Most professional sports teams have one season where everything — or nearly everything, at least — just goes right. Those teams end up enshrined in fans’ memories as one of the all-time greats in their sport’s history.
There have been plenty of these legendary squads across sporting history, but we’ll be looking at the best NBA teams ever to grace the hardwood in this article.
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The Top NBA Teams of All Time
Where do you even start a list of the best teams in one of the world’s most popular sports’ top league and it’s nearly 80-year history? Let’s dig in.
1. The 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors
Most serious fans would consider the 2016-2017 Warriors (67-15) to be the greatest team in NBA history. Finishing the regular season with an astonishing 67-15 record, this squad was absolutely stacked with talent, sporting modern NBA legends Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson on the same roster.
The 16-17 Warriors decimated their opponents in the playoffs, losing just a single game for a record 16-1 postseason finish and an NBA championship, avenging their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers the season prior on the way.
2. The 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls
What do you get when a living legend comes out of retirement? A championship ring, that’s what. The 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, with the great Michael Jordan rejoining the team, took it to the house with a 72-10 regular season finish, which stood as the record until the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors bested it by a game.
This is the same Bulls dynasty that featured Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman alongside Jordan. Talk about star power.
The Bulls dominated the postseason that year, trampling their opponents to pull off a 15-3 record and a title over the Seattle SuperSonics. Many would regard the 95′-’96 Bulls as one of the sport’s most iconic rosters.
3. The 1985-1986 Boston Celtics
The ’85-’86 Celtics saw the Larry Bird, Boston’s legendary power forward, at the absolute peak of his game in a season that would culminate with championship over the Houston Rockets and Bird’s third consecutive MVP award.
He was backed up by what many consider the most complete cast of characters that any NBA team has had in the history of the sport, including Bill Walton, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Danny Ainge and Dennis Johnson. They only lost a single home game the entire season and went 67-15 overall.
4. The 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers
Still to this day considered one of the best-constructed teams to ever play the game, the 1971-1972 Lakers were a force of nature, setting numerous records on their way to an NBA championship over the New York Knicks.
The ’71-’72 Lakers are still close to the top of the all-time leaderboard for highest average points per game, with Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich leading the team to a staggering 121 PPG. They are third all-time in regular season wins (69) and they hold, to this day, the record for most consecutive games won in a row: a whopping 33.
Only one other team has come close to breaking into the 30’s for back-to-back wins:
5. The 2012-2013 Miami Heat
Led by LeBron James in his prime, the ’12-’13 Heat just barely missed joining the ’71-’72 Lakers in the 30-consecutive-wins club with their 27-game streak.
And King James was not the only heavyweight on this roster: It also boasted Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and Ray Allen, whose legendary Game 6 three-pointer to force a Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs netted them the title.
6. The 1990-1991 Chicago Bulls
The ’95 team may have been the Bulls’ best ever, but the franchise was an absolute dynasty throughout that decade. This Jordan-led team was able to match the ’85 Celtics 67-15 regular season record and trample their opponents through the playoffs to score their second title in a row and Jordan’s second MVP.
7. The 1986-1987 Los Angeles Lakers
Ok, now it’s “showtime.” As in, the Lakers’ “Showtime” era (1979-1991), and this is the year that it peaked. Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar anchored this elite team, with Johnson earning an MVP award. They overcame their archrivals, the Boston Celtics (See above), in the Finals for the title.
8. The 1966-1967 Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers brought to a screeching halt the Boston Celtics decade of dominance in the 1960s, ending their eight-year streak in the Eastern finals before taking down the Warriors to win the title. This team also had Wilt Chamberlain on its side, backed up by the likes of Hal Greer, Chet Walker and Billy Cunningham.
9. The 2000-2001 Los Angeles Lakers
That the Lakers have made this list three times already is a testament to the franchise’s championship legacy. This elite team was at the peak of the “Shaq (O’Neal) and Kobe (Bryant)” era, and despite a faltering regular season, this team turned up the jets big time when the postseason came around. They simply annihilated each and every squad that stood in there way en route to a Finals win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
10. The 1970-1971 Milwaukee Bucks
Before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar paired up with Magic Johnson in the Showtime era, he was a second-year player for the Milwaukee Bucks and helped take them to a 66-16 record with an NBA title, to boot. This squad only lost twice in the playoffs, and their performance would be a portent of Kareem’s legendary career, which would see him win six titles and net six MVP awards.
Other Historic NBA Teams
The 10 teams listed above truly stand out among the all-time best NBA teams, but there are plenty other squads to put on iconic performances throughout the league’s history. Here’s our ranked list of the rest of the top NBA teams ever:
11. 2015-2016 San Antonio Spurs
12. 2007-2008 Boston Celtics
13. 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers
14. 1982-1983 Philadelphia 76ers
15. 1996-1997 Utah Jazz
16. 2013-2014 San Antonio Spurs
17. 1992-1993 Phoenix Suns
18. 1976-1977 Portland Trail Blazers
19. 2003-2004 Detroit Pistons
20. 1974-1975 Golden State Warriors
21. 2001-2002 Sacramento Kings
22. 1994-1995 Houston Rockets
23. 2010-2011 Dallas Mavericks
24. 1978-1979 Seattle SuperSonics
25. 1969-1970 New York Knicks
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which franchises have had some of the best in NBA history?
The Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics have all had some of the best and most historic teams of all time.
Who were the top players on some of the best NBA teams of all time?
Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lebron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant were all members of some of the best-ever NBA franchises.
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