Conference | Western Conference |
---|---|
League | National Basketball Association |
Sport | Basketball |
First season | 1970–71 season |
No. of teams | 5 |
Most recent champion(s) | Los Angeles Clippers (3rd title) |
Most titles | Los Angeles Lakers (24 titles) |
The Pacific Division is one of the three divisions in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The division consists of five teams: the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings. All teams, except the Suns, are based in California. Along with the American League West of Major League Baseball, they are one of two North American major league divisions with no animal themed nicknames.
The division was created at the start of the 1970–71 season, when the league expanded from 14 to 17 teams with the addition of the Buffalo Braves, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Portland Trail Blazers. The league realigned itself into two conferences: the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference, with two divisions each in each conference. The Pacific Division began with five inaugural members: the Lakers, the Blazers, the San Diego Rockets, the San Francisco Warriors and the Seattle SuperSonics. [1] The Lakers, the Rockets, the Warriors and the SuperSonics all joined from the Western Division.
The Lakers have won the most Pacific Division titles with 24. The Phoenix Suns have the second most titles with eight. 19 NBA champions have come from the Pacific Division. The Lakers have won 12 championships, the Warriors won 5, and the Blazers and Sonics won one championship each. All of them, except the 1976–77 Blazers, the 2001–02 Lakers and the 2021–22 Warriors, were division champions. In the 1991–92 season, six teams from the division qualified for the playoffs. In the 1977–78 season, all teams in the division had winning percentages above 0.500 (50%). The most recent division champions are the Los Angeles Clippers.
Since the 2021–22 season, the Pacific Division champion has received the Chuck Cooper Trophy, named after Hall of Famer Chuck Cooper. [2]
Pacific Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
y – Los Angeles Clippers | 51 | 31 | .622 | – | 25–16 | 26–15 | 9–7 | 82 |
x – Phoenix Suns | 49 | 33 | .598 | 2.0 | 25–16 | 24–17 | 9–9 | 82 |
x – Los Angeles Lakers | 47 | 35 | .573 | 4.0 | 28–14 | 19–21 | 7–10 | 82 |
pi – Sacramento Kings | 46 | 36 | .561 | 5.0 | 24–17 | 22–19 | 10–7 | 82 |
pi – Golden State Warriors | 46 | 36 | .561 | 5.0 | 21–20 | 25–16 | 7–9 | 82 |
Notes
Team | City | Joined | |
---|---|---|---|
Year | From | ||
Golden State Warriors (1971–present) San Francisco Warriors (1962–1971) | San Francisco, California Oakland, California | 1970 | Western Division |
Los Angeles Clippers (1984–present) San Diego Clippers (1978–1984) | Inglewood, California Los Angeles, California San Diego, California | 1978 | Atlantic Division (as Buffalo Braves) |
Los Angeles Lakers | Los Angeles, California | 1970 | Western Division |
Phoenix Suns | Phoenix, Arizona | 1972 | Midwest Division |
Sacramento Kings | Sacramento, California | 1988 | Midwest Division |
Team | City | Joined | Left | Current division | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | From | Year | To | |||
Houston Rockets (1971–present) San Diego Rockets (1967-1971) | Houston, Texas San Diego, California | 1970 | Western Division | 1972 | Central Division | Southwest Division |
Portland Trail Blazers | Portland, Oregon | 1970 | —† | 2004 | Northwest Division | Northwest Division |
Seattle SuperSonics (1967–2008, now Oklahoma City Thunder) | Seattle, Washington | 1970 | Western Division | 2004 | Northwest Division | Northwest Division |
Denotes team currently in the division | |
Denotes team that has left the division |
Beginning with the 2021–22 season, the Pacific Division champion has received the Chuck Cooper Trophy. As with the other division championship trophies, it is named after one of the many African American pioneers from NBA history. Chuck Cooper became the first African-American to be drafted by an NBA team when the Boston Celtics selected him with the first pick in the second round of the 1950 draft. The Cooper Trophy consists of a 200-millimetre (7.9 in) crystal ball. [3]
^ | Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season |
^ | Denotes team that has left the division |
Team | Titles | Season(s) won |
---|---|---|
Los Angeles Lakers | 24 | 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2019–20 |
Phoenix Suns | 8 | 1980–81, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2020–21, 2021–22 |
Golden State Warriors | 7 | 1974–75, 1975–76, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 |
Seattle SuperSonics^ (now Oklahoma City Thunder) | 5 | 1978–79, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98 |
Portland Trail Blazers^ | 4 | 1977–78, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1998–99 |
Sacramento Kings | 3 | 2001–02, 2002–03, 2022–23 |
Los Angeles Clippers | 3 | 2012–13, 2013–14, 2023–24 |
^ | Denotes team that won the NBA championships |
+ | Denotes team that won the Conference finals, but lost the NBA Finals |
* | Denotes team that qualified for the NBA Playoffs |
× | Denotes team that qualified for the NBA play-in tournament |
† | Denotes team that did not qualify for the 2020 NBA Bubble season restart (Bubble happened due to COVID-19) |
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, four games to two to win their first NBA championship.
The 2004–05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It began on November 2, 2004 and ended June 23, 2005. The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs defeating the defending-champion Detroit Pistons, 4–3, in the NBA Finals.
The 2002–03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season ended with the San Antonio Spurs beating the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the 2003 NBA Finals. This would be Michael Jordan's last season in the NBA. This season would also mark the first finals since the 1998–99 NBA season that the Lakers did not appear in, and the Spurs' first finals appearance since then.
The 2000–01 NBA season was the 55th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their second straight championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 1 in the 2001 NBA Finals.
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The 1991–92 NBA season was the 46th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their second straight NBA Championship, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. This was Larry Bird's final season as a player in the NBA.
The 1988–89 NBA season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Detroit Pistons winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the first season of the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets.
The 1986–87 NBA season was the 41st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their fourth championship of the decade, beating the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.
The 2006 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2005–06 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat defeating the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Dwyane Wade was named NBA Finals MVP.
The 2001 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2000-01 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 1. Shaquille O'Neal was named NBA Finals MVP for the second straight year.
The 2000 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1999–2000 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeating the Eastern Conference champion Indiana Pacers four games to two. Shaquille O'Neal was named NBA Finals MVP.
The 1997 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1996–97 season. The tournament concluded with the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Utah Jazz 4 games to 2. This was the Bulls' second straight title, and fifth overall. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for the fifth time.
The 1996 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1995–96 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls defeating the Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan was named NBA Finals MVP for a then record fourth time.
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The following is a timeline of the expansion and evolution of franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league was formed as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946 and took its current name in 1949. The histories of NBA franchises that were also members of the American Basketball League (ABL), National Basketball League (NBL), National Pro Basketball League (NPBL), and American Basketball Association (ABA) are also included.
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