All 30 NBA Franchises Statistically Ranked By All-Time Greatness
By Daniel
2. Boston Celtics: 8.75 Points
Established In the NBA: 1946
Former Cities/Names: N/A
Greatest Player In Team History: Larry Bird (Close Second: Bill Russell)
The second greatest franchise in NBA history is the Boston Celtics. Sorry Celtics fans, I know you had your hearts set on the No. 1 spot on this ranking, but the numbers very clearly place Boston in the No. 2 slot all-time. The Celtics have had incredible success in their history, the NBA wouldn’t be what it is today without them and their list of legendary players. But, they still didn’t win enough to overtake the No. 1 team.
The Celtics won the most championship all-time (17) one more than the team ahead of them. They also have won 21 division championships and 21 conference championships. That is an incredible amount of success packed into their 68-year history. Do not be bitter about this list Boston fans, being second on this all-time list is a great honor.
1. Los Angeles Lakers: 10.83 Points
Established In the NBA: 1947
Former Cities/Names: Minneapolis Lakers
Greatest Player In Team History: Magic Johnson (Close Second TIE: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jerry West)
The greatest franchise in the history of the NBA is the Los Angeles Lakers. Let this ancient debate now become a thing of the past. The numbers support this claim as the Lakers have put up the most total points (which represent overall success) and have averaged more greatness per year than any team in league history. Their list of hall of fame players is second to none and so is the franchise as a whole. This claim is now nothing short of fact. The Lakers have won 16 league championships all-time (second-most in league history). They’ve also won an incredible 23 division championships (most all-time) and a jaw-dropping 31 conference championships (most all-time).
Those numbers cannot be ignored or disputed; the Lakers truly are the greatest franchise in NBA history. Remember, I didn’t choose the Lakers to be atop this list, the numbers did. No team has been more consistently dominant than the Lakers and they’ve won the most championships of the ‘modern era’ too. But this list is about all-time history and in that category the Lakers come out on top as well. From the beginning of league history until today, Los Angeles has dominated the NBA more thoroughly than anyone else. Their consistency of dominance year-in and year-out is what vaults them atop this list. Enjoy this title Lakers fans, you deserve it.
Don’t complain Celtics fans, even if all championships were given the same amount of points (from 1946-Present) and I didn’t quantify the championships per era, the Lakers would still own the top spot on this list.
Disagree with this list? Well, for those people that wish to see all franchises ranked by total points instead of average points per year check out the next slide!
Next: All 30 NBA Franchises Ranked By Total Points