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We will take a look at the nba champions by year. The National Basketball Association or NBA is widely regarded as the premier men’s professional basketball league in the world. It has 30 franchised clubs, including one from Canada.
The NBA Finals are played in a best-of-seven format, and have been contested between the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, except in 1950 in which the Eastern Division champion faced the winner between the Western and Central Division champions.
The Eastern Conference leads the Western Conference in series won (37–29. The Boston Celtics and the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers alone own almost half of the titles, having won a combined 33 of 67 championships.
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The Boston Celtics have won the championship 17 times. LA Lakers come in second place with 15 and Chicago Bulls have gone home with 6 titles. These teams have been the most successful teams in the history of the championship.
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The current NBA champions are the Miami Heat.
Here is the list of NBA Championship winners over the years. You can also find the MVP (Most valuable player) of the Finals as well as the season in the table.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Finals MVP | Season MVP |
| 2012-13 | Miami Heat | San Antonio Spurs | LeBron James | LeBron James |
| Miami Heat | Miami Heat | |||
| 2011-12 | Miami Heat | Oklahoma City Thunder | LeBron James | LeBron James |
| Miami Heat | Miami Heat | |||
| 2010-11 | Dallas Mavericks | Miami Heat | Dirk Nowitzki | Derrick Rose |
| Dallas Mavericks | Chicago Bulls | |||
| 2009-10 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | Kobe Bryant | LeBron James |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||
| 2008-09 | Los Angeles Lakers | Orlando Magic | Kobe Bryant | LeBron James |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||
| 2007-08 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Paul Pierce | Kobe Bryant |
| Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| 2006-07 | San Antonio Spurs | Cleveland Cavaliers | Tony Parker | Dirk Nowitzki |
| San Antonio Spurs | Dallas Mavericks | |||
| 2005-06 | Miami Heat | Dallas Mavericks | Dwyane Wade | Steve Nash |
| Miami Heat | Phoenix Suns | |||
| 2004-05 | San Antonio Spurs | Detroit Pistons | Tim Duncan | Steve Nash |
| San Antonio Spurs | Phoenix Suns | |||
| 2003-04 | Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | Chauncey Billups | Kevin Garnett |
| Detroit Pistons | Minnesota Timberwolves | |||
| 2002-03 | San Antonio Spurs | New Jersey Nets | Tim Duncan | Tim Duncan |
| San Antonio Spurs | San Antonio Spurs | |||
| 2001-02 | Los Angeles Lakers | New Jersey Nets | Shaquille O’Neal | Tim Duncan |
| Los Angeles Lakers | San Antonio Spurs | |||
| 2000-01 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | Shaquille O’Neal | Allen Iverson |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | |||
| 1999-00 | Los Angeles Lakers | Indiana Pacers | Shaquille O’Neal | Shaquille O’Neal |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| 1998-99 | San Antonio Spurs | New York Knicks | Tim Duncan | Karl Malone |
| San Antonio Spurs | Utah Jazz | |||
| 1997-98 | Chicago Bulls | Utah Jazz | Michael Jordan | Michael Jordan |
| Chicago Bulls | Chicago Bulls | |||
| 1996-97 | Chicago Bulls | Utah Jazz | Michael Jordan | Karl Malone |
| Chicago Bulls | Utah Jazz | |||
| 1995-96 | Chicago Bulls | Seattle Supersonics | Michael Jordan | Michael Jordan |
| Chicago Bulls | Chicago Bulls | |||
| 1994-95 | Houston Rockets | Orlando Magic | Hakeem Olajuwon | David Robinson |
| Houston Rockets | San Antonio Spurs | |||
| 1993-94 | Houston Rockets | New York Knicks | Hakeem Olajuwon | Hakeem Olajuwon |
| Houston Rockets | Houston Rockets | |||
| 1992-93 | Chicago Bulls | Phoenix Suns | Michael Jordan | Charles Barkley |
| Chicago Bulls | Phoenix Suns | |||
| 1991-92 | Chicago Bulls | Portland Trail Blazers | Michael Jordan | Michael Jordan |
| Chicago Bulls | Chicago Bulls | |||
| 1990-91 | Chicago Bulls | Los Angeles Lakers | Michael Jordan | Michael Jordan |
| Chicago Bulls | Chicago Bulls | |||
| 1989-90 | Detroit Pistons | Portland Trail Blazers | Isiah Thomas | Magic Johnson |
| Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| 1988-89 | Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | Joe Dumars | Magic Johnson |
| Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| 1987-88 | Los Angeles Lakers | Detroit Pistons | James Worthy | Michael Jordan |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Chicago Bulls | |||
| 1986-87 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | Magic Johnson | Magic Johnson |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| 1985-86 | Boston Celtics | Houston Rockets | Larry Bird | Larry Bird |
| Boston Celtics | Boston Celtics | |||
