NBA franchises fall into a few categories sorted by a number of characteristics: location, history, and current contender status. Those three topics can push a franchise from being a lottery team one year to becoming a championship contender the following year. Since the NBA graced the nation, few teams have found success in being able to remain relevant in mostly all eras in the NBA, which earns them a seat at the table in terms of being more successful than other franchises throughout history.
Most NBA franchises are referred to as “successful” in two main categories into today's present league: relevance and location. The buzz that surrounds a team given their popularity in the league can make them a hot-buzz destination for top talent, pushing them even further to the top of conversation. Other teams rely on their prime location to remain relevant through the different eras of the league. Nice weather along with the promise of becoming a contender always goes a long way.
With that, we'll be looking at franchises that've been deemed the elite of the NBA through time. As stated, it'll be a mixture between relevancy, location, and history.
6. New York Knicks
This will be considered the dark horse of the list. In terms of relevance credibility, well, the Knicks have none. Where the Knicks will always remain in conversation by sports commentators and analyst is mostly due to their history credibility and their location. Though the Knicks haven't posed a threat for most of the 21st century, that doesn't tell the overall story of The Big Apple.
While they've mostly been a debacle and had a plethora of public relations fires to put out over the last two decades, the Knicks were truly a force to reckon with in back in the 1970s, which only added to their NBA prominence in New York. Even still to date, the Knicks still remain relevant with celebrities frequently flocking to games simply due to the franchise's location.
Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver once acknowledged how the Knicks' rise back to stardom would definitely increase more revenue within the league, but it's not his job to fix the broken franchise. Nowadays, the Knicks' residence of headlines is usually a mixture between the ongoing drama in the front office or the overspending on free agents. Still, New York has a chance to climb back up the ranks this offseason.
5. San Antonio Spurs
While definitely not known for their flashiness, the Spurs are definitely still one of the more successful franchises in the NBA. San Antonio was able to build a successful dynasty around Tim Duncan, with his predecessor in David Robinson being a huge piece to most of their championship runs as well. The bulk of the Spurs' titles came in alternating years during the 2000s, which was around the time that the Lakers began going through a bit of a downfall before eventually rising to prominence once more.
Most of their credit, undoubtedly however, must be paid to head coach Gregg Popovich. There's always been the frequent NBA debate of how much success Duncan would've achieved in another system that wasn't ran by Popovich. Even so, the Spurs became legends in truly a span of a decade, which deserves much praise. They made successful moves in acquiring international talent such as Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, which helped spearhead them to most of their championships alongside Duncan.
They haven't been relevant in a couple of years, mostly due to the Kawhi Leonard saga that they're still trying to recover from. Even so, the Spurs still remain an NBA household name.
4. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors make this list based off NBA relevance. Prior to their recent championship runs, the Warriors hadn't accomplished much outside of a Jason Richardson or Baron Davis gracing the court. Before that, it was Chris Mullins as the savior for the Bay Area.
That all changed with the drafting of Stephen Curry, which rolled out the red carpet that was to follow in later years. Fast forward to 2020, and the style of play today is largely in part due to the revolutionizing of the 3-ball from Curry and Klay Thompson. That fast-paced, up-tempo style infused with a run-and-gun play-calling earned the Warriors three titles in the past five years. With a healthy roster ready to retake the court for the 2020-21 NBA season, that number of titles could very well be going up soon.
While they don't have the history aspect largely on their side like other candidates on the list, their NBA relevance makes them an easy qualifier.
3. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are somewhat symmetrical to the path traveled by the Knicks but without all the off-court theatrics. The closest they've come to an organization meltdown in that regard was with former president of basketball operations John Paxson deciding to ship off Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, which saw most of Chicago's fanbase turn their backs on the franchise for a while.
Yet somehow, the Bulls still remain in the top five in terms of merchandise sales over the years. Is their attractive red and black colorway a hefty reason for that? Quite possibly. Even so, the Bulls have relevancy on their side. Regardless of their record, Chicago always remains a talked about NBA franchise from the start of the season to the finish. A part of that is also due to their history.
Most of what the Bulls have been able to accomplish in their playoff history comes at the hands of the glorious 90s era, which saw Michael Jordan create a dynasty and a culture that's yet to be duplicated since. While he associates with a completely different franchise now as owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Jordan still brings in quite the revenue for Chicago, with NBA fans hoping that the franchise can soon return to the dominance that he once brought to the Windy City.
2. Boston Celtics
The Celtics nearly check off every box that solidifies their ranking as one of, if not the most, successful franchise in NBA history. In some cases, free agents usually find themselves compelled to sign with a franchise for the same reason. That's not the case for Boston. Whether it's the rich, winning history that graces Beantown or the ever-revolving push by the front office to constantly rebuild their rosters into championship contenders, Boston has made sure to keep themselves relevant for a majority of the league's history.
Where the Celtics don't become an attractive target, and have possibly lost a few free agent signings in the regard, is in their location. When picking between a sun-filled, warmer location versus the snow shoveling city, usually the latter loses out on top tier talent.
Still, the Celtics have remained relevant from eras headed by Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce and even now Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They remain atop the rankings in merchandise sales as well due to this. As Danny Ainge continues to prove his willingness to keep the Celtics as a contender through more years to come, the Celtics' placement as a successful franchise will continue to be cemented.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Unlike Boston, the Lakers check off every box on the list. They recently tied Boston for the most championships in league history, allowing them to remove that one dangling object that circled the franchise for so many years. The Lakers' success spans longer than a simple decade, having an abundance of Hall of Famers that encompass their historic runs.
From the Wilt Chamberlain's of the world to watching Magic Johnson engage in battle with Larry Bird in the 80s, the Lakers rightfully earned the Showtime title before the 21st century even came to fruition. That title only further pushed the envelope afterwards, with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal bringing the Lakers back to relevance once more.
Now, after quite the drought, the Lakers find themselves in that position once more. LeBron James has led the franchise to their 17th title while bringing along a young star in Anthony Davis that's bound to spend the rest of his career in LA. The past, present and future are all bright for the Lakers.
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