Login
Login

List of NBA G League champions#2010 to present

{{Short description|None}}

{{NBA Development League Awards}}

__NOTOC__

The NBA G League Finals is the championship game or series for the NBA G League and the conclusion of the league's postseason. The league was previously known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005 and the National Basketball Association Development League (NBA D-League) from 2005 to 2017.

Since the league's inception in 2001–02, a variety of formats has been used to determine the champion. From the inaugural postseason in 2002 until 2006, the four teams with the best records advanced to the postseason.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2002.html|title=2001–02 NBDL season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2003.html|title=2002–03 NBDL season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2004.html|title=2003–04 NBDL season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2005.html|title=2004–05 NBDL season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2006.html|title=2005–06 NBA Development League season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}} In the first two seasons, both the semifinal round and the Finals were held in a best-of-three format. Then, between 2004 and 2007, the playoffs used a single-elimination tournament among the four teams, with two semifinal games and one winner-take-all championship match.

In 2007, the league expanded to twelve teams and was divided into Eastern and Western Conferences, comprising six teams each. All playoff rounds were one game each, ending with the Eastern Conference's Dakota Wizards winning the championship 129–121 in overtime against the Colorado 14ers. The best-of-three format for the Finals returned in 2008.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2007.html|title=2006–07 NBA Development League season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2008.html|title=2007–08 NBA Development League season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2009.html|title=2008–09 NBA Development League season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}}{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/nbdl/years/2010.html|title=2009–10 NBA Development League season summary |access-date=November 13, 2010|work=basketball-reference.com}} With the league's continued expansion to fourteen teams in 2008 and sixteen teams in 2009, the two-conference format was replaced with a three-division format consisting of Western, Southwestern and Central Divisions. Both the 2008 and 2009 NBADL championship series were between teams representing the Western and Southwestern Divisions, with no Central teams making it to the finals. The 2009–10 season saw a reformatting to having Eastern and Western Conferences, with the 2012–13 season being the only one with a third conference named as

the Central and the 2013–14 season having just Divisions rather than conferences. Due to there being two more teams in the Western Conference (nine) than the Eastern Conference (seven), and because the top eight teams with the best regular season records qualified for the postseason irrespective of conference, the 2010 and 2012 NBADL Finals consisted of two Western Conference teams. Finally, in the 2014–15 season, the playoff structure was changed so the teams were separated by conference in seeding. The 2021 edition of the Finals was a one-game match, which equaled the number of games played for the other playoff rounds as played by the eight teams that were seeded solely by record. The league returned to the best-of-three format for the Finals in 2022.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers lead the league in championship appearances (seven) and championships (four).

Key

class="wikitable"
Bold

|Winning team of the Finals

†

|Had or tied for the best regular season record for that season

Team (X)

|Denotes the number of times the team has won
(also includes past names of franchise, if applicable)

Champions

class="wikitable"
YearChampionDivisionclass="unsortable"| CoachResultRunner-upDivisionCoach
align=center|2002

|Greenville Groove†

|rowspan=5; align=center| —

|Milton Barnes

|align=center|2–0

|North Charleston Lowgators†

|rowspan=5; align=center| —

|Alex English

align=center|2003

|Mobile Revelers

|Sam Vincent

|align=center|2–1

|Fayetteville Patriots†

|Jeff Capel II

align=center|2004

|Asheville Altitude†

|Joey Meyer

|align=center|108–106 (OT){{efn|One-game championship}}

|Huntsville Flight

|Ralph Lewis

align=center|2005

|Asheville Altitude (2)

|Joey Meyer

|align=center|90–67{{efn|One-game championship}}

|Columbus Riverdragons†

|Jeff Malone

align=center|2006

|Albuquerque Thunderbirds

|Michael Cooper

|align=center|119–108{{efn|One-game championship}}

|Fort Worth Flyers†

|Sam Vincent

align=center|2007

|Dakota Wizards†

|align=center|Eastern

|Dave Joerger

|align=center|129–121 (OT){{efn|One-game championship}}

|Colorado 14ers

|align=center|Western

|Joe Wolf

align=center|2008

|Idaho Stampede†

|align=center|Western

|Bryan Gates

|align=center|2–1

|Austin Toros

|align=center|Southwest

|Quin Snyder

align=center|2009

|Colorado 14ers†

|align=center|Southwest

|Bob MacKinnon Jr

|align=center|2–0

|Utah Flash

|align=center|Western

|Brad Jones

YearChampionConferenceclass="unsortable"| CoachResultRunner-upConferenceCoach
align=center| 2010

