Whether they care to admit it publicly or not, there is only one reason professional basketballers get out of bed every day: the pursuit of a championship ring.
And for the franchise that can tread the shark-infested depths of an 82-game regular season and come out alive with a winning record, the arduous sprint of the playoffs awaits them.
From the play-in to the Finals, the unit that runs with the bulls (not literally of late) and wins earns the right to raise a banner and bump jewel-encrusted knuckles.
However, for the teams mangled in the shallows well before the post-season, it is back to the drawing board as another year of a championship drought is chalked up.
From clipped wings in Georgia to rusted crowns in California, here is the ordered list of NBA franchises with the longest championship droughts.
| Franchise | Seasons | Last championship |
| Sacramento Kings | 73 | 1951 |
| Atlanta Hawks | 66 | 1958 |
| Phoenix Suns | 56 | - |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 54 | - |
| New York Knicks | 51 | 1973 |
| Utah Jazz | 50 | - |
| Brooklyn Nets | 48 | - |
| Indiana Pacers | 48 | - |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 47 | 1977 |
| Washington Wizards | 46 | 1978 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 45 | 1979 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 41 | 1983 |
| Orlando Magic | 35 | - |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 35 | - |
| Charlotte Hornets | 34 | - |
| Houston Rockets | 29 | 1995 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 29 | - |
| Chicago Bulls | 26 | 1998 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 22 | - |
| Detroit Pistons | 20 | 2004 |
| Boston Celtics | 16 | 2008 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 13 | 2011 |
| Miami Heat | 11 | 2013 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 10 | 2014 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 8 | 2016 |
| Toronto Raptors | 5 | 2019 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 4 | 2020 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 3 | 2021 |
| Golden State Warriors | 2 | 2022 |
| Denver Nuggets | 1 | 2023 |
