Half of the 2025 NBA Finals is set after the Oklahoma City Thunder throttled the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 in Game 5. The Thunder have reached the Finals just once since moving to Oklahoma City in 2008, and the franchise hasn’t won a championship since its days in Seattle.
The title drought has lasted 46 years for the Thunder franchise. But let’s look at the list of teams that have never reached the NBA Finals.
Which NBA Teams Have Never Reached the Finals?
Oklahoma City’s fan base is hungry for its first championship, but five current NBA teams have yet even to make it to the Finals. Underdog NBA tweeted the list, which includes the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans.
Teams that have never reached the NBA Finals:
Wolves Clippers Grizzlies Hornets Pelicans — Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) May 29, 2025
Oklahoma City was initially established as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1967. The franchise reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 1978 and captured its only title the following season.
Seattle’s strongest stretch came in the 1990s, when Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton led the team to four division titles in five years and an NBA Finals appearance in 1996. The SuperSonics lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games. Seattle made the playoffs five more times before relocating, but never made it back to the Conference Finals.
Kevin Durant played one season in Seattle after being selected in the 2007 NBA Draft. The SuperSonics technically drafted Russell Westbrook the following year, but he never suited up for Seattle. The team relocated for the 2008-09 season and was set up for success with two future stars.
Durant and Westbrook led Oklahoma City to the 2012 NBA Finals and won Game 1 before dropping the next four to the Miami Heat. The Thunder reached the Western Conference Finals twice more before Durant left and hadn’t been back until this season. Now, they’ll try to capture their first championship since relocating.
The Timberwolves began play in the 1989-90 season and struggled for their first seven years. They selected Kevin Garnett in the 1995 NBA Draft and reached the playoffs for the first time in 1997.
After seven straight first-round exits, Garnett carried Minnesota to the Western Conference Finals in 2004, but they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Edwards has led the Timberwolves to back-to-back Conference Finals appearances but hasn’t broken through yet.
The Clippers began play in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves and moved to San Diego after eight seasons. They relocated to Los Angeles in 1984 and had limited postseason success until the 2011-12 season. The additions of Blake Griffin and Chris Paul launched the team’s current stretch of 12 playoff appearances in 14 seasons.
Still, they’ve reached the Western Conference Finals just once.
The Vancouver Grizzlies began play in 1995 and moved to Memphis after six seasons. The franchise has consistently made the playoffs, but has only appeared in one Conference Finals. Memphis was swept by the San Antonio Spurs in 2013.
The Hornets and Pelicans bring a long history of playoff struggles. The original Hornets never got past the second round before moving to New Orleans in 2002. The team became the Pelicans in 2013 and has continued that trend of early exits.
The new Hornets rejoined the NBA in 2004 as the Charlotte Bobcats. They made the playoffs twice before rebranding as the Hornets, but have only one playoff appearance under the current name.