|Rio Grande Valley Vipers

|align=center|Western

|Chris Finch

|align=center|2–0

|Oklahoma City Blue

|align=center|Western

|Nate Tibbetts

align=center| 2011{{Cite web| last = Emmert| first = Mark| title = Iowa Energy Win NBA D-League Championship| work = Des Moines Register| date = April 29, 2011| url = http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110429/SPORTS04/110429030/0/NEWS01/| access-date = May 2, 2011}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

|Iowa Energy†

|align=center|Eastern

|Nick Nurse

|align=center|2–1

|Rio Grande Valley Vipers

|align=center|Western

|Chris Finch

align=center| 2012{{Cite web| title = Dentmon, Austin top Los Angeles for D-League crown| work=Fox News| date = April 29, 2012| url = https://www.foxnews.com/sports/dentmon-austin-top-los-angeles-for-d-league-crown/| access-date = April 29, 2012}}

|Austin Toros

|align=center|Western

|Brad Jones

|align=center|2–1

|Los Angeles D-Fenders†

|align=center|Western

|Eric Musselman

align=center| 2013{{cite web | title = Warriors Fall to Rio Grande Vipers in NBA D-League Finals | work = NBA.com | date = April 27, 2013 | url = http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20130427/SCWRGV/gameinfo.html | access-date = April 27, 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130427213236/http://www.nba.com/dleague/games/20130427/SCWRGV/gameinfo.html | archive-date = April 27, 2013 }}

|Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2)

|align=center|Central

|Nick Nurse

|align=center|2–0

|Santa Cruz Warriors

|align=center|Western

|Nate Bjorkgren

align=center| 2014{{cite web|title=Fort Wayne Mad Ants Capture 2014 NBA Development League Title |work=NBA.com |date=April 26, 2014 |url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/fort_wayne_mad_ants_win_nba_dleague_title_20_2014_04_26.html |access-date=April 26, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429171629/http://www.nba.com/dleague/news/fort_wayne_mad_ants_win_nba_dleague_title_20_2014_04_26.html |archive-date=April 29, 2014 }}

|Fort Wayne Mad Ants†

|align=center|Eastern

|Conner Henry

|align=center|2–0

|Santa Cruz Warriors

|align=center|Western

|Casey Hill

align=center| 2015{{cite web| title = Title Wave: Santa Cruz Wins NBA D-League Championship | work = NBA.com | date = April 26, 2015 | url = http://dleague.nba.com/games/20150426fwnscw/ | access-date = April 26, 2015}}

|Santa Cruz Warriors† (2)

|align=center|Western

|Casey Hill

|align=center|2–0

|Fort Wayne Mad Ants

|align=center|Eastern

|Conner Henry

align=center| 2016{{cite web| title = Sioux Falls Skyforce Cap Historic Season with First NBA D-League | work = NBA.com | date = April 27, 2016 | url = http://dleague.nba.com/games/20160427/LADSXF/ | access-date = April 27, 2016}}

|Sioux Falls Skyforce†

|align=center|Eastern

|Dan Craig

|align=center|2–1

|Los Angeles D-Fenders

|align=center|Western

|Casey Owens

align=center| 2017{{cite web| title = One For the 905! Raptors Affiliate Takes Home Title | work = NBA.com | date = April 27, 2017 | url = http://dleague.nba.com/games/20170427/RGVRAP/ | access-date = April 27, 2017}}

|Raptors 905†

|align=center|Eastern

|Jerry Stackhouse

|align=center|2–1

|Rio Grande Valley Vipers

|align=center|Western

|Matt Brase

align=center| 2018{{cite web| title = Austin Spurs Win 2018 NBA G League Championship | work = NBA.com | date = April 10, 2018 | url = http://www.nba.com/spurs/austin-spurs-win-2018-nba-g-league-championship | access-date = April 10, 2018}}

