Longest NBA championship droughts: How Knicks can snap lengthy streak and who is next up on list

The New York Knicks are one win away from immortality in the NBA Finals, which would break one of the longest title droughts in the NBA.

The Knicks haven't won it all since 1973, a championship that marked a second in four years for the franchise. Since then, New York has only made it to the NBA Finals three times, and while they lost the first two, they can make up for it by winning this series vs. the San Antonio Spurs.

A Knicks championship would be one of the more significant moments in NBA history, largely due to how long it has been since New York has held the Larry O'Brien Trophy. It would also put pressure on the other teams that have a similar NBA title drought on their ledger.

Here's a look at the longest active NBA championship droughts in the NBA.

MORE: When was the last time the Knicks won an NBA championship?

Longest NBA Championship droughts

The NBA features its fair share of title droughts, as many teams haven't won the NBA Finals in the last 50 years. That includes expansion teams that have never won, and older franchises that last won in the mid-1900s.

Of the 10 longest droughts currently going, five are by teams that have never won the NBA Finals before and two were by teams that won the NBA Finals before moving cities. Only the Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers won their last title in both their current city and with their current team.

Here's a breakdown of the five longest active title droughts in the NBA.

1. Sacramento Kings, 75 years

• Last NBA title: 1951
• Last NBA Finals appearance: 1951
• Total NBA Finals appearances: 1

The Sacramento Kings have the longest title drought currently in the NBA, as the organization hasn't won a title since 1951. That victory, though, came when the Kings were the Rochester Royals, beating the Knicks in a full seven-game season.

The Royals moved to Cincinnati in 1957, then became the Kings when they played in Kansas City from 1972-85. Finally, the Kings settled in Sacramento in 1985, but along the way through that journey, the team never found itself back in the NBA Finals.

2. Atlanta Hawks, 68 years

• Last NBA title: 1958
• Last NBA Finals appearance: 1961
• Total NBA Finals appearances: 4

The Hawks are another team whose last NBA title came in a different city. The Hawks have played in Buffalo, the Tri-Cities and Milwaukee, but won their first and only titles as the St. Louis Hawks against the Boston Celtics in 1958.

All four of the Hawks' NBA Finals appearances came while they played in St. Louis, and all four came against the Celtics, with the last being in 1961. The team moved to Atlanta in 1968 and has not made it back to the NBA Finals since.

3. Phoenix Suns, 58 years

• Last NBA title: Never
• Last NBA Finals appearance: 2021
• Total NBA Finals appearances: 3

Of all the NBA teams that have never won a title, the Suns have the longest title drought. Phoenix entered the league as an expansion team in 1968 and hasn't won a title since, making the organization one of the toughest-luck teams in the NBA.

The Suns have made the NBA Finals three times: 1976, 1993 and 2021. Phoenix lost to the Celtics in that first appearance in six games, and were victims of the Chicago Bulls three-peat in 1993 with another 4-2 series loss. The Suns' best chance to win it all came in 2021, when they were up 2-0 on the Milwaukee Bucks but lost four straight games to squander the opportunity.

Phoenix also has the most NBA Finals appearances of any team without a championship.

4. Los Angeles Clippers, 56 years

• Last NBA title: Never
• Last NBA Finals appearance: Never
• Total NBA Finals appearances: 0

The NBA team with the worst history is probably the Los Angeles Clippers, whose 56-year title drought is also a 56-year NBA Finals appearance drought. Initially, the Buffalo Braves, the team became the San Diego Clippers in 1978 before moving to Los Angeles in 1984, but had little success everywhere.

In fact, the Clippers' only Conference Finals appearance came in 2021, ending a 51-year drought. Still, Los Angeles is one of five teams that have never appeared in the NBA Finals, but the other four have droughts of 35 years or fewer.

5. New York Knicks

• Last NBA title: 1973
• Last NBA Finals appearance: 2026
• Total NBA Finals appearances: 9

The Knicks have the most success of any team with a lengthy title drought. New York has two titles in its history, coming in 1970 and 1973, but has had a decent amount of success by making the NBA Finals nine times since the team's inception in 1946.

In 2026, the Knicks finally ended a 27-year NBA-Finals-appearance drought, as the team last made the Finals in 1999. New York also came close to winning it all in 1994, when it lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games, and the organization has three straight NBA Finals appearances in 1951, 1952 and 1953.

MORE: How many teams have never won an NBA title?