Top 13 Oldest NBA Teams in the World

Top 13 Oldest NBA Teams in the World

Some teams, though, had already been created much earlier. Consequently, let’s talk about the oldest NBA teams worldwide. The NBA was created as a result of the union of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball American Association (BAA).

Prior to this, each league had a unique structure and different franchises.

Very few of these teams that competed in both leagues have made it to the NBA.

Additionally, maintaining something for such a long time and developing its culture is a very difficult task.

More difficult than any other entity is something as operational as a team.

Top 13 NBA teams worldwide

13. Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns do not consistently win NBA championships.

They have, however, played in the league long enough to be recognized as one of the NBA’s veteran teams.

Additionally, they compete in the Pacific division as a western conference team.

The only non-California-based team in their division, they are also similar in this regard.

All four of the remaining NBA teams are based in California.

Apart from that, Phoenix hasn’t claimed a league title in more than 50 years of competition.

The only two teams in their division that haven’t claimed a single championship since their initial campaign in the NBA are the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Suns, however, came very close to winning the championships several times.

To be more specific, they have won seven divisional titles and three conference championships.

The franchise has undergone various rebuilding efforts as a result of its NBA championship drought.

Throughout the team’s history, they have had a number of hall-of-fame players.

Ten Hall of Famers has played for them overall.

Only Steve Nash and Charles Barkley have received NBA Most Valuable Player honors among the ten members of the Hall of Fame.

Deandre Ayton, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker are the franchise’s three current players, and they make up a very promising trio.

They should be able to bring the Suns their first NBA championship.

 12. Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder is a member of the Northwest division of the Western Conference.

Additionally, they are Oklahoma’s only significant professional sports team.

They were also formerly known as the Settle SuperSonics from 1967 to 2008.

Seattle, Washington, is the birthplace of SuperSonics.

Following the ownership change in 2008, the Seattle SuperSonics became the OKC Thunder.

The team’s sole NBA title came in Seattle in 1979.

The 1979 championship was also the SuperSonics’ final and inaugural NBA triumph.

Ironically, that championship may also be OKC’s final and inaugural NBA victory.

When Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook played for them, the team was very close to changing this scenario.

They also attended the 2011–12 NBA Finals, their first appearance there since 1996.

To win their second championship, the LeBron-led Heat defeated them in the championship game.

With their young core, the team is currently in the middle of rebuilding.

With numerous trades over the following five years, the team has an enormous 37 draft picks.

19 first-round picks and 18 second-round picks are included in the draft picks.

As a result, OKC is considering the long-term development of a championship-caliber squad.

11. Houston Rockets

A member of the Western Conference’s Southwest Division is the Houston Rockets.

They were originally based in San Diego and were known as the San Diego Rockets.

Tilman Fertitta, the franchise’s owner, moved it to Huston in 1971, though.

Despite being one of the league’s oldest NBA teams, they haven’t achieved much.

They have triumphed in two NBA championships overall.

Similar to one another, both films were released prior to the franchise’s transfer to Huston.

However, the group has taken home four conference crowns and eight division crowns.

In addition, they never experienced significant success with their star players.

They selected some excellent athletes, including Yoa Ming, Moses Malone, and Hakeem Olajuwon.

They did not, however, succeed in having an impact each time.

They did manage to sign some talented franchise players during the rebuilding.

Huston was unable to defeat elite squads like the Lakers or Warriors, though.

They made mistakes with James Harden as well, who had the makings of a great franchise player.

10. Chicago Bulls

The Central Division is where the Chicago Bulls, an Eastern Conference team, compete.

During the reign of Michael Jordan, the Bulls made their big-league debut.

The Bulls won six NBA championships in that span.

Six conferences and nine divisional titles round out the franchise’s other accomplishments.

In a market where mega teams like the Lakers or Boston are dominant, teams like the Bulls don’t stand out.

Jordan, however, helped the organization transform into a top NBA team.

However, the team hasn’t been the same since Jordan’s season. Derrick Rose, who was selected by the team and who became famous right away, led the team to a successful playoff run.

