12 NBA teams have never won a championship.
The Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder – to name a few – have reached the NBA Finals at least once.
The Denver Nuggets, who have never won an NBA championship, are in the finals for the first time with a great chance to capture their first title.
The Nuggets are the best team in the postseason with a 12-3 record and a great performance in two-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
Here are our rankings of the closest teams to winning their first NBA championship.
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12. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets have never been to the conference finals, haven’t won a back-to-back since 2002 and have just three games since 2016. Michael Jordan’s Hornets have a ways to go to become a title contender.
Best finish: They reached the conference semifinals four times.
11. Brooklyn Nets
Since moving from New Jersey to Brooklyn, the Nets have taken championship chances — first with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett a decade ago and more recently with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden. Harden was traded last season, and Irving and Durant were traded this offseason. Money doesn’t always buy a title.
Best finish: They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2002 Finals and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2003 Finals. Like the Pacers, the Nets won titles in the ABA before joining the NBA in 1976 (1974, 1976).
10. Indiana Packers
The Pacers are in the midst of an accelerated reboot with Tyrese Halliburton, 23, and Benedict Maturin, 20, as well as veterans Myles Turner and Buddy Hield. The mindset among ownership and the front office is to make moves that elevate the Pacers into contenders. But there is also some patience.
Best finish: He lost to the Lakers in the 2000 Finals. In the year Before joining the NBA in 1976, the Pacers won two ABA titles.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves have capable contributors in Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and Naz Reed, Kyle Anderson, Jaden McDaniel and Taurean Prince, and should live up to their ownership transition from Glenn Taylor to Mark Lorre and Alex Rodriguez. Increased spending and promises to improve.
Best finish: In the year They reached the Western Conference Finals in 2004, losing to the Lakers in six games.
8. Utah Jazz
The rebuild seems headed in the right direction after Donovan Mitchell, but like the Magic, the Jazz are still behind many teams in the West, at least as the roster stands now.
Best finish: In the year The Bulls’ runner-up in 1997 and 1998, losing both finals in six games.
7. Orlando Magic
The Magic lost in the 1995 and 2009 Finals. With Shaquille O’Neal first and Dwight Howard later, they weren’t ready to win a title in those seasons. There’s something to work with in Orlando (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony), but contention isn’t just around the corner.
Best finish: He ran for the Lakers in five games in 2009.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are a team of the future with their talent, youth and future draft picks. They won 40 regular season games to make the playoffs, losing to the 8th seed Timberwolves. They have MVP candidates in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ranked fifth) and up-and-comers Josh Giddy, Jalen Williams, Lou Dort, Isaiah Joe and Aleksej Pokuszewski.
Best finish: In the year He ran to Miami in 2012.
5. Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers team, fronted by Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who have been sidelined many times due to injuries, are out of time.
Best finish: Lost to Phoenix in six games in 2021 conference finals.
4. New Orleans Pelicans
Wouldn’t it be interesting to see a healthy Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram for a full season? They were just over two months into their 23-12 season, tied for first with Denver. If healthy, they have debatable parts.
Best finish: Lost twice in conference semifinals (2008, 2018).
3. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies had the fifth-best record in the league this season with one of the youngest teams led by Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane. Memphis got in their own way this season, losing to the seventh-seeded Lakers in the first round and the second round. He has time to make amends.
Best finish: In the year In 2013, they lost to San Antonio in the conference finals.
2. Phoenix Sun
The Suns reached the 2021 Finals, dropping a 2-0 series lead against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the year They fell short of the conference finals in 2022, and even after trading for Kevin Durant to put them next to Devin Booker, the Suns lost in the second round this season. But any team with Durant and Booker remains a title threat, especially if depth is added.
Best finish: In the year Runner-up in 1976 (Celtics), 1993 (Bulls) and 2021 (Bucs).
1. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets are on the verge of making their first Finals appearance in franchise history. Injuries have slowed the Nuggets for a few seasons, but they’ve been headed in that direction since reaching the conference finals and losing to the Lakers in the 2020 Orlando Bubble.
Best finish: It has lost five times in the conference finals, most recently to the Lakers in 2020.
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