DENVER — The Denver Nuggets have won their first NBA title in the 47-year history of the franchise.
But the series win – clinched in Monday’s Game 5 – marks a more bizarre piece of history, too.
The Nuggets are the first Western Conference team not from California or Texas to win the championship since 1979 – and the team that did it that year, the Seattle Supersonics, doesn’t even exist anymore.
Since that 1979 Finals win by the ‘Sonics, these are the Western Conference teams to win it all:
- Los Angeles Lakers: 11 titles
- San Antonio Spurs: 5 titles
- Golden State Warriors: 4 titles
- Houston Rockets: 2 titles
- Dallas Mavericks: 1 title
The Eastern Conference champion has hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the other 20 Finals in that time.
While the stat is remarkable, seven of the 15 Western Conference teams hail from either California or Texas.
Check out the list of NBA champions by year over at Basketball Reference.
