Brendan O’Sulliva
How many times have the Boston Celtics won the NBA championship?
By defeating the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, the Celtics will have a total of 18 NBA championships. They officially surpassed the Lakers in this achievement (the Lakers have 17 championships).
Much of Boston’s success can be traced back to the time they were coached by either Bill Russell or Larry Bird. Russell won 11 championships during his time in Boston, while Bird won three.
Russell won the NBA title before the Finals MVP award was created. Today, the prestigious individual award is named after him.
Boston Celtics NBA Finals History
| Season | Competitor | Result | Final MVP |
| 1956-57 | Hawks | W, 4-3 | Do not have |
| 1957-58 | Hawks | L, 4-2 | Do not have |
| 1958-59 | Lakers | W, 4-0 | Do not have |
| 1959-60 | Hawks | W, 4-3 | Do not have |
| 1960-61 | Hawks | W, 4-1 | Do not have |
| 1961-62 | Lakers | W, 4-3 | Do not have |
| 1962-63 | Lakers | W, 4-2 | Do not have |
| 1963-64 | Warriors | W, 4-1 | Do not have |
| 1964-65 | Lakers | W, 4-1 | Do not have |
| 1965-66 | Lakers | W, 4-3 | Do not have |
| 1967-68 | Lakers | W, 4-2 | Do not have |
| 1968-69 | Lakers | W, 4-3 | Jerry West, Lakers |
| 1973-74 | Bucks | W, 4-3 | John Havlicek, Celtics |
| 1975-76 | Suns | W, 4-2 | Joe White, Celtics |
| 1980-81 | Rockets | W, 4-2 | Cedric Maxwell, Celtics |
| 1983-84 | Lakers | W, 4-3 | Larry Bird, Celtics |
| 1984-85 | Lakers | L, 4-2 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lakers |
| 1985-86 | Rockets | W, 4-2 | Larry Bird, Celtics |
| 1986-87 | Lakers | L, 4-2 | Magic Johnson, Lakers |
| 2007-08 | Lakers | W, 4-2 | Paul Pierce, Celtics |
| 2009-10 | Lakers | L, 4-3 | Kobe Bryant, Lakers |
| 2021-22 | Warriors | L, 4-2 | Stephen Curry, Warriors |
| 2023-24 | Mavericks | W, 4-1 | – |
W: win
L: lose
Which team has won the most NBA championships?
The Celtics and Lakers are the two teams with the most NBA championships in history. They are far ahead of the third-placed Golden State Warriors with 7 championships.
| Champion Team | Final | Champion | The year of the championship |
| Boston Celtics | 23 | 18 | 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986, 2008, 2024 |
| Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers | 32 | 17 | 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1972, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2020 |
| Philadelphia/San Francisco/Golden State Warriors | 12 | 7 | 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 |
| Chicago Bulls | 6 | 6 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 6 | 5 | 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 |
| Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers | 9 | 3 | 1955, 1967, 1983 |
| Fort Wayne/Detroit Pistons | 7 | 3 | 1989, 1990, 2004 |
| Miami Heat | 7 | 3 | 2006, 2012, 2013 |
| Houston Rockets | 4 | 2 | 1994, 1995 |
| New York Knicks | 8 | 2 | 1970, 1973 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | 2 | 1971, 2021 |
| Denver Nuggets | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Toronto Raptors | 1 | 1 | 2019 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 5 | 1 | 2016 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 2 | 1 | 2011 |
| Seattle Supersonics/OKC Thunder | 4 | 1 | 1979 |
| Baltimore Bullets/Washington Bullets/Washington Wizards | 4 | 1 | 1978 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 3 | 1 | 1977 |
| Rochester Royals/Cincinnati Royals/Kansa City Kings/Sacramento Kings | 1 | 1 | 1951 |
