NBA Teams With the Most Finals Lost
Which teams have lost the most NBA Finals and the full list of teams that reached that stage in the Playoffs, ordered by Finals lost.
Which team has lost the most NBA Finals?
The Los Angeles Lakers are the team with the most Finals lost in NBA history with 15 losses in the Championship series. That means that they have been the team that lost in 19.2% of a total of 78 NBA Finals. On the positive side the Lakers have been present in 32 NBA Finals and have won the title 17 times.
Most NBA Finals Lost
15 finals
Los Angeles Lakers
In 78 editions of the NBA Playoffs, a total of 28 teams have reached the Finals at least once, most of them (23) lost at least once, 18 of them lost twice or more and only 5 of them lost 5 championships series or more. Here you can see the full list of these teams ordered by Finals lost.
Full List
NBA Teams With the Most Finals Lost
Team |
Finals Lost | % of NBA's Total Finals | Finals Played |
Finals Won |
% of Finals Won | |
| 1. | Los Angeles Lakers | 15 | 19.2% | 32 | 17 | 53.1% |
| 2. | New York Knicks | 6 | 7.7% | 8 | 2 | 25.0% |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 6 | 7.7% | 9 | 3 | 33.3% | |
| 4. | Golden State Warriors | 5 | 6.4% | 12 | 7 | 58.3% |
| Boston Celtics | 5 | 6.4% | 23 | 18 | 78.3% | |
| 6. | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4 | 5.1% | 5 | 1 | 20.0% |
| Detroit Pistons | 4 | 5.1% | 7 | 3 | 42.9% | |
| Miami Heat | 4 | 5.1% | 7 | 3 | 42.9% |
Team |
Finals Lost | % of NBA's Total Finals | Finals Played |
Finals Won |
% of Finals Won | |
| 9. | Phoenix Suns | 3 | 3.8% | 3 | - | 0.0% |
| Atlanta Hawks | 3 | 3.8% | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 3 | 3.8% | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | |
| Washington Wizards | 3 | 3.8% | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | |
| 13. | Brooklyn Nets | 2 | 2.6% | 2 | - | 0.0% |
| Orlando Magic | 2 | 2.6% | 2 | - | 0.0% | |
| Utah Jazz | 2 | 2.6% | 2 | - | 0.0% | |
| Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 2.6% | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 2 | 2.6% | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | |
| Houston Rockets | 2 | 2.6% | 4 | 2 | 50.0% |
Team |
Finals Lost | % of NBA's Total Finals | Finals Played |
Finals Won |
% of Finals Won | |
| 19. | Chicago Stags | 1 | 1.3% | 1 | - | 0.0% |
| Indiana Pacers | 1 | 1.3% | 1 | - | 0.0% | |
| Washington Capitols | 1 | 1.3% | 1 | - | 0.0% | |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 1 | 1.3% | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | |
| San Antonio Spurs | 1 | 1.3% | 6 | 5 | 83.3% | |
| 24. | Baltimore Bullets (1st) | - | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
| Denver Nuggets | - | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| Sacramento Kings | - | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| Toronto Raptors | - | 0.0% | 1 | 1 | 100.0% | |
| Chicago Bulls | - | 0.0% | 6 | 6 | 100.0% |