What is the oldest NBA team to never win a championship?
The Phoenix Suns are the oldest franchise to never win an NBA championship. The Suns joined the league in 1968. They have never won a title during their 56-year history. The Suns are attempting to break that streak this season as they compete in the 2024 Playoffs.
The Suns hold the record by two years over the LA Clippers who have also never won a title. The Sacramento Kings have the longest title drought as they last won an NBA title in 1951. They were the Rochester Royals back then and have since moved to Cincinnati and Kansas City before landing in Sacramento.
The Suns have gotten close to the ever elusive NBA title. They have won the West and made the NBA Finals three times. Let’s take a closer look at those three series where the Suns came up short of basketball glory.
Phoenix Suns NBA Finals Appearances
The Suns first made the NBA Finals in 1976. It was only the second time in franchise history that they made the playoffs. Phoenix was led by Alvan Adams and Paul Westphal. They were the No. 3 seed in the West.
The Suns ran into the mighty Boston Celtics and fell in six games. The Celtics bested the Suns in a tight series behind John Havlicek. Havlicek had help from Jo Jo White who won Finals MVP.
White had 33 points to help the Celtics win a thrilling Game 5 in triple overtime.
The Suns' second finals appearance came in 1993. Charles Barkley led the way for Phoenix through the West. Barkley and the Suns ran into the legendary Michael Jordan in the finals.
Jordan averaged 41.0 points in the finals as the Bulls won in six games. Barkley did his best to compete with the G.O.A.T., averaging 27.3 points and 13.0 rebounds per game.
The Suns made it back to the sport’s pinnacle recently. They made the 2021 finals in the shortened, rescheduled season during the pandemic.
Phoenix was led by Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton. It was the first time Phoenix made the playoffs since 2010. They were the No. 2 seed in the West with a 51-21 record.
The Suns took on the Milwaukee Bucks in the finals but fell in six games. They ran into another generational superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak scored 50 points in Game 6 to clinch the title.