All-Time Winning NBA Teams - List of the Best NBA Franchise Win Record

Some teams in the NBA are more successful than others. But while you may have guessed it right that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics are among the winningest franchises in NBA history, there are other teams in the Top 10 that will surprise you.

We listed below the 10 winningest NBA teams by ranking them according to their total franchise winning percentage. Here’s the list:

1. San Antonio Spurs W/L 2540-1682 (.602)

When it comes to winning year-after-year, the standard of NBA excellence are the San Antonio Spurs. The Silver and Black have 35 winning seasons in the last 42 years. They have won at least 47 games in a non-lockout season since 1997 and have won five NBA titles during that span. Under current head coach Gregg Popovich, San Antonio has only had one losing season. This year, the Spurs won 48 games and finished 7th in the Western Conference standings.

2. Los Angeles Lakers W/L 3333-2282 (.594)

The Lakers rank 2nd overall in most NBA titles won with 16. They won five of those during the 80’s decade when the team was branded as “Showtime” behind Magic Johnson. Kobe Bryant helped the team to win five titles during the Black Mamba’s career. Prior to the 2013-14 season, the Lakers had missed the playoffs only 5 times in 65 years.With their acquisition of LeBron James, the Lakers were among the early NBA betting favorites to challenge the Golden State Warriors and win the NBA title this year. However after an injury plagued-season, Los Angeles missed the playoffs to the disappointment of their faithful.

3. Boston Celtics W/L 3378-2346 (.590)

The Celtics are the winningest NBA franchise when it comes to winning NBA titles. The Men in Green have won a total of 17 NBA titles. From 1959-1966, the Celtics won eight consecutive NBA titles, the longest title-winning streak by any North American Professional sports team. Boston has 13 different seasons where they won at least 60 games, the most for any franchise. The team went on a title drought from 1986-2007 before winning their most recent championship in 2008. The Celtics were one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference this year but after struggling through the regular season, they were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks in round two of the playoffs.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder W/L 2283-1933 (.542)

The Oklahoma City Thunder were the former Seattle SuperSonics who relocated to OKC after the 2007-08 NBA season. The franchise made the playoffs 21 times as the Sonics and 8 as the Thunder. Although they have won just one NBA title in their franchise history ( 1978-79), the team has been the model for being consistent without necessarily being elite. The Thunder last made the Finals in 2012 when they were led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Only Westbrook remains from that trio who are coincidentally the last three winners of the NBA Most Valuable Player award.

5. Utah Jazz W/L 1964-1678 (.539)

The Utah Jazz own the unwanted distinction of being the winningest NBA team ( in terms of winning percentage) without an NBA championship. The Jazz have always been a tough team and during a 20-year period from 1983-1993, they made 20 consecutive playoff appearances, including back to back NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998 when they were led by Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton. On both Finals appearances, the Jazz lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Originally from New Orleans, the Jazz are the only franchise not to have a 60-loss season.

6. Portland Trail Blazers 2134-1836 (.538)

The Portland Trail Blazers didn’t make the playoffs in their first six NBA seasons. On their seventh season in the league, Bill Walton led them to their first playoff appearance. That same season, the Blazers won the NBA title and to this date, that remains as their only title-winning season. Despite that, the Blazers have made the playoffs in 36 out of their last 43 seasons, still an impressive feat. This year, the Blazers finished with 53 wins, their most since 2014. They are currently playing the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

7. Phoenix Suns 2186-1948 (.529)

Surprised to see the Suns here? I had to re-check just to be sure but then I found out that prior to their current state, the Suns were one of the most consistent franchises in the NBA. In 43 NBA seasons, Phoenix has made the playoffs a total of 29 times, advanced to the Western Conference Finals nine times and the NBA Finals twice in 1976 and 1993. Unfortunately, they haven’t won an NBA title, making them the most successful franchise ( in terms of total wins) never to win a Larry O’Brien trophy. Since reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2009, the Suns have plummeted to the bottom of the league where they continue to dwell almost a decade later.

8. Houston Rockets 2225-1991 (.528)

The Houston Rockets have made the playoffs 33 times in 52 seasons. They have won a total of seven Division titles and have been Conference champions four times. The fate of the Rockets changed when they drafted center Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. Together with 7-4 Ralph Sampson, they formed the original Twin Towers and led Houston to the 1986 NBA Finals where they lost to the Boston Celtics. In 1994, Olajuwon had his best season as he was MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP as the Rockets won their first NBA title. They repeated the following year but have not reached the title game since then. Houston is currently slugging it out with the defending champions Golden State Warriors in the 2nd round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs.

9. Miami Heat 1294-1200 (.519)

The Heat are among the NBA’s younger franchises, having joined the league only in 1988, but they are the most successful among their peers with three NBA title already won. In fact, they are the only NBA franchise established in 1980 or later to win an NBA title. The Heat did so because of Dwyane Wade whom they drafted with the 5th pick of the 2003 NBA Draft. Wade teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal to give Miami its first ever NBA title. Then in 2012 and 2013, they won back to back titles behind Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh. They have missed the playoffs in only six out of their 26 years of NBA existence.

10. Milwaukee Bucks 2129-2005 (.515)

Long before the Greek Freak arrived in Milwaukee, the Bucks were already a successful franchise. In fact, the Bucks are the fastest franchise to win an NBA title, as they won the championship during their third year in the league. Led by future Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson, the Bucks defeated the Washington Bullets via 4-0 sweep to capture the 1971 NBA crown. Although they have been in the playoffs in 31 of their 51 seasons, Milwaukee has never won the title since. This year, the Bucks had the NBA’s best record during the regular season and their 60 games won this season matches as franchise-best they set in 1981.