Which Conference Has More NBA Championships: East or West?

American sports often divide teams based on geographical regions – north, south, east, and west. Interestingly, these divisions sometimes don’t align perfectly with a city’s actual location on the map. For instance, the Chicago Stags were initially part of the NBA’s Western Division, even though Chicago is situated in the eastern half of the United States.

Similarly, Memphis and New Orleans are both Eastern U.S. cities located on the east bank of the Mississippi River. However, they compete in the NBA’s Western Conference. Minneapolis is 294 miles west of Milwaukee, but the Timberwolves are in the same conference as the Portland Trail Blazers, which is more than 1,400 miles further west.

When the NBA was first established, teams like the Baltimore Bullets (now defunct) and the Rochester Royals were part of the Western Division. This historical context is crucial when evaluating which conference has won more NBA championships over time – the Eastern or the Western.

As of now, the Eastern Conference holds a lead over the Western Conference with a score of 41-36 in championships. A notable example is the Milwaukee Bucks, who won their first NBA Finals as a Western Conference team before moving to the Eastern Conference.

While the East currently holds a slight edge, the West has been more dominant in recent years. Since 1999, Western Conference teams have claimed 16 titles, compared to just 9 for the Eastern Conference, including the most recent win by the Boston Celtics in 2024.