If you walked into a bar in South Boston and asked which team has most NBA championships, you’d probably get a very loud, very proud answer before you even finished the sentence. For a long time, the answer was a bit of a tug-of-war. But as of 2026, the dust has settled.
The Boston Celtics hold the crown with 18 NBA championships.
They broke the tie with their bitter rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, back in 2024. Before that, both teams were sitting at 17 apiece, staring each other down like a couple of heavyweight boxers in the 12th round. Then the Celtics went on a tear, secured Banner 18, and reclaimed their spot at the top of the mountain.
It’s not just about the number, though. It’s about how they got there. We’re talking about decades of dominance, a few heartbreaking droughts, and a rivalry that basically built the modern NBA.
The Team With Most NBA Championships: A Green Dynasty
You can’t talk about the Celtics’ 18 rings without talking about Bill Russell. Honestly, the guy is a walking cheat code. Between 1957 and 1969, the Celtics won 11 championships in 13 years. Read that again. Eleven out of thirteen.
In today’s league, where "load management" is a thing and stars switch teams every three years, that kind of run seems impossible. It is impossible. They won eight of those in a row. It was a different era, sure—fewer teams, no three-point line—but dominance is dominance. Russell wasn't a scoring machine; he was a defensive wall. He changed how people played the game.
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Then you have the Larry Bird years in the 80s. That’s when the "Which team has most NBA championships" debate really got spicy. Bird and Magic Johnson basically saved the league from irrelevance. Bird led the Celtics to titles in 1981, 1984, and 1986. If you haven't seen the highlights of the 1984 Finals against the Lakers, go find them. It was brutal. It was personal. It was peak basketball.
After a long, painful wait, the "Big Three" era with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen added another trophy in 2008. And finally, the 2024 win—led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown—pushed them into the solo lead they currently hold.
The Los Angeles Lakers: Always In The Rearview
The Lakers are sitting right there at 17 championships. They’re the only ones who can really look the Celtics in the eye without blinking.
What’s wild about the Lakers is how spread out their success is. They don’t just have one "Golden Era"; they have about five of them.
- The George Mikan years in the early 50s (when they were still the Minneapolis Lakers).
- The Showtime era of the 80s with Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
- The Shaq and Kobe three-peat from 2000 to 2002.
- The Kobe and Pau Gasol back-to-back in 2009 and 2010.
- The LeBron James bubble title in 2020.
There’s a bit of a "Minneapolis asterisk" that some salty Celtics fans like to bring up. Five of the Lakers' titles happened before the team moved to LA in 1960. Does that matter? Probably not to the trophy case. But it’s a fun fact to throw at your Laker-loving friends when the debate gets heated.
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The Best of the Rest: Who Else Is In The Conversation?
After the big two, there is a massive drop-off. It’s like the Celtics and Lakers are playing a different sport.
The Golden State Warriors are currently third on the list with 7 championships. Most of those came recently, thanks to the Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green core that basically reinvented how basketball is played. They won in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. They also have a couple of titles from way back when they were the Philadelphia Warriors.
Then you’ve got the Chicago Bulls with 6 championships. Every single one of those came in the 90s. Every single one of those featured a guy named Michael Jordan. The Bulls are the only team on this list that has never lost an NBA Finals they appeared in. They went 6-for-6. That is an insane level of "clutch" that we probably won't see again.
The San Antonio Spurs round out the top tier with 5 championships. Their run was the definition of consistency. Under Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan, they were the "boring" team that just never made mistakes. They won titles across three different decades (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014).
The Current NBA Championship Leaderboard
- Boston Celtics: 18
- Los Angeles Lakers: 17
- Golden State Warriors: 7
- Chicago Bulls: 6
- San Antonio Spurs: 5
- Philadelphia 76ers / Detroit Pistons / Miami Heat: 3 each
Why This Debate Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we still care about titles from 1957. In the NBA, "rings" are the ultimate currency. When people argue about whether LeBron is better than Jordan, or if Tatum has "arrived," it always comes back to the hardware.
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Right now, the league is deeper than it’s ever been. We’re seeing a massive shift in power toward younger teams. Take the Oklahoma City Thunder, for example. They just won their first title since moving from Seattle in the 2024-25 season. It was a huge deal because it proved that the "old guard" (Lakers, Celtics, Warriors) doesn't have a permanent lease on the Finals.
Even with the rise of the "new" NBA, the race for the most titles is what keeps the Celtics-Lakers rivalry alive. Every time the Lakers make a trade or the Celtics sign a free agent, it’s not just about winning this year; it’s about that all-time leaderboard.
What To Keep An Eye On
If you're looking to see who might climb the ranks next, don't expect the Bulls or Spurs to catch up anytime soon. They’re in rebuilding phases or just trying to find their footing again. The real threat to the Celtics’ lead is actually... nobody. At least not for a while.
The Lakers are always a threat because they attract superstars like moths to a flame. But for now, Boston is the king. They have a young core, they've got the momentum, and they have that 18th banner hanging in the TD Garden.
Actionable Insights for NBA Fans:
- Check the context: When someone says the Lakers have the most, remind them about the 2024 Celtics championship that broke the tie.
- Watch the "New Blood": Keep an eye on the Thunder and the Nuggets. They might only have 1 or 2 rings now, but they are the ones shaping the league's future.
- Respect the 6-0: If you're arguing about the "greatest franchise," remember that while the Celtics have more rings, the Bulls have the perfect Finals record. That counts for a lot in some circles.
The race for 19 is officially on. Whether you bleed green or purple and gold, the next few seasons are going to be a wild ride.
Next Steps:
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, you should look into the current 2025-26 standings. The Thunder and Pistons are surprisingly dominating the regular season, which could mean a very different looking Finals lineup this June.