Top 10 Teams in NBA History
Also included in the NBA's 50th-anniversary celebration was the selection of the Top 10 Teams in NBA History. The list was compiled based upon unranked selection undertaken exclusively by members of the print and broadcast media who regularly cover the NBA. Teams were chosen from among all single-season individual teams. Each team won the NBA championship, and they combined to average 66 wins per season. The 1995–96 Chicago Bulls had the best single-season record in NBA history with 72 wins.
Six out of the thirty NBA franchises (twenty-nine franchises at the time of announcement) had a team named to the list; the Boston Celtics, the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers had two teams selected.
Six players were on the roster of two teams on the list—Wilt Chamberlain with the 1966–67 Sixers and 1971–72 Lakers; James Edwards, Dennis Rodman, and John Salley with the 1988–89 Pistons and 1995–96 Bulls; and Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen with the Bulls in both 1991–92 and 1995–96. Three other individuals both played for and coached honored teams, all of whom completed this "double" with a single franchise—K. C. Jones with the Celtics as a player in 1964–65 and coach in 1985–86, Billy Cunningham with the Sixers as a player in 1966–67 and coach in 1982–83, and Pat Riley with the Lakers as a player in 1971–72 and coach in 1986–87. Phil Jackson, head coach of the Bulls from 1989 to 1998, was the only man to coach two teams that made the list. Although Jackson was under contract to the Knicks as a player in their 1969–70 championship season, he did not play that season as he was recovering from spinal fusion surgery.
Players whose names are italicized were inducted after the announcement of the ten best teams.
| Season | Team | Record | Playoffs result |
Roster and head coach | Players in the Hall of Fame |
Players on the 50 Greatest Players list |
Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964–65 | Boston Celtics | 6999775000000000000 62–18 (.775) | Won 1965 Finals | Ron Bonham, Mel Counts, John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Willie Naulls, Bevo Nordmann, Bill Russell, Tom Sanders, Larry Siegfried, John Thompson, Gerry Ward, coach Red Auerbach | 7000500000000000000 5 (K. Jones, S. Jones, Heinsohn, Russell, Havlicek) | 7000300000000000000 3 (S. Jones, Russell, Havlicek) | |
| 1966–67 | Philadelphia 76ers | 6999840000000000000 68–13 (.840) | Won 1967 Finals | Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Costello, Billy Cunningham, Dave Gambee, Hal Greer, Matt Guokas, Luke Jackson, Wali Jones, Bill Melchionni, Chet Walker, Bob Weiss, coach Alex Hannum | 7000300000000000000 4 (Greer, Chamberlain, Cunningham, Walker) | 7000300000000000000 3 (Greer, Chamberlain, Cunningham) | |
| 1969–70 | New York Knicks | 6999732000000000000 60–22 (.732) | Won 1970 Finals | Dick Barnett, Nate Bowman, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, Walt Frazier, Bill Hosket, Don May, Willis Reed, Mike Riordan, Cazzie Russell, Dave Stallworth, John Warren, coach Red Holzman | 7000400000000000000 4 (Frazier, Bradley, DeBusschere, Reed) | 7000300000000000000 3 (Frazier, DeBusschere, Reed) | |
| 1971–72 | Los Angeles Lakers | 6999841000000000000 69–13 (.841) | Won 1972 Finals | Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Jim Cleamons, LeRoy Ellis, Keith Erickson, Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston, Jim McMillian, Pat Riley, Flynn Robinson, John Trapp, Jerry West, coach Bill Sharman | 7000400000000000000 4 (Goodrich, West, Chamberlain, Baylor) | 7000300000000000000 3 (West, Chamberlain, Baylor) | |
| 1982–83 | Philadelphia 76ers | 6999793000000000000 65–17 (.793) | Won 1983 Finals | J. J. Anderson, Maurice Cheeks, Earl Cureton, Franklin Edwards, Julius Erving, Marc Iavaroni, Clemon Johnson, Reggie Johnson, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, Mark McNamara, Clint Richardson, Russ Schoene, Andrew Toney, coach Billy Cunningham | 7000200000000000000 2 (Erving, Malone) | 7000200000000000000 2 (Erving, Malone) | |
| 1985–86 | Boston Celtics | 6999817009999900000 67–15 (.817) | Won 1986 Finals | Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, Rick Carlisle, Dennis Johnson, Greg Kite, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Jerry Sichting, David Thirdkill, Sam Vincent, Bill Walton, Scott Wedman, Sly Williams, coach K. C. Jones | 7000500000000000000 5 (McHale, Bird, Parish, Walton, Johnson) | 7000400000000000000 4 (McHale, Bird, Parish, Walton) | |
| 1986–87 | Los Angeles Lakers | 6999793000000000000 65–17 (.793) | Won 1987 Finals | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Adrian Branch, Frank Brickowski, Michael Cooper, A. C. Green, Magic Johnson, Wes Matthews, Kurt Rambis, Mike Smrek, Byron Scott, Billy Thompson, Mychal Thompson, James Worthy, coach Pat Riley | 7000300000000000000 3 (Johnson, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar) | 7000300000000000000 3 (Johnson, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar) | |
| 1988–89 | Detroit Pistons | 6999768000000000000 63–19 (.768) | Won 1989 Finals | Mark Aguirre, Adrian Dantley, Darryl Dawkins, Fennis Dembo, Joe Dumars, James Edwards, Steve Harris, Vinnie Johnson, Bill Laimbeer, John Long, Rick Mahorn, Pace Mannion, Dennis Rodman, Jim Rowinski, John Salley, Isiah Thomas, Micheal Williams, coach Chuck Daly | 7000400000000000000 4 (Thomas, Dumars, Dantley, Rodman) | 7000100000000000000 1 (Thomas) | |
| 1991–92 | Chicago Bulls | 6999817009999900000 67–15 (.817) | Won 1992 Finals | B. J. Armstrong, Bill Cartwright, Horace Grant, Bob Hansen, Craig Hodges, Dennis Hopson, Michael Jordan, Stacey King, Cliff Levingston, Chuck Nevitt, John Paxson, Will Perdue, Scottie Pippen, Mark Randall, Rory Sparrow, Scott Williams, coach Phil Jackson | 7000200000000000000 2 (Jordan, Pippen) | 7000200000000000000 2 (Jordan, Pippen) | |
| 1995–96 | Chicago Bulls | 6999878000000000000 72–10 (.878) | Won 1996 Finals | Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Ron Harper, Michael Jordan, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Toni Kukoč, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Dickey Simpkins, Bill Wennington, coach Phil Jackson | 7000300000000000000 3 (Jordan, Pippen, Rodman) | 7000200000000000000 2 (Jordan, Pippen) |
Read more about this topic: 50 Greatest Players In NBA History
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