Injury weakened him despite his best efforts. However, the team has consistently outdone itself in terms of rebuilding.

The Bulls are excellent at rebuilding, as history demonstrates.

Right now, the Eastern Conference is being destroyed by Zach Lavine, DeMar DeRozan, and Alex Caruso.

Similar to how Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng made a perfect team that made life difficult for the LeBron-led Heat.

The successful collaboration between Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Michael Jordan is well known.

You might find it interesting to read about the NBA players with the largest hands here.

9. Washington Wizards

The Eastern Conference’s Washington Wizards compete in the Central Division.

They have moved around the most frequently of all the NBA’s founding teams.

Similar to this, the franchise has changed its name numerous times over the past year.

In 1961, the Chicago Packers football team was founded.

However, they adopted the Chicago Zephyrs moniker for the ensuing season.

In addition, the team relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, as the Baltimore Bullets, after two years.

After ten years in Baltimore, the group relocated to Washington under the name Capital Bullets.

As the Washington Bullets, the team underwent yet another name change.

They also changed their name to the Washington Wizards four years later.

Since they changed their name to the Wizards, they have continued to use it.

Throughout the Washington Bullets’ entire franchise transition, they only managed to win one NBA championship. They have also participated in the NBA Finals four times in their long franchise history.

Additionally, they have never had a player win the league’s MVP award.

They have persisted long enough, despite this, to be acknowledged as one of the league’s original teams.

8. Lakers of Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Lakers are among the NBA’s most trophies-laden groups.

With seventeen championships, they are one of two teams with the most NBA titles.

As a result, they are not only one of the oldest NBA teams but also among the most successful teams in league history.

Many NBA players claim that being a member of the Lakers is the true American dream.

Consequently, this team has a long list of outstanding players.

The team was also founded after buying the Detroit Gems, a National Basketball League team that had been disbanded.

As a result, they adopted the Minnesotan city of Minneapolis as their name.

The team that made great plays immediately achieved great success.

The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers rivalry was the focus of sports in the mid-1990s.

Both teams had outstanding players who enabled them to claim victories in various eras.

Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and a host of other athletes fall into this category.

Most of these athletes contributed to the moniker “Showtime Lakers”‘ development.

It was difficult to imagine anyone else winning the title because they were that good.

7. Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are a member of the Southeast Division and represent the Eastern Conference.

The group was initially founded in New York in 1946 under the name Buffalo Bisons.

Additionally, after 38 days of competing as the Bisons, they moved to Moline, Illinois.

The Tri-Cities Blackhawks are now their new name.

They moved to Milwaukee and changed their name to the Milwaukee Hawks after the NBL and BAA were combined to form the NBA.

The team moved back to St. Louis as the St. Louis Hawks.

During this time, the team participated in three NBA Finals and won one championship.

The team moved to Atlanta to become the Atlanta Hawks after the owners sold it to Thomas Cousins.

The Hawks are also the second team in NBA history to have the longest stretch without a championship.

Since their last championship, it has been more than 63 seasons.

Trae Young, an All-Star point guard, did lead the group to the Eastern Conference Finals during his second campaign with the group, though.

However, the young Hawk’s team couldn’t handle the Giannis-led Bucks.

6.  Philadelphia 76ers

The Atlantic Division team for the Eastern Conference is the Philadelphia 76ers.

They started out being known as the Syracuse Nationals.

Additionally, the team is among the oldest NBA teams to have lasted through the league’s first ten years.

Because of this, the 76ers have a long history of having Hall of Famers like Wilt Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, George McGinnis, and Allen Iverson play for them.

In addition, the team has captured three NBA championships, all in the middle of the 1990s.

They also have twelve divisional titles and five conferences.

A harsh reality for a team that has been in the league for so long is having only three championships.

The majority of athletes search for larger teams or better pay in the market.

Consequently, many players have aspirations of joining the Lakers or Knicks.

Keeping a player you’ve selected for a long time seems impossible in such a mental competition.

With Joel Embiid, the franchise has all but committed itself.

Embed also desires to collaborate with the group for a very long time.

Additionally, the team’s offensive performances have improved since the James Harden trade.