| 1984-85 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Larry Bird |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | |||
| 1983-84 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Larry Bird | Larry Bird |
| Boston Celtics | Boston Celtics | |||
| 1982-83 | Philadelphia 76ers | Los Angeles Lakers | Moses Malone | Moses Malone |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Philadelphia 76ers | |||
| 1981-82 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | Magic Johnson | Moses Malone |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Houston Rockets | |||
| 1980-81 | Boston Celtics | Houston Rockets | Cedric Maxwell | Julius Erving |
| Boston Celtics | Philadelphia 76ers | |||
| 1979-80 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | Magic Johnson | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| 1978-79 | Seattle Supersonics | Washington Bullets | Dennis Johnson | Moses Malone |
| Seattle Supersonics | Houston Rockets | |||
| 1977-78 | Washington Bullets | Seattle Supersonics | Wes Unseld | Bill Walton |
| Washington Bullets | Portland Trail Blazers | |||
| 1976-77 | Portland Trail Blazers | Philadelphia 76ers | Bill Walton | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Portland Trail Blazers | Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| 1975-76 | Boston Celtics | Phoenix Suns | Jo Jo White | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | |||
| 1974-75 | Golden State Warriors | Washington Bullets | Rick Barry | Bob McAdoo |
| Golden State Warriors | Buffalo Braves | |||
| 1973-74 | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | John Havlicek | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | |||
| 1972-73 | New York Knicks | Los Angeles Lakers | Willis Reed | Dave Cowens |
| New York Knicks | Boston Celtics | |||
| 1971-72 | Los Angeles Lakers | New York Knicks | Wilt Chamberlain | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Milwaukee Bucks | |||
| 1970-71 | Milwaukee Bucks | Baltimore Bullets | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Milwaukee Bucks | |||
| 1969-70 | New York Knicks | Los Angeles Lakers | Willis Reed | Willis Reed |
| New York Knicks | New York Knicks | |||
| 1968-69 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Jerry West | Wes Unseld |
| Los Angeles Lakers | Baltimore Bullets | |||
| 1967-68 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Philadelphia 76ers | ||||
| 1966-67 | Philadelphia 76ers | San Francisco Warriors | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Philadelphia 76ers | ||||
| 1965-66 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Philadelphia 76ers | ||||
| 1964-65 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Russell | |
| Boston Celtics | ||||
| 1963-64 | Boston Celtics | San Francisco Warriors | Oscar Robertson | |
| Cincinnati Royals | ||||
| 1962-63 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Russell | |
| Boston Celtics | ||||
| 1961-62 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | Bill Russell | |
| Boston Celtics | ||||
| 1960-61 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | Bill Russell | |
| Boston Celtics | ||||
| 1959-60 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | Wilt Chamberlain | |
| Philadelphia Warriors | ||||
| 1958-59 | Boston Celtics | Minneapolis Lakers | Bob Pettit | |
| St. Louis Hawks | ||||
| 1957-58 | St. Louis Hawks | Boston Celtics | Bill Russell | |
| Boston Celtics | ||||
| 1956-57 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | Bob Cousy | |
| Boston Celtics | ||||
| 1955-56 | Philadelphia Warriors | Fort Wayne Pistons | Bob Pettit | |
| St. Louis Hawks | ||||
| 1954-55 | Syracuse Nationals | Fort Wayne Pistons | ||
| 1953-54 | Minneapolis Lakers | Syracuse Nationals | ||
| 1952-53 | Minneapolis Lakers | New York Knicks | ||
| 1951-52 | Minneapolis Lakers | New York Knicks | ||
| 1950-51 | Rochester Royals | New York Knicks | ||
| 1949-50 | Minneapolis Lakers | Syracuse Nationals | ||
| 1948-49 | Minneapolis Lakers | Washington Capitols | ||
| 1947-48 | Baltimore Bullets (1st) | Philadelphia Warriors | ||
| 1946-47 | Philadelphia Warriors | Chicago Stags |
(The Finals MVP award has been in existence only since the 1968-69 season, while season MVP award was introduced in the 1955-56 season)
What does the NBA Championship winning team walk away with? Here’s a small note on the trophy at stake:
The Walter A. Brown Trophy
The trophy was originally referred to as the NBA Finals trophy, but was renamed in 1964 after Walter A. Brown, the original owner of the Boston Celtics who was instrumental in merging the BAA and the National Basketball League into the NBA in 1949.
The Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy
The trophy was renamed to the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in 1984 in honour of Larry O’Brien, who served as the NBA commissioner from 1975 to 1983. The Boston Celtics were the inaugural winners of the renamed trophy in 1984, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games (4–3) in the 1984 NBA Finals.
