —
Notes
  • § NBA teams that have relocated from their original city(s).
  • † NBA teams that have re-branded to/from their original concept.
  • ‡ NBA teams that have won an ABA championship.

Cities awaiting first NBA championship

Listed according to seasons waited. Current NBA cities/regions only.


Last city to leave list: Toronto, 2019
City Seasons waited Conference Title(s) NBA Team(s)
Phoenix 56 1976, 1993 Phoenix Suns (1969–present)
Atlanta 56 None Atlanta Hawks (1969–present)
Denver 48 None Denver Nuggets (1977–present)
Indianapolis 48 2000 Indiana Pacers (1977–present)
Salt Lake City 45 1997, 1998 Utah Jazz (1980–present)
Sacramento 39 None Sacramento Kings (1986–present)
Orlando 35 1995, 2009 Orlando Magic (1990–present)
Charlotte 34 None Charlotte Hornets (1989–2002; 2015–present)
Charlotte Bobcats (2005–2014)
New Orleans 27 None New Orleans Jazz (1974–1979)
New Orleans Hornets (2003–2013)
New Orleans Pelicans (2014–present)
Memphis 23 None Memphis Grizzlies (2002–present)
Oklahoma City 18 2012 2 New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets seasons (2006–2007)
Oklahoma City Thunder seasons (2008–present)

NBA Championship droughts by division

Division Last NBA Championship Seasons
Northwest Division‡ 1979 — SuperSonics† 45
Southeast Division 2013 — Heat 11
Southwest Division 2014 — Spurs 10
Central Division 2016 — Cavaliers 8
Pacific Division 2018 — Warriors 6
Atlantic Division 2019 — Raptors 5
Notes
  • ‡ The last time a team playing in the present-day Northwest Division won an NBA Championship.
  • † The SuperSonics won this NBA Championship as part of the Pacific Division. The team has relocated to Oklahoma City as the Oklahoma City Thunder.

See also

References

General
  • "Team Index". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
Specific
  1. ^ Newberry, Paul (May 10, 2015). "NBA: NFL has most parity, NBA is most exclusive club when it comes to winning titles". Associated Press. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  2. ^ Major League Baseball has 18 different franchises that have won championships and have droughts of less than 32 years; the National Football League has 16 such franchises, and the National Hockey League has 15 such franchises.
  3. ^ Aldridge, David (June 6, 2015). "Warriors close in on title ... and keep NBA history afloat". NBA.com. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  4. ^ "Playoff picture". NBA.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d "Sacramento Kings". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Phoenix Suns". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  7. ^ "New York Knicks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  8. ^ a b "Dallas Mavericks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Charlotte Hornets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  10. ^ "Chicago Bulls". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c "Atlanta Hawks". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Memphis Grizzlies". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Minnesota Timberwolves". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  14. ^ a b c "Washington Wizards". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  15. ^ "New Orleans Pelicans". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  16. ^ "Cleveland Cavaliers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  17. ^ a b "Brooklyn Nets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  18. ^ "Orlando Magic". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  19. ^ "Detroit Pistons". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  20. ^ "San Antonio Spurs". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  21. ^ "Portland Trail Blazers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  22. ^ a b c d "Golden State Warriors". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  23. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  24. ^ a b "Toronto Raptors". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  25. ^ "Los Angeles Lakers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  26. ^ "Boston Celtics". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  27. ^ "Miami Heat". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  28. ^ "Indiana Pacers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  29. ^ "Philadelphia 76ers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  30. ^ a b c d "Los Angeles Clippers". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  31. ^ a b c "Denver Nuggets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  32. ^ a b "Utah Jazz". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  33. ^ "Oklahoma City Thunder". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  34. ^ "Houston Rockets". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
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