The Top 10 Greatest NBA Franchises of All Time Ranked
- shaunalexandercraw
- Jul 18
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 24
A definitive ranking of the most successful and iconic teams in NBA history, from 1946 to today
While it can be fun — though contentious — to make all time rankings of the best players, best teams, or even best logos in the NBA, one of the best “best of” lists to consider is the overall franchises. From the inception of the NBA, through the ABA-NBA merger, up to the global phenomenon the NBA is today, some franchises have floundered, with not a single championship to show for decades of work. Others have claimed more than their fair share of greatness. Most lists from the Venus Fry Cook are more “favorites” than “best.” But in this case, the VFC is going for it and truly ranking the Top 10 greatest NBA franchises of all time.
10. Houston Rockets
Championships: 2
Franchise Players: Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Yao Ming, James Harden
Number 10 is tough. It could have been the Trailblazers. Or the Supersonics (especially if you consider the Supersonics/Thunder together). Or most definitely, the honorable-mention Milwaukee Bucks with two championships, Lew Alcindor, and Giannis. But over the years, the Rockets have repeatedly put out contending teams with MVP superstars, and eked out a couple of NBA titles while Michael Jordan was in the batting cage. Olajuwon is one of the most decorated players in NBA history, knocking on the door of any top 10 list, and James Harden led a heliocentric offense that pushed the dynasty Warriors to the limit. This team has history, pedigree, and legitimacy via championships.
9. Detroit Pistons
Championships: 3
Franchise Players: Isaiah Thomas, Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups
Of all the teams in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons have consistently embodied toughness. From the bad boy Pistons of the 1980s to the goin’ to work attitude of the defensively astonishing, team-minded Pistons of the 2000s, this is a franchise that will make you feel it the next day. With three well-earned championships (maybe could have been four without a certain phantom foul), the Pistons have grinded their way into the top 10 NBA franchises of all time. They may be on the verge of a resurgence heading into the latter half of the 2020s, but they’ve already secured their spot regardless. Their stars have constantly been overshadowed by the faces of the league. Isaiah could never live up to the stature of Magic, Bird, and Jordan — even though he beat all three of them in the playoffs. And Wallace and Billups were afterthoughts in an era when Kobe still dominated and Lebron was on the rise. But through it all, they fought, battled, and wrestled championship lore from the clutches of the star-powered association.
8. Philadelphia 76ers
Championships: 3
Franchise Players: Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid
Fo, fo, fo. An epic prediction from Moses Malone that almost came true when the 76ers went 12-1 to claim the NBA Championship in 1983. Moses Malone is, in the Venus Fry Cook’s opinion, the most underrated NBA great of all time, and Dr. J, Julius Irving, was the face of the NBA before Magic and Bird came along. Starting out as the Syracuse Nationals, where they won their first championship in 1955, the Sixers are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA. And in that time, they’ve been home to some of the NBA’s biggest stars, with a convenient lineage of “the” nicknames. The Doctor. The Answer. The Process. And with Wilt and Moses in there too, the Sixers can lay claim to one of the best all-time rosters in the association. Given all that superstar power, they should probably have more championships than they do, but it’s enough to secure their spot as a top 10 NBA franchise.
7. Miami Heat
Championships: 3
Franchise Players: Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Jimmy Butler
Who would have thought that the Miami Heat would so quickly rise to all-time franchise stature? The youngest team on this list, the Heat joined the NBA for the 1988-89 season. They put a surprisingly tough team on the floor throughout stretches of the 90s, but it wasn’t until Pat Riley took over that the Miami Heat truly ascended to the next level. Snatching Shaq from the Lakers in the mid-2000s, big Diesel teamed up with young, rising superstar Dwayne Wade to capture the franchise's first championship in 2006. But that was only a small taste of what was to come. LeBron made the decision to take his talents to South Beach, and the rest was history. They may not have won eight championships, but they made the finals every year for four years and pocketed two championships while they were there. Even after losing LeBron, Pat Riley found a way to consistently assemble overachieving teams, thanks in no small part to coaching great Erik Spoelstra, and the Herculean efforts of Jimmy Butler in the early 2020s. As it stands, this franchise has achieved more than half the teams in the history of the NBA in half the time — with some of the best executives, coaches, and players the league has ever seen.
6. New York Knicks
Championships: 2
Franchise Players: Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing, Carmelo Anthony, Jalen Brunson
Look. It’s New York. It’s the Garden. According to the all-time greats, from Michael Jordan to LeBron James, it’s the mecca of basketball. And that’s where the Knicks call home. They may only have two championships, and way back in the early 70s, but… well… it’s the Knicks! Maybe it has been more than 50 years since they tasted gold, but the legend of the 1970 and 1973 championships has been enough to sustain their stature. The heroics of NBA greats Willis Reed and Walt Frazier are still household memories, and names like Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, and Earl “the Pearl” Monroe still echo in the annals of the NBA. The decades since saw some solid outings, but the Knicks, no matter how good, just always seemed to come up against someone better. Ewing, Starks, and Pat Riley were snuffed by the Bulls and Rockets in the 90s. Carmelo Anthony took his best shot, but he was no LeBron James. And even the scrappy “Nova Knicks” led by surprise star Jalen Brunson can’t get out of the East come springtime. Time will tell if the mecca of baseball can host the heights it once did, but for now… the legacy endures.
