Historical NBA franchises
Franchises that played at least one season in the Basketball Association of America (1947-49), National Basketball Association (1949+), or American Basketball Association (1968-76) but no longer exist as independent clubs. Includes the 8 ABA-only franchises whose lineages did not survive the 1976 NBA-ABA merger, the BAA charter members that folded before the 1949 merger, and one-season early NBA clubs.
ABA-only franchises
American Basketball Association franchises (1968-76) whose lineages did not merge into the NBA. The 1976 merger absorbed only the Pacers, Nets, Spurs, and Nuggets; everything below either folded, was bought out, or operated entirely outside the merger.
| Franchise | Years | Seasons | Titles | Finals | All-time | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego ConquistadorsABA | 1972-73 – 1975-76 | 4 | 101-162 | .384 | ||
| Kentucky ColonelsABA | 1967-68 – 1975-76 | 9 | 3 | 448-296 | .602 | |
| New Orleans BuccaneersABA | 1967-68 – 1974-75 | 8 | 1 | 275-385 | .417 | |
| Pittsburgh PipersABA | 1967-68 – 1971-72 | 5 | 1 | 180-228 | .441 | |
| Spirits of St. LouisABA | 1967-68 – 1975-76 | 9 | 334-410 | .449 | ||
| The FloridiansABA | 1967-68 – 1971-72 | 5 | 189-219 | .463 | ||
| Utah StarsABA | 1967-68 – 1975-76 | 9 | 3 | 366-310 | .541 | |
| Virginia SquiresABA | 1967-68 – 1975-76 | 9 | 1 | 326-417 | .439 |
BAA / NBA defunct franchises
Basketball Association of America (1947-49) and early NBA franchises that folded, mostly during the league's first decade of consolidation.
| Franchise | Years | Seasons | Titles | Finals | All-time | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Packers | 1949-50 – 1949-50 | 1 | 37-27 | .578 | ||
| Denver Nuggets (1949–50) | 1949-50 – 1949-50 | 1 | 11-51 | .177 | ||
| Indianapolis Olympians | 1949-50 – 1952-53 | 4 | 132-137 | .491 | ||
| Sheboygan Red Skins | 1949-50 – 1949-50 | 1 | 22-40 | .355 | ||
| Waterloo Hawks | 1949-50 – 1949-50 | 1 | 19-43 | .306 | ||
| Indianapolis Jets | 1948-49 – 1948-49 | 1 | 18-42 | .300 | ||
| Baltimore Bullets (1947–54) | 1947-48 – 1953-54 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 158-292 | .351 |
| Chicago Stags | 1946-47 – 1949-50 | 4 | 1 | 145-92 | .612 | |
| Cleveland Rebels | 1946-47 – 1946-47 | 1 | 30-30 | .500 | ||
| Detroit Falcons | 1946-47 – 1946-47 | 1 | 20-40 | .333 | ||
| Pittsburgh Ironmen | 1946-47 – 1946-47 | 1 | 15-45 | .250 | ||
| Providence Steamrollers | 1946-47 – 1948-49 | 3 | 46-122 | .274 | ||
| St. Louis Bombers | 1946-47 – 1949-50 | 4 | 122-115 | .515 | ||
| Toronto Huskies | 1946-47 – 1946-47 | 1 | 22-38 | .367 | ||
| Washington Capitols | 1946-47 – 1950-51 | 5 | 1 | 157-114 | .579 |
Active 30: /teams/nba. Source: NBA workbook (Totals sheet, Defunct=Y rows). ABA championships rendered in slate on the active-franchise pages for the four ABA-NBA merger survivors.