5. The Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are a Pacific Division team from the Eastern Conference.

The Philadelphia Warriors were their former name.

Twenty years later, the group relocated to San Francisco and changed its name to the San Francisco Warriors.

Later, the team adopted the geographic nickname Golden State for their team name.

They initially competed for the Basketball Association of America (BAA).

In 1947 and 1956, they each took home a championship.

Four championships have been won by the Golden State Warriors under that name in 1975, 2015, 2017, and 2018.

The trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant was responsible for the success in the later phase.

Under the leadership of Steph Curry, the league’s top three-point shooter, the team is having a fantastic regular season.

They lack the force, however, to contend for a playoff spot.

Unquestionably, strong addition to the team will put them back on top.

4.  New York Knicks

The Eastern Conference team known as the New York Knicks competes in the Atlantic Division.

The abbreviation for Knickerbockers is Knicks.

The New York Knickerbockers are thus simply known as the New York Knicks, a shorter and more widely used name for them.

Additionally, they are the only NBA teams that have never relocated in a calendar year, along with Boston.

The Knicks are a huge team in the basketball market because of this.

Similar to that, the team competes in the legendary Madison Square Garden.

MSG is among the most renowned arenas in the world as a result of the lengthy history of events held there.

As a result, many players have excellent performances when playing in MSG.

Apart from that, in its many years of existence, the team has only ever captured two NBA titles.

Despite having a sizable fan base, the team hasn’t been able to benefit from celebrity endorsements.

3. Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are not only among the most successful teams in the NBA, but they are also among the most seasoned.

In a similar vein, they are one of just two NBA teams still based in the league’s founding city.

Additionally, with 17 NBA titles, they are one of two teams with the record for most titles won.

They were one of the eight original NBA teams, and they were founded in 1946.

The Celtics enjoyed great success because of their sizable market and the outstanding players who played for them.

The Celtics were in charge of the Eastern Conference until the mid-1990s.

By winning eleven NBA championships, players like Bill Russell influenced the franchise’s direction.

They are also the only NBA team in history to have recorded the most victories.

Additionally, the team is well-known for its rivalry with the Lakers.

Both teams have met twelve times in NBA Finals, particularly when Larry Bird was a member of the Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Lakers.

2. Pistons of Detroit

The Eastern Conference team that competes in the Central Division is the Detroit Pistons.

The group was established in Fort Wayne initially.

In 1937, they were given the name Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons as a result.

They changed their team’s name ten years later to the Fort Wayne Pistons.

They moved to Detroit and changed their name to the Detroit Pistons after they joined the NBA in 1957.

They previously competed for the BAA, where they won two titles.

They have also only ever won one NBA championship since joining the NBA in 2004.

Chauncey Billups, the point guard, led the group.

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Pistons met in the championship game.

Although the Positions were the underdogs, the Lakers still had a strong offensive game.

Their defense was on top of the world.

They never give an easy bucket to an opponent as a result when playing them.

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 1. Sacramento Kings

A Pacific Division team in the Western Conference, the Sacramento Kings.

All of the NBA teams in the Pacific Division are considered to be among the oldest.

They started out in 1923 as the Rochester Seagrams.

The Rochester Eber Seagrams became the name ten years later.

Again given the Rochester Pros moniker, they were subsequently known as the Rochester Royals, Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City Kings, and Sacramento Kings.

After joining the NBL in 1945, they won their first and only NBA championships.

Further, they are the only team that hasn’t won a title in over 70 years.

As a result, they are the team with the highest NBA championship drought.

Right behind them are the Atlanta Hawks.

Moreover, the team has failed in every aspect of rebuilding.

It has been very long since the team has produced any league’s MVP or Hall of Famer.

Some teams, though, had already been created much earlier.

Consequently, let’s talk about the oldest NBA teams worldwide.

The NBA was created as a result of the union of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball American Association (BAA).

Prior to this, each league had a unique structure and different franchises.

Very few of these teams that competed in both leagues have made it to the NBA.

Additionally, maintaining something for such a long time and developing its culture is a very difficult task.

More difficult than any other entity is something as operational as a team.