Ranking the last 10 NBA Champions after New York Knicks’ 2026 title
· Yahoo Sports
After 53 long years, the New York Knicks have won the NBA Championship. The Knicks beat a phenomenal San Antonio Spurs team in five games, winning all three road games and clinching their title in Game 5.
Now that this Knicks core is etched in NBA history, they can be compared to past champions. Here’s where the 2026 New York Knicks rank amongst the last 10 NBA Championship teams.
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10. 2022 Golden State Warriors
Jun 16, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23), guard Klay Thompson (11) and guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates after beating the Boston Celtics in game six of the 2022 NBA Finals to win the NBA Championship at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The most important title of Stephen Curry’s career by far. This Warriors team won their NBA Title primarily on experience, facing young, up-and-coming teams throughout their title run, such as the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks, and Boston Celtics.
As far as the roster goes, Steph is still Steph, but the days of prime Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were over by that point. Andrew Wiggins showed a career revival in this postseason run, being the second-best player on this team.
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9. 2021 Milwaukee Bucks
Jul 20, 2021; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) celebrates after winning game six of the 2021 NBA Finals and the championship against the Phoenix Suns at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered one of the greatest close-out game performances ever. 50 points and 17/17 from the free throw line. The Bucks won the title in a shortened NBA season. The NBA season started in December after the 2020 season ended in October, which played a factor in injuries and overall fatigue for the rest of the league.
The Bucks were worthy champions without a doubt. Their defensive makeup was phenomenal, with Giannis and Brook Lopez in the frontcourt and Jrue Holiday as the lockdown perimeter defender to guard the other team’s best guards.
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8. 2019 Toronto Raptors
Jun 13, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Toronto Raptors center Serge Ibaka (9) celebrate with the Larry O’Brien Trophy after the Golden State Warriors in game six of the 2019 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
A title run that featured one of the most iconic shots in the history of the NBA. Kawhi Leonard cemented himself as a top 30 player of all time with his 2019 championship with the Toronto Raptors.
Does this team win the title if Kevin Durant is healthy? Of course not, but they still beat a team led by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson (until Game 6). Toronto’s lone championship team had a top-three player on the planet but lacked the depth of the next teams.
7. 2026 New York Knicks
Jun 13, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates with his teammates after the Knicks defeat the San Antonio Spurs during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
A true team destiny. The Knicks are one of the best examples of elite team building. This championship run is defined by one of the great small guards ever, Jalen Brunson, a rabid fan base, and a team that personifies resilience.
It wasn’t just Brunson, either; the Knicks don’t win the first two games without the aggressiveness of Karl Anthony Towns. OG Anunoby was the savior of Game 4 and even got Finals MVP buzz cause of it.
Then there were other timely, much-needed performances from Mikal Bridges in Game 2 and Jose Alvarado in Game 4. Great performances all around. This is about Jalen Brunson, who became the only Knick ever to score 40+ points in an NBA Finals game.
6. 2023 Denver Nuggets
Jun 12, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) and his daughter point to the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award trophy after winning the 2023 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The best player of the 2020’s had his defining moment in 2023 as Nikola Jokic won the Finals MVP. Jamal Murray had another season as an elite playoff riser, thriving in late-game situations.
Denver’s depth was a huge factor in their title run, having guys like a rookie Christian Braun, Bruce Brown, and, of course, Aaron Gordon, being the two-way guy for the Nuggets and guarding Jimmy Butler as well as anyone can.
5. 2024 Boston Celtics
Jun 17, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and guard Jaylen Brown (7) celebrates with the Larry O’Brian Trophy after beating the Dallas Mavericks in game five of the 2024 NBA Finals to win the NBA Championship at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images
After feeling the anguish and heartbreak of an NBA Finals loss in 2022, the Boston Celtics won their 18th title. The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown was vindicated when they won a championship after years of the media calling for them to break up.
This is one of the most talented starting fives of the decade, featuring Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis alongside Tatum and Brown. Having Jrue Holiday really unlocked this core, adding another ball handler and one of the better perimeter defenders on the planet to harass Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving all NBA Finals.
4. 2020 Los Angeles Lakers
Oct 11, 2020; Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) holds up four fingers after winning his fourth NBA championship after game six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. The Los Angeles Lakers won 106-93 to win the series. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images
It may be the most controversial championship of the 21st century, but it shouldn’t be. A LeBron James-led championship team is always going to land high on a list like this.
It also helps that Anthony Davis had the best year of his career and stayed healthy all year. The Lakers were the best team in the league for that whole season. It’s not like they suddenly shot out of a cannon and got hot in the bubble.
This team featured awesome play from former All-Stars-turned-role players. Guys like Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo really made their mark in the 2020 postseason run.
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3. 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder
Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) lifts the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy as the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrate after winning game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
One of the best defensive teams in the history of the NBA. This OKC Thunder team made defense fun to watch and also happened to have the league MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s first MVP season is one of the better guard seasons of all time, and combine his offensive potency with an elite two-way talent in Jalen Williams. The Thunder weren’t going to be stopped, even if some series went seven games.
While the 2026 Knicks are the perfect example of building a team from free agency and trades, this Thunder team is the perfect example of building a team from the draft. OKC’s core three all played major roles in this title run, while role players like Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and even Aaron Wiggins made major contributions.
2. 2018 Golden State Warriors
Jun 8, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award and the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The greatest championship core of all time. Two of the top three players in the world joining forces after neither being able to get over the hump. Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry weren’t together for many years, but are one of the greatest duos ever.
The depth on this team was frightening. Golden State always had games where contributions came from Shaun Livingston, Quinn Cook, or even an older David West. The Warriors did face a real challenge for the first time with this core in the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets. Once Durant joined the core, though, the NBA Finals became a breeze.
1. 2017 Golden State Warriors
June 12, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates with forward Kevin Durant (35) after game five of the 2017 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The same exact core as the 2018 Warriors. It’d already be enough trouble to deal with just Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry; the Warriors also just had prime Klay Thompson.
The big difference between the 2017 and 2018 teams is that the 2017 team finished its title run with a 16-1 record. Historic dominance on display.
To simplify how this team is defined, this is the best NBA team of all time. Their shooting potency, defensive versatility, and high-end talent make them the most unfair team to ever play against. To put this Warriors team in perspective, they would beat the 2026 New York Knicks in five games.