How many 3-peats are there in NBA History? Who has accomplished the rarest feat in basketball?

The NBA has had a long list of champions throughout history, cementing the team's name as one of the best of their time. However, not all teams have been able to win multiple times and there are even fewer teams that have won the title for three consecutive years, a rare feat.

Winning an NBA championship is considered the best accomplishment a player can have. Once a team has won at least one chip, management will try their best to keep their core and win another title the following season. It usually becomes more difficult as other teams try to reshape their rosters to prevent that from happening.

In the history of the league, there have been only three teams that have won three straight titles. Within the three teams, there have been five separate occasions where a three-peat has occurred. Those teams are the LA Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Chicago Bulls.

During the early days of the league, the Lakers were located in Minneapolis. From 1952-1954, they were the top team in the league, winning three straight titles. Led by George Mikan, they won against the New York Knicks in back-to-back years and the Syracuse Nationals.

The Boston Celtics did the impossible by winning eight titles in a row from 1959-1966. Led by the late great Bill Russell, the Celtics were an unstoppable force during that era and were feared by most teams.

Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to two separate three-peats. The first one was from 1991-1993 and the superstar retired shortly after. Jordan returned to playing professional basketball and added three more rings to his collection from 1996-1998.

The LA Lakers are the most recent team to have won three straight titles. Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant worked together to lead the iconic franchise to three straight titles from 2000-2002.

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The Golden State Warriors came close to winning three straight NBA titles

2018 NBA Finals - Game Four

There's no doubt that the Golden State Warriors were a tough team to beat during Kevin Durant's time with them. They won back-to-back titles and almost had the chance to win their third straight ring.

However, the injuries to Durant and Klay Thompson were such huge losses to the team, that they weren't able to keep up with the Toronto Raptors.

Due to their loss during the 2019 Finals, KD decided to move on from the team and join the Brooklyn Nets. For two seasons, the Warriors had the chance to rest and regain their motivation, which resulted in them becoming champions for the fourth time since 2015.

The 2019 Finals could be one of the biggest "what-ifs" in the association and has likely had a significant impact on the history of the league.