The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games in June to win their first NBA championship since 1973.
That ended 53 years of waiting at Madison Square Garden, the third-longest active title drought in the league at the time. Crossing the Knicks off leaves a list that has otherwise barely changed in decades.
Twenty of the NBA’s 30 franchises have won a championship and ten never have. Of the 20 winners, five have now gone more than 40 years without another one — 283 seasons of waiting between them.
Longest NBA title droughts
Ten teams have never won an NBA championship: The Phoenix Suns, LA Clippers, Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans.
The Suns are the oldest of that group, 58 seasons in. The Pacers and Nets both won titles in the ABA before joining the NBA in 1976, which does not count here. The Clippers, Timberwolves, Hornets, Grizzlies and Pelicans have never even reached the Finals.
Here are the five teams who reached the mountaintop, but haven’t returned in over four decades.
Sacramento Kings – 75 seasons
The Kings won the 1951 title as the Rochester Royals, beating the Knicks in seven games. The franchise then moved to Cincinnati, Kansas City and finally Sacramento in 1985, and has not been back to the Finals since.
They also hold the record for the longest playoff drought in league history, 16 straight seasons from 2006 to 2023.
Atlanta Hawks – 68 seasons
The Hawks were in St. Louis when they won in 1958, beating a Boston Celtics side missing an injured Bill Russell. Bob Pettit scored 50 points in the clinching game.
They lost the rematch in 1960 and again in 1961, before moving to Atlanta in 1968. Maybe Jalen Johnson keeps developing on his current trajectory and takes this Hawks team through the East and to a chance at breaking the rut.
Portland Trail Blazers – 49 seasons
Portland won its only title in 1977, when Bill Walton took Finals MVP and the team came back from two games down to beat the Philadelphia 76ers.
They returned in 1990 and 1992 and lost both, to Detroit and then to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
The Blazers added Ja Morant in a trade with Memphis this summer. That at least gives the roster a young star to build around, but don’t expect them to break the streak any time soon.
Washington Wizards – 48 seasons
Washington were the Bullets when they won in 1978, beating the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games with Wes Unseld named Finals MVP.
Seattle won the rematch a year later and the Wizards have not been back since. The Bullets name went in 1997.
Now with Trae Young, Anthony Davis and No.1 pick AJ Dybantsa, the Wizards have right to be optimistic about their future. Not as optimistic as this next team, though.
Philadelphia 76ers – 43 seasons
Philadelphia’s last title came in 1983, when Moses Malone and Julius Erving swept the Los Angeles Lakers. Malone had predicted a 12-0 playoff run and the team went 12-1.
43 years on, the 76ers are the most likely name here to come off the list. LeBron James signed a two-year deal in Philadelphia in July, joining Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
Of every drought on the list, it’s the youngest one that looks most likely to go.
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