NBA History: Looking at all the NBA Champions since 2000

#1 Los Angeles Lakers - 5 championships (2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010)

Los Angeles Lakers Media Day

The Los Angeles Lakers top this list due to the fact that they are a championship team in every era. In this case, since 2000 they have the most NBA Titles at 5. They did it by bridging the early years of the great Kobe Bryant with the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal that got them three consecutive NBA titles from 2000 to 2002.

That hall of fame duo actually led the Lakers to 4 NBA Finals in 5 years. After failing to make it in 2003 they were back in the championship series in 2004 but lost to the Detroit Pistons. In their 2000 to 2002 three-peat as NBA Champions, the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets respectively in the NBA Finals each year.

Their return to championship form was kickstarted by a midseason trade in 2008 that saw the Lakers obtain the talents of Pau Gasol. The Lakers did make the 2008 NBA Finals but came up short losing the series 4 games to 2 to the big three (Garnett, Pierce, and Allen) of Boston.

In true Lakers fashion, they were not done competing for a title. They would make it back to the promised land in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, it was the Orlando Magic losing a 5-game NBA Finals to the Kobe and Gasol led Lakers. In 2010, it was Boston again representing the East, but this time it was the Lakers winning a 7-game series after finding themselves trailing 3 games to 2.

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The Lakers and Celtics are the two most decorated teams in the NBA. The Lakers have won the title 16 times while the Celtics have won it 17 times. The last 20 years have introduced NBA fans to four new NBA Champions. The Raptors (2019), Cavaliers (2016), and the Dallas Mavericks (2011) each won their first championship during this period. Miami won all their three titles since 2006.

What is clear is that a championship franchise must be stable, consistent and willing to make the bold move when the time is right. Dallas took 11 years of elite play before they got the right combination of experience to win a title. Toronto found an upgrade to their All-Star DeMar DeRozan in Kawhi Leonard before turning 6 years of solid success into a title by betting on Kawhi Leonard who turned out to be the missing piece to their championship aspirations.

The crown does not come easily and it's even harder to defend it. Will the next 20 years bring us new titleholders or will the storied franchises like the Lakers and Celtics keep the glory to themselves? It will be fun watching the outcome.