With the 2026-27 NBA season now underway, here’s a look back at when teams last reached the 60-win milestone – often seen as the hallmark of a very successful regular season.
Perhaps more true now than at any other point in NBA history, parity is the unquestioned force of the league as another regular season has officially begun – with a wide range of contenders hoping to make noise.
This season opens with plenty of noticeable change. The New York Knicks, of all teams, are reigning NBA champions. LeBron James and Jaylen Brown are now teammates – on the Philadelphia 76ers. The Minnesota Timberwolves, eager to take another step forward, now have LaMelo Ball in the mix for a team desperate to break through in the west.
And yes, the Western Conference remains stacked – with incredibly talented clubs in Oklahoma City and San Antonio running it back while the rest of the conference aims to keep pace.
While success appears more fleeting than ever in a league where salary cap restrictions play an overbearing role in how teams are constructed, several clubs are bound to find lightning in a bottle each year – with each contender hoping to find the magic in the same way that the Knicks, Thunder and Celtics of the last three seasons were able to.
Although that regular season success certainly doesn’t equal keeping the magic going from mid-April to mid-June, it certainly sets teams up nicely to do so with a high seed in their conference.
In an 82-game season, the 60-win plateau has often been viewed as a milestone for a very good regular season team – one that has been battle-tested against the rest of the league’s best and likely enters the postseason as one of a handful of title favorites.
While last year’s champion in the Knicks did not win 60 games, three other teams did – while many years feature one or even zero teams reaching the mark.
Although the following eight teams have never won 60 games in a season, the Raptors and Nuggets still have NBA championships to their name:
- Toronto Raptors
- Brooklyn Nets
- Charlotte Hornets
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Denver Nuggets
Beginning with the most recent occurrences, here’s a look at the last time each NBA team won 60 games since the 82-game schedule began in 1967-68, with italicized teams being NBA champions during that season:
2025-26
- Oklahoma City Thunder: 64-18
- San Antonio Spurs: 62-20
- Detroit Pistons: 60-22
2024-25
- Cleveland Cavaliers: 64-18
- Boston Celtics: 61-21
2021-22
- Phoenix Suns: 64-18
2018-19
- Milwaukee Bucks: 60-22
2017-18
- Houston Rockets: 65-17
2016-17
- Golden State Warriors: 67-15
2014-15
- Atlanta Hawks: 60-22
2012-13
- Miami Heat: 66-16
2010-11
- Chicago Bulls: 62-20
2008-09
- Los Angeles Lakers: 65-17
2006-07
- Dallas Mavericks: 67-15
2003-04
- Indiana Pacers: 61-21
2001-02
- Sacramento Kings: 61-21
1997-98
- Utah Jazz: 62-20
1995-96
- Orlando Magic: 60-22
1992-93
- New York Knicks: 60-22
1990-91
- Portland Trail Blazers: 63-19
1982-83
- Philadelphia 76ers: 65-17
1974-75
- Washington Wizards: 60-22*
*denotes team was known as Washington Bullets at the time.
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