NBA Championship 2025: From 1947 to 2025
The Oklahoma City Thunder has won the 2025 NBA Championship, overcoming the Indiana Pacers 4-3 in a thrilling final series. It is a historic victory of the OKC Thunder, as this is the second NBA championship in its franchise history and the first championship after leaving Seattle, where they won as the SuperSonics in 1979. Oklahoma City Thunder swept the best of 7 games series and crowned the eventual champions who finally reaped the glory of the much-desired NBA championship trophy that had eluded them all these years during the playoffs.
The @okcthunder are the 2024-25 NBA Champions! pic.twitter.com/EsPIcjgVFx
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025
The success of the NBA Championship 2025 includes the Thunder in the list of strong NBA champions with its almost century-long history of professional basketball. Overall, the Boston Celtics continue to be the NBA champions with the most titles so far, 18 titles, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers with 17 championships. The latest, yet most dominant, NBA champions are the Golden State Warriors, who have won four championships since 2015-2022. Similar past champions of the NBA are the Denver Nuggets (in 2023), Milwaukee Bucks (in 2021), and Toronto Raptors (in 2019), which demonstrates the current competitive balance in the entire league.
The victory in the NBA Championship 2025 makes the Thunder a serious participant in the following seasons, and the status of the NBA champions fixes their position in the history of professional basketball. Here’s a complete list of all the NBA Champions from 1947-2025:
Complete NBA Champions History (1947-2025)
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Series |
| 2024-25 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Indiana Pacers | 4-3 |
| 2023-24 | Boston Celtics | Dallas Mavericks | 4-1 |
| 2022-23 | Denver Nuggets | Miami Heat | 4-1 |
| 2021-22 | Golden State Warriors | Boston Celtics | 4-2 |
| 2020-21 | Milwaukee Bucks | Phoenix Suns | 4-2 |
| 2019-20 | Los Angeles Lakers | Miami Heat | 4-2 |
| 2018-19 | Toronto Raptors | Golden State Warriors | 4-2 |
| 2017-18 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4-0 |
| 2016-17 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4-1 |
| 2015-16 | Cleveland Cavaliers | Golden State Warriors | 4-3 |
| 2014-15 | Golden State Warriors | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4-2 |
| 2013-14 | San Antonio Spurs | Miami Heat | 4-1 |
| 2012-13 | Miami Heat | San Antonio Spurs | 4-3 |
| 2011-12 | Miami Heat | Oklahoma City Thunder | 4-1 |
| 2010-11 | Dallas Mavericks | Miami Heat | 4-2 |
| 2009-10 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | 4-3 |
| 2008-09 | Los Angeles Lakers | Orlando Magic | 4-1 |
| 2007-08 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 |
| 2006-07 | San Antonio Spurs | Cleveland Cavaliers | 4-0 |
| 2005-06 | Miami Heat | Dallas Mavericks | 4-2 |
| 2004-05 | San Antonio Spurs | Detroit Pistons | 4-3 |
| 2003-04 | Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 |
| 2002-03 | San Antonio Spurs | New Jersey Nets | 4-2 |
| 2001-02 | Los Angeles Lakers | New Jersey Nets | 4-0 |
| 2000-01 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-1 |
| 1999-00 | Los Angeles Lakers | Indiana Pacers | 4-2 |
| 1998-99 | San Antonio Spurs | New York Knicks | 4-1 |
| 1997-98 | Chicago Bulls | Utah Jazz | 4-2 |
| 1996-97 | Chicago Bulls | Utah Jazz | 4-2 |
| 1995-96 | Chicago Bulls | Seattle SuperSonics | 4-2 |
| 1994-95 | Houston Rockets | Orlando Magic | 4-0 |
| 1993-94 | Houston Rockets | New York Knicks | 4-3 |
| 1992-93 | Chicago Bulls | Phoenix Suns | 4-2 |
| 1991-92 | Chicago Bulls | Portland Trail Blazers | 4-2 |
| 1990-91 | Chicago Bulls | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 |
| 1989-90 | Detroit Pistons | Portland Trail Blazers | 4-1 |
| 1988-89 | Detroit Pistons | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-0 |
| 1987-88 | Los Angeles Lakers | Detroit Pistons | 4-3 |
| 1986-87 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | 4-2 |
| 1985-86 | Boston Celtics | Houston Rockets | 4-2 |
| 1984-85 | Los Angeles Lakers | Boston Celtics | 4-2 |
| 1983-84 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 |
| 1982-83 | Philadelphia 76ers | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-0 |
| 1981-82 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-2 |
| 1980-81 | Boston Celtics | Houston Rockets | 4-2 |
| 1979-80 | Los Angeles Lakers | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-2 |
| 1978-79 | Seattle SuperSonics | Washington Bullets | 4-1 |
| 1977-78 | Washington Bullets | Seattle SuperSonics | 4-3 |
| 1976-77 | Portland Trail Blazers | Philadelphia 76ers | 4-2 |
| 1975-76 | Boston Celtics | Phoenix Suns | 4-2 |
| 1974-75 | Golden State Warriors | Washington Bullets | 4-0 |
| 1973-74 | Boston Celtics | Milwaukee Bucks | 4-3 |
| 1972-73 | New York Knicks | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 |
| 1971-72 | Los Angeles Lakers | New York Knicks | 4-1 |
| 1970-71 | Milwaukee Bucks | Baltimore Bullets | 4-0 |
| 1969-70 | New York Knicks | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 |
| 1968-69 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 |
| 1967-68 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 |
| 1966-67 | Philadelphia 76ers | San Francisco Warriors | 4-2 |
| 1965-66 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 |
| 1964-65 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-1 |
| 1963-64 | Boston Celtics | San Francisco Warriors | 4-1 |
| 1962-63 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-2 |
| 1961-62 | Boston Celtics | Los Angeles Lakers | 4-3 |
| 1960-61 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | 4-1 |
| 1959-60 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | 4-3 |
| 1958-59 | Boston Celtics | Minneapolis Lakers | 4-0 |
| 1957-58 | St. Louis Hawks | Boston Celtics | 4-2 |
| 1956-57 | Boston Celtics | St. Louis Hawks | 4-3 |
| 1955-56 | Philadelphia Warriors | Ft. Wayne Pistons | 4-1 |
| 1954-55 | Syracuse Nationals | Ft. Wayne Pistons | 4-3 |
| 1953-54 | Minneapolis Lakers | Syracuse Nationals | 4-3 |
| 1952-53 | Minneapolis Lakers | New York Knicks | 4-1 |
| 1951-52 | Minneapolis Lakers | New York Knicks | 4-1 |
| 1950-51 | Rochester Royals | New York Knicks | 4-3 |
| 1949-50 | Minneapolis Lakers | Syracuse Nationals | 4-2 |
| 1948-49 | Minneapolis Lakers | Washington Capitols | 4-2 |
| 1947-48 | Baltimore Bullets | Philadelphia Warriors | 4-2 |
| 1946-47 | Philadelphia Warriors | Chicago Stags | 4-1 |