|Austin Spurs† (2)

|align=center|Western

|Blake Ahearn

|align=center|2–0

|Raptors 905

|align=center|Eastern

|Jerry Stackhouse

align=center| 2019

|Rio Grande Valley Vipers† (3)

|align=center|Western

|Joseph Blair

|align=center|2–1

|Long Island Nets†

|align=center|Eastern

|Will Weaver

align=center| 2020colspan="7" align=center | No NBA G League playoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic{{cite web |url=https://gleague.nba.com/news/nba-g-league-cancels-remainder-of-2019-20-season/ |title=NBA G League Cancels Remainder of 2019-20 Season |date=2020-06-04|access-date=2020-06-04 |publisher=NBA G League}}
align=center| 2021

|Lakeland Magic

|align=center|—

|Stan Heath

|align=center|97–78{{efn|One-game championship}}

|Delaware Blue Coats

|align=center|—

|Connor Johnson

align=center| 2022

|Rio Grande Valley Vipers (4)

|align=center|Western

|Mahmoud Abdelfattah

|align=center|2–0

|Delaware Blue Coats

|align=center|Eastern

|Coby Karl

align=center| 2023

|Delaware Blue Coats

|align=center|Eastern

|Coby Karl

|align=center|2–0

|Rio Grande Valley Vipers

|align=center|Western

|Kevin Burleson

align=center| 2024

|Oklahoma City Blue

|align=center|Western

|Kameron Woods

|align=center|2–1

|Maine Celtics

|align=center|Eastern

|Blaine Mueller

align=center| 2025

|Stockton Kings†

|align=center|Western

|Quinton Crawford

|align=center|2–1

|Osceola Magic†

|align=center|Eastern

|Dylan Murphy

Results by teams

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left; font-size:95%"

!Teams!!Finals
appearances!!Championships!!Runners-up!!class="unsortable" width="200"|Years won!!class="unsortable" width="200"|Years runners-up!!Playoff appearances

Rio Grande Valley Vipers7432010, 2013, 2019, 20222011, 2017, 202312
Asheville Altitude / Tulsa 66ers{{ref label|Note1|a|a}} / Oklahoma City Blue4312004, 2005, 2024201010
Dakota Wizards / Santa Cruz Warriors{{ref label|Note1|f|f}}4222007, 20152013, 201413
Columbus Riverdragons / Austin Toros{{ref label|Note2|b|b}} / Austin Spurs4222012, 20182005, 200811
Utah Flash / Delaware 87ers / Delaware Blue Coats41320232009, 2021, 20227
Huntsville Flight / Albuquerque Thunderbirds /
New Mexico Thunderbirds / Canton Charge / Cleveland Charge{{ref label|Note4|d|d}}		2112006200411
Colorado 14ers / Texas Legends{{ref label|Note3|c|c}}211200920076
Fort Wayne / Indiana Mad Ants / Noblesville Boom{{ref label|Note7|g|g}}211201420157
Raptors 905211201720185
Greenville Groove1102002—1
Mobile Revelers1102003—2
Idaho Stampede / Salt Lake City Stars1102008—6
Iowa Energy / Iowa Wolves1102011—5
Sioux Falls Skyforce1102016—8
Erie BayHawks / Lakeland Magic / Osceola Magic1102021—7
Reno Bighorns / Stockton Kings1102025—9
Long Island Nets101—20194
North Charleston Lowgators / Charleston Lowgators / Florida Flame{{ref label|Note5|e|e}}101—20024
Fayetteville Patriots101—20032
Fort Worth Flyers101—20062
Maine Celtics101—20246
Los Angeles D-Fenders / South Bay Lakers202—2012, 20168
Bakersfield Jam / Northern Arizona Suns / Motor City Cruise0————6
Capital City Go-Go0————3
Grand Rapids Drive0————3
Westchester Knicks0————3
Erie BayHawks / College Park Skyhawks0————2
Erie BayHawks / Birmingham Squadron0————2
Memphis Hustle0————2
Agua Caliente / Ontario / San Diego Clippers{{ref label|Note8|h|h}}0————1
Windy City Bulls0————1
NBA G League Ignite000001
Greensboro Swarm0————0
Wisconsin Herd0————0
Rip City Remix0————0
Capitanes de la Ciudad de México0————0