5. San Antonio Spurs
Championships: 5
Franchise Players: David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginóbili, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard
Tim Duncan. Tony Parker. Manu Ginóbili. Pop. Tack David Robinson and Kawhi Leonard on either side, and you’ve got yourself a 15-year NBA dynasty. One of the greatest dynasties of all time. Compared to their contemporaries, such as the Lakers in the the 2000s and the Heat in the early 2010s, the Spurs were kind of boring. Led by the Big Fundamental, there was nothing flashy about the Spurs. They just quietly went about their business, winning five NBA Championship — including three in a five-year stretch. The Spurs are the only franchise on this list that originated in the ABA. The first of the four ABA teams absorbed by the NBA to win a title, the Spurs overall franchise greatness really is defined by this 15 years. Amassing five titles behind perennial MVP superstar and Top 10 all-time great Tim Duncan — in tandem with GOAT coach candidate Gregg Popovich — is all the Spurs needed to land in the Top 5 NBA franchises of all time.
4. Chicago Bulls
Championships: 6
Franchise Players: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Derrick Rose
999/1000 lists would probably have the Bulls in at the number three slot of NBA all-time franchises. Here’s the thing. Take away the Jordan Bulls and… well, that one year Derrick Rose won the MVP was kinda cool. But if you look at the entire history of the Bulls since their founding in 1966, aside from a decade when Michael Jordan was the most star-studded, successful, hardest-working, best-known human being on the planet, they really haven’t done much. That’s why they’re not higher on the list. Now, let’s talk about why they are this high on the list, over some other really great franchises. Because of Michael Jordan and the 1990s Bulls!
6/6 in the Finals. Two threepeats. 72-10 in the regular season. Complete dominance. Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Horace Grant. John Paxson and Steve Kerr. And the great Phil Jackson. Together, these guys made up several of the best single-season teams the league has ever seen. They took the NBA to a new level. They made it a global game. They brought new eyes to the product. They transcended the sport. They entered the echelon of culture. But regardless of all that, at their core, they were just a very elite basketball team. Shrewdly built, smartly coached, and fiercely led by (in the VFC’s opinion), the greatest basketball player of all time.
3. Golden State Warriors
Championships: 7
Franchise Players: Rick Barry, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant
This might be recent bias. As noted, most people would have the Bulls at number three all-time. But we’re not comparing the Michael Jordan Bulls to the Steph Curry Warriors, we’re ranking overall franchises throughout their entire tenure within the history of the NBA. And, through that lens, the Golden State Warriors are number three on the list. They won what the NBA recognizes as the first championship in 1947 as the Philadelphia Warriors. The Warriors won again in 1956, but faltered for a couple of decades after losing Wilt Chamberlain to the cross-town rival, 76ers, and losing rookie sensation Rick Barry to the ABA. But, after reclaiming Rick Barry in the NBA-ABA merger, the Warriors gave the NBA one of its biggest upsets in history when the Barry-led Warriors swept the heavily favored Washington Bullets in 1975. The franchise had amassed three championships — 40 years before the Golden State Warriors dynasty began. From 2015-2022, the Warriors won four championships led by Steph Curry and their “strength-in-numbers” philosophy. Under the calm guidance of Steve Kerr, those numbers included stars Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, an ever-changing elite bench, including Finals MVP Andre Iguodala, oh, and Kevin freaking Durant. It wasn’t even fair at that point. They won titles before, with, and after Durant, securing their dynasty stats, Steph’s legacy, and the number three spot on the Venus Fry Cook’s list of the greatest NBA franchises of all time.
2. Boston Celtics
Championships: 18
Franchise Players: Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown
We all knew the two franchises it would come down to. And it could go either way. Yes, the Celtics have the most championships and arguably the greatest dynasty in the history of sports. But there’s another franchise that… well, we’ll get to that. This is really more of a 1A 1B situation. As it stands, the Celtics are 1B. They’re one of only two franchises that can boast multiple dynasty eras. The the epitome of blue collar, hardworking. They may have the most dedicated, hardcore fans in all of basketball. Boston is a sports town. Straight up. And New Englanders love players who punch the clock, and go out there to win championships. The Boston Celtics have more history, lore, and lunchbox enchantment that some entire leagues. Bill Russell is a sports icon. One of the alltime greats. He never really got his due and probably still doesn’t to this day. But, you know, eleven rings.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Championships: 17
Franchise Players: George Mikan, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James
The Lakers. The Lakers could make a case for being the greatest franchise in all of sports (though the Yankees, Cowboys, and some overseas football clubs may have something to say about it). They have one fewer championships than Boston. But it’s LA, baby. It’s showtime. It’s la la land. It’s where the stars come out to play. Stars like Jerry West, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James — just to name a few.
Now, in the Venus Fry Cook’s opinion, the NBA since the 1980s is a bigger, stronger, tougher, all-round more talented league. And a harder league to win in. We know it’s tricky comparing eras. But we’re not comparing players. We’re talking about a league with 8-14 teams versus a league with 30 teams. Playoffs where you had to win three rounds (including some best of five) versus playoffs where you have win four best of seven rounds to become the NBA champion. Before the 1980s, the Boston Celtics won 13 NBA championships to the Lakers. Since the 1980s, the Lakers have won 11 to the Celtics 5. LA is simply brighter and better — with brighter, better stars. When the late NBA commissioner David Stern was asked what his dream NBA finals matchup was, he said, “The Lakers versus the Laker.” Because Laker Nation is the biggest fanbase in the NBA. No franchise puts more eyes on the game of basketball. And they have the pedigree to back it up. The LA Lakers are the greatest franchise in the history of the NBA.
VFC Biases
The Venus Fry Cook did not start watching basketball until 2019. He’s caught up on the history, but it’s worth noting.
