The NBA Belt · era belt
The belt since the NBA took its name
The BAA absorbed the NBL and became the NBA for 1949–50; this belt starts there instead of with the BAA's 1946 opener. Tri-Cities Blackhawks won that game against Denver Nuggets, 93–85 on October 29, 1949.
3,167Reigns since 1949–50
3,167Title changes
36Franchises that held it
CavaliersHolder today
Start the NBA belt with Tri-Cities Blackhawks’ win on October 29, 1949 and it takes a different path for 5 reigns: on November 12, 1949 the new line and the original line land in the same hands, and from that day on they never differ again. Every reign since is the same reign on both belts, so this page is the era's record book rather than a second history.
Where the two lines differed
| # | Holder | From | To | Def. | How |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tri-Cities Blackhawks | Oct 29, 1949 | Nov 1, 1949 | 0 | first game |
| 2 | St. Louis Bombers | Nov 1, 1949 | Nov 4, 1949 | 1 | beat Hawks 72–51 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Warriors | Nov 4, 1949 | Nov 5, 1949 | 0 | beat Bombers 79–58 |
| 4 | Rochester Royals | Nov 5, 1949 | Nov 9, 1949 | 0 | beat Warriors 83–53 |
| 5 | Chicago Stags | Nov 9, 1949 | Nov 18, 1949 | 5 | beat Kings 75–72 |
The era's record book
Most days held since 1949–50
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 4,864 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | 3,335 |
| 3 | Golden State Warriors | 1,513 |
| 4 | New York Knicks | 1,481 |
| 5 | Philadelphia 76ers | 1,478 |
| 6 | Chicago Bulls | 1,335 |
| 7 | Atlanta Hawks | 1,135 |
| 8 | San Antonio Spurs | 1,022 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 1,004 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 994 |
Most reigns since 1949–50
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 293 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | 238 |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | 202 |
| 4 | New York Knicks | 192 |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 177 |
| 6 | Golden State Warriors | 156 |
| 7 | Sacramento Kings | 153 |
| 8 | Detroit Pistons | 149 |
| 9 | Milwaukee Bucks | 114 |
| 10 | Houston Rockets | 107 |
Most defenses since 1949–50
| 1 | Boston Celtics | 577 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Lakers | 397 |
| 3 | Philadelphia 76ers | 259 |
| 4 | New York Knicks | 217 |
| 5 | Golden State Warriors | 205 |
| 6 | San Antonio Spurs | 187 |
| 7 | Milwaukee Bucks | 178 |
| 8 | Atlanta Hawks | 171 |
| 9 | Detroit Pistons | 162 |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | 157 |
Longest reigns of the era
| # | Reign | Defenses | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden State WarriorsJun 11, 2015 – Dec 12, 2015 | 26 | 184 |
| 2 | Los Angeles LakersDec 3, 1971 – Jan 9, 1972 | 17 | 37 |
| 3 | Boston CelticsNov 20, 2008 – Dec 25, 2008 | 16 | 35 |
| 4 | Boston CelticsApr 13, 1957 – Nov 28, 1957 | 14 | 229 |
| 5 | Los Angeles LakersFeb 16, 2000 – Mar 16, 2000 | 14 | 29 |
| 6 | Milwaukee BucksFeb 14, 1971 – Mar 9, 1971 | 14 | 23 |
| 7 | Boston CelticsMar 11, 1986 – Apr 6, 1986 | 13 | 26 |
| 8 | Chicago BullsJun 16, 1996 – Nov 23, 1996 | 12 | 160 |
| 9 | San Antonio SpursMar 1, 2002 – Mar 27, 2002 | 12 | 26 |
| 10 | San Antonio SpursApr 4, 2004 – May 9, 2004 | 11 | 35 |