See also

Notes

{{notelist}}

  • {{note label|Note1|a|a}} The Asheville Altitude relocated and became the Tulsa 66ers in 2005–06.{{Cite web| title = National Basketball Development League Facts: NBDL Membership Chronology 2002–2007| work = apbr.org| publisher = Association for Professional Basketball Research| year = 2008| url = http://www.apbr.org/nbdl.html| access-date = November 13, 2010}}
  • {{note label|Note2|b|b}} The Columbus Riverdragons relocated and became the Austin Toros in 2005–06.
  • {{note label|Note3|c|c}} The Colorado 14ers went on hiatus in 2009–10 and returned as the Texas Legends in 2010–11 after a relocation.{{Cite web| title = NBA League Development Team Comes to Frisco; Colorado 14ers to Move Operations| publisher = ci.frisco.tx.us| date = June 18, 2009| url = http://www.ci.frisco.tx.us/communication/press/Pages/NBALeagueDevelopmentTeamComingtoFrisco.aspx| access-date = November 13, 2010| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721142951/http://www.ci.frisco.tx.us/communication/press/Pages/NBALeagueDevelopmentTeamComingtoFrisco.aspx| archive-date = July 21, 2011}}
  • {{note label|Note4|d|d}} The Huntsville Flight relocated and became the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in 2005–06, then the franchise renamed itself to the New Mexico Thunderbirds in 2010–11. The franchise was then purchased and relocated in 2011–12 and became known as the Canton Charge and then the Cleveland Charge in 2021–22.{{Cite web| last = Hubert| first = Matt| title = D-League 101: D-League Franchise History| work = D-League Digest| publisher = dleaguedigest.com| date = August 18, 2010| url = http://dleaguedigest.com/2010/08/18/d-league-101-d-league-franchise-history/| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100821111225/http://dleaguedigest.com/2010/08/18/d-league-101-d-league-franchise-history/| url-status = usurped| archive-date = August 21, 2010| access-date = November 13, 2010}}
  • {{note label|Note5|e|e}} After two years as the North Charleston Lowgators, the franchise became known as the Charleston Lowgators for one season prior to their relocation. The franchise was known as the Florida Flame for the 2004 through 2006 seasons.
  • {{note label|Note5|f|f}} The Dakota Wizards relocated and became the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2012–13.
  • {{note label|Note7|g|g}} The Fort Wayne Mad Ants relocated to Indianapolis in 2023–24, playing as the Indiana Mad Ants.{{Cite web |url=https://www.wishtv.com/sports/indiana-pacers/pacers-to-move-nba-g-league-team-to-new-multimillion-arena-in-noblesville/ |title=Pacers to move NBA G League team to new arena in Noblesville |publisher=WISH-TV |date=2023-05-08 |accessdate=2023-05-08 |last=Montgomery |first=Gregg}} After the 2024–25 season, the team relocated again, this time to the Indianapolis suburb of Noblesville, as the Noblesville Boom.{{cite press release |url=https://gleague.nba.com/news/indiana-mad-ants-rebrand-as-noblesville-boom |title=Indiana Mad Ants Rebrand As Noblesville Boom |publisher=NBA G League |date=April 16, 2025 |access-date=April 30, 2025}}
  • {{note label|Note8|h|h}} The Agua Caliente Clippers rebranded as the Ontario Clippers in 2022 without relocating.{{cite web | url=https://www.clipsnation.com/2022/7/5/23195945/report-los-angeles-clippers-g-league-ontario-agua-caliente | title=Report: LA Clippers' G League affiliate renamed to Ontario Clippers }} Starting in 2024–25, the team relocated to Oceanside, California as the San Diego Clippers.{{cite news|last=Friend|first=Tom|title=Clippers go back to the future by moving G League team to San Diego|url=https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2024/03/11/san-diego-clippers-nba-g-league|website=SportsBusinessJournal.com|language=en|access-date=}}

References

{{reflist|2}}

{{NBA G League}}

{{NBA G League Champions}}

{{NBA G League seasons}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nba Development League Champions}}

Champions

G League champions